It was an embarrassment for Collingwood to have finished 17th in 2021 as they could be touted as footy’s version of Manchester United.
They have the 13th oldest list in 2022. They have a good mix between youth and experience.
It will be a new start to Collingwood’s season in 2022, with a new senior coach Craig McRae along with two new senior figures who have both been a part of clubs that have had success and a good culture in Richmond and Hawthorn respectively.
These two assistants are Justin Leppitsch and Brendon Bolton. The two will fill important roles that will help McRae’s chances of success immensely. Leppitsch will be an assistant coach as head of strategy and defence, while Bolton will be the director of coaching and an assistant coach in the midfield position under senior coach McRae.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
A fresh start will be there for all to see with Patrick Lipinski, who has plenty of potential and was unlucky to be squeezed out of arguably the best midfield in the AFL at the Western Bulldogs.
In season 2021, he still managed to play nine of 22 games in the home-and-away season. He should get some midfield time and take the pressure off the likes of Scott Pendlebury and Taylor Adams.
The Bulldogs won seven of the nine games that he played in and lost five of the other 13 games in the 2021 home-and-away season.
What was impressive was that despite being under pressure for his spot in the Bulldogs’ team, he averaged the third highest disposal efficiency of any Bulldogs player with an average of 83 per cent per game.
He has the capacity to play on the wing or in the midfield. It will be interesting for all to see whether he has a better season than Adam Treloar as it should make for an interesting talking point.
Brodie Grundy needs to deliver quick smart if Collingwood are to rise up the ladder. If he isn’t in the conversation at the very least for the AFL All Australian squad of 40, then his season may be deemed a failure.
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The fact that Collingwood won both of the games that Grundy didn’t feature in during season 2021 – which were Round 12 and Round 13, against an emerging Adelaide Crows team in Round 12 and Melbourne Demons in Round 13 – says it all.
Will Hoskin-Elliott has the potential to take the pressure off the likes of Jamie Elliott and Brody Mihocek by hitting the scoreboard more. He is 28 so he should be leading from the front and helping the likes of Pendlebury build a good culture.
In four of the six games where Hoskin-Elliott gathered 21 disposals or more, Collingwood won. They defeated the Adelaide Crows, Melbourne Demons, Richmond Tigers and West Coast Eagles. For all of those four games he was selected on the wing.
There’s no doubt that McRae will have the capacity to be flexible with where he puts Hoskin-Elliott’s magnet in season 2022, but ultimately, it’s up to Hoskin-Elliott to play to the level he is capable of whatever role he is given.
Jack Crisp has the capability of playing in defence or in the midfield, which is a big strength of his.
(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
To go with that, he won the Collingwood best and fairest in season 2021. He is an extremely reliable player whose contribution to the team has been invaluable.
There’s no doubt that he was unlucky to miss out on the AFL All Australian squad of 40 in season 2021, which was probably down to the fact that Collingwood weren’t competitive for the most part.
Expect that to change slowly but surely under the tutelage of a new coaching group. He is a player that deserves more recognition, which he should get in season 2022 if Collingwood can become the formidable force that they were in the past.
Last but not least, he will play an important part in building a good culture and helping the likes of Nick Daicos. There’s no doubt that Crisp is a player that leads by example and lets his actions do the talking.
Chris
Guest
The key to Collingwood's season is how they fare against their traditional Victorian foe such as Richmond, Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn, Geelong, St. Kilda, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. There are a total of twelve games involving former VFL teams to be played in Melbourne with a further five games against expansion teams in Melbourne. The last five remaining games are to be played interstate. Hence, it is fair to say that the seventeen "home" games will determine Collingwood's season. If they manage 12 wins there they'll be back where they belong-September action. Any wins on the road would be fruit for the sideboard.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Macca looking forward to watching Boy Wonder coach Carlton :stoked:
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
St Kilda is the team of midgets.
Opps74
Roar Rookie
Has Grundy ever had a real ruck coach, he was cleverly outplayed in 2018 GF and dominated hitouts in 2019 Preliminary but were mostly ineffective or being sharked by opposition being so predictable where he was going to tap it. Anthony Rocca assumed the mantle as ruck coach, no disrespect to Rocca he occasionally pinched hit and was not a ruckman...Grundy I hope will be fresh with a new coach and game plan...would love to see him tutored by Dean Cox or someone with similar talent...Isaac Q the other big one for me...he has had some big assignments in his early years on talented players and matched and been outplayed on some occasions...love him to now fully shut down these talented players and to use his run and silky skills to rebound from back line
Aransan
Roar Rookie
It is just nice to see an article. It is a while since we received daily emails on the AFL from The Roar, authors need to be encouraged.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
That makes them Collingwood six footers in the modern game.
Macca
Roar Rookie
He’s not Tony Lockett, he is very mobile and has a great turn of speed.
Chris M
Guest
Now, that's an interesting question. Why have you, I and any of the people providing comments on Roar articles done so? Everyone has their own reasons and they may differ from article to article. Some of us may just be missing the footy and feel unsatisfied after the conclusion of our club's Season 2021. For my part, I saw this article on Collingwood and I read it, but I'm not a Collingwood supporter, I don't have an in depth knowledge of Collingwood's list and I don't particularly care how Collingwood go in 2022, as long as they finish below Sydney. When I saw there weren't a lot of comments on the article at the time, I thought I'd add a comment so that the author would feel more appreciated for having made the effort to write the thought-provoking article. On the other hand, when I post a comment on Team Sydney, I am sometimes (but not always) hoping that my opinion is read by someone of influence at Sydney and that the thought is considered to have merit. It's probably 99.9% likely that it is wishful thinking and that no one influential at Club Sydney even reads it. If such a person did read it, it's probably 99.9% likely that they think my thoughts are not a good idea. However, it's nice to get out the frustrations in hope, whether the idea is good or bad. The other reason for writing comments here is that... I just like writing.... and maybe you do too. The author of the article certainly does. Putting a comment here is also distracting me from doing something else that I should be doing and don't want to do. The realisation I have arrived at is that I should do it, and not procrastinate, and now I will. Cheers!
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
He derailed Collingwood single handedly I respect that haha
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
Nah he’s too big . A real big bullocking forward, Curnow and JSOS will be the ones who rotate
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Charlie will Ned Guy get a honourable mention if the Pies make finals in 22’ :stoked:
Macca
Roar Rookie
So it’s the style of the forward not the quality It will be interesting to see if McKay covers more ground now Curnow is back
Chris M
Guest
I do know that late last year the Swans were once reported to be interested in recruiting Lipinski, but haven't watched him enough to comment on his talents. If the Magpies want an improvement in fortunes, Collingwood will undoubtedly be hoping that Lipinski adds more to the team than the player who ultimately misses out on the team list because of Lipinski being recruited. The better Grundy plays, the better it will be for Collingwood's midfield and for Collingwood to be more competitive on game day. It also may tempt another club in need of a ruckman, but with much more salary cap room than Collingwood, to ask if the Magpies would like to trade him along with his long and lucrative contract at the end of the year. Players such as Hoskin-Elliott can improve in their later twenties by working on the weaknesses in their skills and overall game and by improving their mental approach. However, the upward curve of improvement generally tends to flatten out with age. The new coach would have to be more skilled than the previous coach in managing his particular personality and finding a role that better suits his qualities before having him suddenly elevate himself to a new level. With Jack Crisp being Collingwood's best and fairest in 2021, you no doubt need more of the same in 2022 from the players who were playing well, including the player who played the best.
The Ghost
Guest
Collingwooden spoon.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Depends where your sitting when your watching the footy :stoked:
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
Yeah thats because McKay is a classical style of forward, he doesn't have as many strings to his bow as say a Daniher does who's got an exemplary field kick and has the tank to run up and down the ground for days.
Macca
Roar Rookie
His battle with McKay the first time the Blues played the Pies this year was decisive in the game, McKay ended with 4 but I still had Moore as BOG
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
nah you've got to play him on the worst forward otherwise his opponent is gonna do too much damage. Look at the 2019 ANZAC day game for example, they clearly should've left Jordan Roughead on Joe Daniher to allow Darcy Moore to run up and down the ground with freedom.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
bah not me, my predictions are always accurate...except when they're not.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Probably for the same reason that you felt compelled to commentate - it's an interactive website that allows the reader to add their two bobs worth, and like most others I'm a little bit narcissistic and like to see my opinions on the internet. It's also a (mostly) fun way to engage and to discuss ideas and concepts, such as the idea that Pat Lipinski could be a good footballer when given a chance.