After missing the finals for the first time since 2005, there is a lot of work to do for the Collingwood Football Club if they are to contend for another premiership in the years to come.
A mixture of injuries, poor form and the retirements of premiership players Nick Maxwell and Luke Ball conspired against the Pies as they crashed to their lowest placing since 2005, finishing 11th after being in the top four midway through the season.
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The club also suffered from inconsistent results on the field, most of which contributed to their downfall in the second half of the season. That is something the club should rectify if they are to return to the upper echelon of the ladder in 2015.
That said, let’s see how Collingwood’s 2014 season unraveled and forecast what lies ahead for them in the future.
Collingwood
Final ladder position: 11th (11 wins, 11 losses, 94.1%)
Rising Star nominees: Tom Langdon (Round 7)
Retirees/delistees: Nick Maxwell, Quinten Lynch, Luke Ball, Caolan Mooney, Marty Clarke, Peter Yagmoor, Ben Hudson
What went right?
After dropping two of their first three matches of the year, including the season-opener against Fremantle by 70 points, the Pies warmed into the first half of the season, winning seven of their next eight to be sitting in the top four after Round 12.
They also defeated five of the eight eventual finalists – Sydney in Round 2, Richmond, North Melbourne and Essendon in consecutive weeks, as well as against Port Adelaide in Round 19.
They also kept their undefeated record against Mick Malthouse intact, winning both of their encounters against Carlton by 34 and 15 points in Rounds 7 and 15 respectively.
What went wrong?
After sitting in the top four after their Queen’s Birthday win over Melbourne, the Pies fell away badly. They won just three more matches for the rest of the season. Further, their largest winning margin in this period was by only 15 points against Carlton.
Injuries started to ravage the team and this was evident in losses by more than ten goals against Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn, all at the MCG, and all within the final seven weeks of the season.
In the end, season 2014 will be remembered as not only a season which signalled the end of their finals run, but also one where injuries struck at the wrong time of the season.
Best win: Round 22 versus GWS Giants at Spotless Stadium (won 11.9 (75) to 9.13 (67))
As far as the club’s best victories in season 2014 go, while this was not the most impressive one, it was the most courageous.
The Pies arrived at Sydney’s Spotless Stadium not only on the back of a heavy loss to the Brisbane Lions the previous week, but also without Ben Reid after he injured his hamstring in the opening minutes of that defeat.
Further, they lost Dane Swan and Clinton Young to hamstring injuries, as well as Brent Macaffer to the dreaded ACL injury, mid-match, meaning the Pies could only operate on a one-man bench for all but the opening seconds of the second half.
But anything GWS (who also operated on a one-man bench in their 64-point thumping of Melbourne the previous week) could do, Collingwood could do better.
Behind with just over five minutes remaining, two quick goals saw the Pies claim an eight-point victory as the Giants fell back to their old habit of tiring late in matches.
Worst loss: Round 1 versus Fremantle at Etihad Stadium (lost 5.10 (46) to 17.14 (116))
It might not have been indicative of how poorly Collingwood’s season would eventually unfold, but there’s no doubting their 70-point loss to Fremantle in the season opener was very disappointing.
The Pies welcomed the Dockers to Etihad Stadium in what would be the first ever season opener to take place under the roof, and to the disappointment of many of its fans, they would only kick five goals against last year’s runners-up.
They were missing Ben Reid and Jesse White through injury, while Travis Cloke was kept goalless on the night, his poor showing being the result of poor forward entry by the Pies, and relentless defence by the Dockers.
It was to be, marginally, the Pies’ worst defeat for season 2014, and it placed them last on the ladder at the end of Round 1, but from there the club would start to build its season as already recapped earlier.
The future
Not only have Nick Maxwell and Luke Ball retired, premiership defender Heritier Lumumba could also be on the way out after reportedly not being happy over a homophobic message posted about him within the club.
Last week he was spotted having coffee with Melbourne coach Paul Roos, which has led to speculation the Pies could offload him to the Dees. He would be a perfect replacement there for James Frawley who is expected to leave the club as a free agent.
There’s also the chance he could reunite with his premiership winning coach, Mick Malthouse, at Carlton. While that appears unlikely, it could also add some spice to the first time the Blues and Pies face off in 2015, likely to be as early as Round 5.
Other than those, injury-prone Quinten Lynch also hung up his boots, while Caolan Mooney and Marty Clarke have both quit the club to return to Ireland.
With an earlier start to the pre-season, and still with some key decisions to make in regards to their playing list, the Pies will have more time to either prepare for a return to the finals in 2015, or to continue to reshape its list that is capable of contending for another flag in future years.
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Diplomatically answered, Darcy!
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
