Vendetta Sports Media is once again covering Australian Rules Football in 2022. Today we continue our AFL season preview series with an examination of the Collingwood Magpies.
Last season could not have gone much worse for Collingwood, who fell from premiership contention almost to the foot of the ladder. Now in the midst of a full blown rebuild, how much progress will the Magpies make in 2022?
For all of our previous season 2022 AFL team previews, click here.
Season 2021
17th position: 6 wins, 16 losses, 85.6%.
Collingwood’s season from hell started at the end of 2020 when a raft of poor list and salary cap management decisions came back to bite the club. Once the dust settled, Jaidyn Stephenson was a Kangaroo, Tom Phillips a Hawk and Adam Treloar a Bulldog as the club battled to balance the books. With three prime aged stars leaving the club, a fall from genuine contention was expected. Nobody foresaw what would eventuate.
An off field scandal claimed the scalp of long time, high profile president Eddie McGuire. On the field things didn’t start much better, with the club losing six of their opening seven matches, piling the pressure on head coach Nathan Buckley. The club legend eventually fell on his sword at mid-season.
Between their off season losses and a raft on injuries to the remaining key men – notably defensive duo Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe – the Magpies were able to blood a whole bevy of youngsters, along the way scoring memorable wins over eventual premiers Melbourne (in Buckley’s farewell match), Richmond and West Coast.
Overall, finishing second to last after years of contention hit the Magpie Army hard, but there were enough signs of life to give them some hope in 2022.
Key ins: Patrick Lipinski (Western Bulldogs), Nathan Kreuger (Geelong), Nick Daicos, Arlo Draper, Charlie Dean, Harvey Harrison, Cooper Murley (all draft)
Key outs: Max Lynch (Hawthorn), Levi Greenwood, Chris Mayne, Anton Tohill, Mark Keane, Josh Thomas (all retired), Levi Casboult, Brayden Sier, Jay Rantall (both released)
Despite their high profile defections, the Magpies maintain a core of star personnel, led by the wonderful half back Darcy Moore. The 26 year old might be the best all round defender in the football world. At 6’8” and swift across the ground, he covers extraordinary amounts of territory in both one-on-one contests and as a help defender. In addition to his stellar defensive work, Moore is outstanding delivering the ball by foot, launching many of Collingwood’s best counter attacks. When healthy, there isn’t anybody better. But that’s the issue with Moore – injuries. He missed nine games last season and hasn’t enjoyed an uninterrupted year since 2017.
Moore headlines a back line that is clearly the Magpies strength. Veteran flanker Howe doesn’t touch the sky as much as he did in his youth, but can still take a mean hanger on occasion.
Alongside the rapier like left foot of Brayden Maynard, the versatility of Jack Crisp, the shut down ability of veteran Jordan Roughead. and the run and carry of 2021 breakout star Isaac Quaynor, this is a back six that can match it with any forward line.
The midfield will again be led by veteran Scott Pendlebury. Captaining the club for the 9th year, the 34 year old has clearly lost a step, though is still among the elite with the ball in hand. His long time running mate Steele Sidebottom will split time between the midfield and forward lines where his dead-eye goal kicking will help an anaemic forward line. Sidebottom’s move forward also opens the door for Collingwood’s young midfielders to stake a regular claim to a spot in the engine room.
Caleb Poulter and 4th overall pick Nick Daicos will see time in the middle of the park on 2022 as part of the Magpies emerging talents. Josh Daicos and Finlay Macrae are both oozing with potential. The older of the Daicos brothers flashed glimpses of the magic that his famous father produced in black and white stripes, whilst Macrae at times looked awfully similar to his ball magnet of a big brother, who stars for the Bulldogs. Throw in Lipinski, who was unable to find a regular place in the Bulldogs midfield thanks to the likes of Jack Macrae, and there is the makings of a classy – if very, very raw – midfield.
Ruck Brody Grundy will be hoping for a return to his best after a poor 2021. The 27 year old is right in the middle of what should be his prime, so a bounce back is expected. If he isn’t able to recover his All Australian form, however, the Magpies ruck stocks are alarmingly thin behind him.
For all of their defensive strength and midfield potential, Collingwood’s attack remains a problem. The club still haven’t found a key forward to replace Travis Cloke, who left in 2016. Brody Mihocek does a reasonable job in the ‘big’ forward role, but is just too little and, frankly, too underwhelming to make a consistent impact. Put simply, defences do not fear Brody Mihocek. Big American Mason Cox consistently flatters to deceive, as does Will Hoskin-Elliott. Nathan Kreuger struggled to crack a veteran Geelong lineup; he’ll be hoping to find a role as the focal point of Collingwood’s re-imagined attack.
Keep an eye on young Jack Ginnivan. He impressed in limited opportunities last season as a tricky and combative forward. By all reports, he has shined this preseason and could hit the ground running this time around.
As mentioned earlier, Sidebottom will spend more time forward this season. Look for Jordan De Goey to at times return to his former forward line role as both a shot in the arm to the attack and to also give the midfield youngsters room to grow.
Prediction: 15th
The Magpies will undoubtedly be better this season. They have too much top end talent, complimented by exciting young prospects to threaten another wooden spoon season.
That said, Collingwood struggle to get their best team on the park, week after week. Moore is worryingly injury prone; Roughead and Howe are both ageing and somewhat fragile. Sidebottom isn’t able to tear a game apart anymore and surely Pendlebury slows down at some point.
If the youngsters excel, the Magpies should easily exceed this prediction. Though if they don’t progress exponentially then Collingwood will, whilst improved, remain near the foot of the table for one more season.
