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Six reasons I'm an optimistic Magpies fan this year

Roar Guru
14th February, 2022
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Roar Guru
14th February, 2022
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At the risk of having published yet another article about Collingwood and further accused of being a deluded Magpies tragic, I am actually quite bullish about Collingwood in 2022, unlike other Roar colleagues.

I have a good few reasons to be optimistic too.

First, a new coach and coaching set-up tends to bring a bounce in performance. While this is certainly the case immediately following a mid-season coaching change, the new voice, insights and perspectives that a coaching change brings can occur at any time.

The psychology of sport is such that a fresh voice can empower and motivate. Older players are rejuvenated, and younger players can thrive in new contexts. New coach Craig McRae and his coaching cohort bring considerable experience to the table.

(Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)

There’s also more stability off the field now that the dramas of leadership challenges and board disunity appear to have abated. Off-field stability correlates with on-field success.

Second, it is noticeable from various training reports that a faster, more direct game plan is being developed, with tackling intensity and numbers to the ball key. Certainly that alone should make Collingwood more enjoyable to watch if nothing else. The turgid, chip-chip, backwards passing game plan will certainly not be missed. Certainly in the latter part of 2021 Robert Harvey utilised a more direct game style to reasonable effect.

It should also enhance scoring, particularly if the ball can get to the likes of Mason Cox more reliably – and we know how difficult a proposition Cox can be on the run rather than when allowing the opposition to flood back and cover him.

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Third is that defence, often a cornerstone for a team, looks in good shape, although the untimely injury to Jordan Roughead is a blow. Nonetheless, Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe look to be in fine fettle surrounded by the run and dash of Brayden Maynard and Isaac Quaynor. Also of note is the likely positioning of the skipper Scott Pendlebury at halfback, where his sublime ball use, evasiveness and football nous makes him ideal for the distributor role perfected by Luke Hodge, although noting that they are very different players.

Fourth is that, apart from Jordan Roughead, the team looks like it’s in a strong position in terms of injuries. This would be a welcome change from years gone by, and whether new training methods and regimes have anything to do with this is a moot point.

Fifth is that team morale, the intangible glue, is likely to have improved. It is hard to know exactly what impact last year’s Adam Treloar debacle had on the team fabric, but it would be fair to say that the impact could not have been benign.

Sixth is the young age of the playing group and that many players will develop their games in tandem with a sense of growing up together at the football club. This is not to suggest that a young developing side will not have considerable ebbs and flows but rather that maturity co-evolves. In particular, a very young midfield can learn together. There’s also a core of experienced players at the club to lend a hand.

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Of course, and while the hype is immense, there is also one Nick Daicos, who just might, along with his brother Josh, have the stands rocking again.

None of these points suggests for a second that Collingwood will be in the top four or challenge for a premiership. The bottom tiers of the eight would not seem to be totally out of the reach, while a finish just outside of the top eight would represent a considerable stride forward from 17th place in 2021.

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