The finishing touches have been made to Collingwood’s list, and with the recruitment of midfield jet Taylor Adams and versatile swing man Jeremy Howe, the Magpies now have one of the AFL’s best squads.
Very much in the contenders category, the Magpies’ 2016 fate will be decided deep in September.
Using a formula similar to the mighty Hawthorn teams of recent years, the Magpies have been systematically adding people each year to help a core group of very good players developing at the club.
With experienced superstars Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and Travis Cloke now at the peak of their powers, Collingwood have three, maybe four, years to cash in.
Building a premiership-winning list is hard, and a lot of luck is involved. Getting your early draft picks right is essential, as this is usually how you acquire your superstars – those matchwinners you build your team around. Unearthing a couple of gems late in the draft or off your rookie list is another important part to building a good team.
A real bonus for some lucky clubs is the father-son rule, with Collingwood a big winner in this department with the acquisition of key forwards Travis Cloke and Darcy Moore.
If, after all this, you are lucky enough to be left with a core group of committed, talented players mixed with a couple of genuine superstars, you can fill the holes and build the depth of your list through the trade period and free agency. Some teams have gone ten years without getting this formula right and seem to be forever in the rebuilding phase, while others don’t fully commit to the process and are stuck in no man’s land, finishing between sixth and 12th every year.
All good teams are built around defence and Collingwood are solid in this area. Versatile big man Ben Reid is likely to move back to defence this season, a place he plays his best footy, and will form a good group of key defenders with Nathan Brown and Jack Frost. The Pies have plenty of options and versatility in the small and medium defender department, with the run of Tom Langdon, Marley Williams and Jackson Ramsey combining with the experience and dependability of Alan Toovey and Tyson Goldsack.
Collingwood have one of the deepest midfields in the competition, and could run 15 or 16 different players through the middle of the ground at any given time this year. Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Steele Sidebottom are three of the best midfielders in the AFL and provide the base of a formidable on-ball brigade.
Being one of the biggest clubs in the AFL, playing in front of massive crowds at the MCG every other week, the Magpies are an attractive prospect. They have taken full advantage of this over the last couple of years, with their midfield the main beneficiary as Taylor Adams, James Aish, Adam Trelor and Levi Greenwood have added class and depth. These players are not discards from other clubs picked on the hope they may become solid contributors, they are genuinely talented players who would be welcomed into any AFL club.
The days of the big power-forward kicking the majority of their team’s goals are long gone, replaced by the Hawthorn blueprint of a versatile and even spread of goalkickers. That said, having key forward colossus Travis Cloke is still a massive advantage, especially come finals time when the pressure goes up and a long kick into your forward line is the only option.
Collingwood have plenty of options and versatility in their forward line, with one of their biggest weapons being small forward Jamie Elliott, who has the confidence and swagger of LeBron James, and the game to back it up. Along with Elliott, the Magpies also have Jarryd Blair and Alex Fasolo in the small forward position. While neither are as good a mark as Elliott, both are capable of kicking goals when the ball hits the ground. Collingwood also have the luxury of some of their midfielders being capable goalkickers when resting forward, which will be important this year with the reduction of the interchange cap.
What becomes of the enigma that is Jesse White? Few players in the game have the size and athleticism White possess, but with Darcy Moore developing and the rapid improvement of Mason Cox and Corey Gault, this is a make-or-break year for the former Swan.
Credit has to go to coach Nathan Buckley, who has met the challenges and criticism he’s received head on. Buckley is a student of the game and when he talks about football he does so with passion, which inspires his players.
Imagining a grand final day with the mighty Magpies playing and Angry Anderson singing ‘Bound for Glory’ before the game is enough to bring a toothless smile to all Collingwood supporters.
Tricky
Guest
From a Pies faithful, this is way over the top optimism.
Ken
Guest
When the NRL starts tonight they'll have the top 6 spots..
peter chrisp
Guest
Although it's only early stages after our win against Geelong the other day there is a lot to like out of the game, and i do agree with some of the comments about Cloke, not sure about the peak of his powers and i definitely agree with Brendon's comment, when he's on fire he can turn a game around and when he's not he's useless, and to rely on him to win every week i can't see it happening at all. On many occasions i have always thought whether people agree or not should we drop Cloke?
Mitcher
Guest
It's nice that code wars make some people happy. Good for you.
Samantha
Roar Rookie
Cats v. Pies blew super rugby and A league out of the water in nearly identical time slots. The other codes can't even out rate a practice game lol.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Collingwood vs Geelong got the highest rating of any football game last weekend (on Fox): Gee vs Coll, NAB Wk 2, Kardinia Park: 192k Carl vs Ess, Princes Park: 172k Tahs vs Reds, Allianz: 149k Rich vs Haw, Beaconsfield, 137k Freo vs Adel, Mt Barker, 133k Port vs Melb, Elizabeth, 107k MV vs SFC, MRS: 92k Brumbies vs canes, Bruce: 90k GWS vs dogs, Manuka: 80k Force vs Rebels, NIB: 70k
Gecko
Guest
Dane Swan and Travis Cloke at the peak of their powers? They both might be into their last year at the Pies. On a more positive note, you could have pumped up the backline a bit more. Won't be great in 2016 but they're all destined to play a lot of footy together. Imagine 2018, when virtually the entire Magpies backline reaches their prime at the same time and already know each other's game backwards. Ditto for our midfield. 2016 is just another building year but plenty of light at the end of the tunnel.
Brendon the 1st
Guest
I meant the dominant teams of the past.....duh! The Collingwood team of 2010 wasn't close to the three mentioned and given the tone of this article suggests they are, then the point is valid. I wrote this on my phone mate, you've heard of predictive text I assume? Was my spelling OK for you this time?
Bretto
Guest
Not top four. Maybe 7-8 if things go well. The massive gap between their best and (truly awful) worst is too great to be considered a challenger. Cloke doesn't mark like he used to, and I'd prefer Helen Keller kicking for goal. Swan a spent force and can no longer play midfield. Brown not top drawer and Reid always injured. Pendles and Sidebottom are class, but it falls away pretty quickly after that. Treloar will have to be a superstar for them to figure.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
This article has all the hallmarks of being a wind-up, but, sadly, I don't think it is. Reads like it was written by McGuire himself. Stop it please.
Ken
Guest
Swans list grading Pendlebury Swan . . . . . . . Cloke DAYLIGHT
Slane
Guest
Well written piece. I liked the style and flow. Unfortunately I thought you were way off in the content. You should try writing one for a team that you don't barrack for. Very optimistic take on the Pies.
Wilson
Roar Guru
I still think they need another 12 months before that Don. once they get the Forward like Moore up and running and become less dependeant on Cloke as the only tall Forward (As White has done nothing) then they will be up there in 2017
Say WHAT?!
Guest
What team is Hawthorne? Second Geelong or Brisbane? Geelong are pretty much in the same boat looking to bounce back up after some strong recruiting in the off season. Brisbane still has a few years in the wilderness before having any where near a strong list. If you are talking about Brisbane 10 years ago, then why not talk about Melbourne of the late 50s or Collingwood of the 30s......in other words let go of the past. Collingwood already won the 2010 premiership with cloke in that side so lets not forget that if we are going to look at the past.
Don Freo
Guest
That's what I was thinking. I think Collingwood will be challenging for top six and I love the optimism of, "one of the best squads". Might be a smidgeon too optimistic.
Adrian Polykandrites
Expert
Think you mean Adam Treloar in the opening paragraph mate.
David C
Guest
Yeh, I laughed at that reference to Cloke being at his peak. Agree with Johnty above .... bottom half of the 8 at best. There's going to be 3 or 4 unlucky teams missing the 8 this year.
Brendon the 1st
Guest
Firstly, wow The pies will never win anything with Cloke in the team, the guy can't kick and is to big to be a real defensive force in the forward line. Swan is not at the peak of his powers, you lost Beams who is a jet, Aish may or may not be OK and Reid might not get back to his best. Elliot has the swagger of LeBron without the ability , to me he seems like he has attitude problems, but yeah he's not to bad a player sometimes, he's no Chad, Rioli, Betta, or Walters though. Howe is a dud, jumps on someone's head twice a game and that's it. Scharenberg is injured. You might want to let Hawthorne know that the only way they will get the ball into the forward line is to bomb it long as well. If you're bombing long to a bloke that converts at around 50% then you're in trouble. The midfield is quite good, but no better than about 8 other clubs in the league, the backline is bottom 10 and the forward line is not even as good as that, they'll be there in the middle of the ladder with about 8 other teams, but a Hawthorne, Geelong or Brisbane they are not. Good on you for writing an article but I think you at need to pump the breaks a bit.
richo
Guest
you are obviously a big Cloke fan, not sure a lot of Pies fans share your enthusiasm.
Johnty
Guest
You wouldn't happen to be a Collingwood supporter would you? In all honesty they have recruited well, although Aish will turn out to be a dud. their forward and back half are of concern however as is their depth. Impressive pre season performance? Yep. (Note pre season). Will be bottom half of the 8 at best.