After Collingwood took its followers on the wildest of rides final 12 months with an unprecedented quantity of shut wins to surge to inside a kick of a Grand Final, all eyes at the moment are on the way it backs it up.
Craig McRae goes into his second 12 months as coach with a lot larger expectations, particularly after the membership’s low season recruiting spree together with touchdown Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay and Bobby Hill – made doable by shifting Brodie Grundy’s profitable wage to the Demons.
The trio all determine to play key roles within the black and white this season, with McStay specifically impressing in his first unofficial outing as a Magpie with three objectives within the membership’s match simulation recreation towards Carlton.
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Another key change has seen Darcy Moore take over the captaincy from Scott Pendlebury after a document 9 seasons and 206 video games within the position.
The discuss of a possible rebuild at Collingwood two years in the past has been placed on the again burner because the membership re-enters the premiership dialogue behind a new-look, quick and daring recreation plan, extra jovial and family-based tradition and injection of youth with the likes of Nick Daicos and Jack Ginnivan … however how a lot can we actually belief the Magpies?
For all of Collingwood’s shut wins final season and the tidal wave of momentum that was, there’s additionally a good argument that, had extra outcomes gone the opposite manner, the membership was may’ve solely been on the precipice of the highest eight – and its general statistical profile even suggests it was extra on this vary.
And so how the membership fares not enjoying in a historic quantity of tight video games is the massive unknown.
But one other pre-season beneath McRae and extra familiarity with the sport plan – albeit a recreation plan rival golf equipment may have carried out far more planning on – together with a deeper squad, younger gamers maturing and normal inner improvement lends itself to general upside, too, notably if the Pies add extra layers to their model.
“It’s definitely different because last year there were a lot of unknowns around how we wanted to play, we had a brand new coaching panel, we had a bunch of new guys that came in,” Magpies co vice-captain Taylor Adams instructed foxfooty.com.au.
“The expectation was different. I feel like we started the year the way we ended it. We trained really well in December and played some good footy later in the year.
“We’re certainly more advanced compared to where we were this time last year. Time will tell how that holds up but I think we’re feeling really confident about where we are.”
There’s quite a bit to love about Collingwood beneath McRae’s lead, however it is going to be with out Ginnivan for at the least the primary two rounds of the season because of his drug-related suspension.
That’s maybe the one draw back for this new-age Magpies staff coming into 2023 as one of many golf equipment that’ll be genuinely eyeing the highest prize.
STRENGTH
Defence and management. The Magpies’ defence was their spine final season – each in stopping the opposition and rebounding them into assault – ranked among the many finest within the competitors led by stars Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe and Brayden Maynard with runners in Nick Daicos, Isaac Quaynor and John Noble.
The continuity of that again six or seven has been key, and just about that very same crop will line up collectively once more in 2023, whereas the addition of Billy Frampton might assist Moore and Howe play their intercept marking recreation extra successfully.
The Pies are additionally loaded with leaders throughout the sector like Moore, Howe, Maynard, Scott Pendlebury, Jack Crisp, Tom Mitchell, Steele Sidebottom, Taylor Adams and Jamie Elliott – and it clearly performed a giant position in them closing out so many tight wins final 12 months.
WEAKNESS
Midfield. McRae’s facet was repeatedly crushed up across the ball final 12 months and relied closely on its transition play.
For this purpose, many criticised the membership’s determination to maneuver on Grundy given his best strengths are contested ball and clearance, nevertheless the addition of Tom Mitchell might assist off-set this.
The Pies do bat deep within the midfield this 12 months with Mitchell, Jordan De Goey, Jack Crisp, Taylor Adams, the Daicos brothers and Scott Pendlebury to take up the majority of the minutes, however how they perform as a collective can be essential.
And once more – though not a weak point as such – there’s additionally legitimate issues across the sustainability of final 12 months’s string of shut wins, and rivals discovering methods to stifle the Pies’ electrical ball motion, whereas they’ll additionally now face a a lot harder fixture.
WHERE ARE THEY ON THE PREMIERSHIP CLOCK?
9pm. Given the Pies went from seventeenth to fourth within the area of 12 months, it’s exhausting to get a very good gauge on the place they sit general. Was final 12 months only a season out of the field, and the truth is that they lie someplace within the center?
Factoring within the high quality of their top-end expertise, expertise and optimistic vitality popping out of the membership, you sense they’re nonetheless well-placed to problem – and it’d take a courageous pundit to rule them out after final 12 months’s feat!
PREDICTED LADDER RANGE
4th-Seventh
PREDICTED ROUND 1 TEAM
B: Isaac Quaynor, Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard
HB: Nick Daicos, Jeremy Howe, Scott Pendlebury
C: Josh Daicos, Jack Crisp, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Jamie Elliott, Dan McStay, Will Hoskin-Elliott
F: Bobby Hill, Brody Mihocek, Beau McCreery
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Jordan De Goey, Tom Mitchell
I/C: Taylor Adams, Patrick Lipinski, Nathan Murphy, John Noble, Ash Jonson
Originally printed as The key ‘difference’ on the Pies that’ll put rivals on discover… however one huge unknown stays
Source: www.news.com.au
