Season 2018 - Collingwood

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Collingwood

Coach – Nathan Buckley

2017 –
Points For –11th
Points Against – 10th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Steele Sidebottom
  2. Taylor Adams
  3. Adam Treloar
  4. Jeremy Howe
  5. Brodie Grundy

2017 Rising Star Noms

Tom Phillips (Rnd9)

Ins – Sam Murray, Jaidyn Stephenson, Nathan Murphy, Tyler Brown, Flynn Appleby, Brody Mihocek, Jack Madgen

Outs – Ben Sinclair, Jesse White, Jackson Ramsay, Lachlan Keefe, Henry Schade, Liam Mackie, Mitch McCarthy

My Prediction

We are coming off the back of Collingwoods quietest off-season in a long time, no big moves besides the raid of a rookie from Sydney that no one had heard off. You either think they have faith in their list or they are planning a serious raid at the end of this year.

The backline will be an interesting one this year with Darcy Moore being sent back. In my humble opinion that is a crazy move based on one or two solid games at the end of last year. They are clearly a KP defender or two short. Dunn was solid last year but shouldn’t be playing as a tall defender. Moore being back there will at least give them an option on the big mobile forwards. They are still however going to be short on tall backman and open to be exploited. Wells off half back works beautifully when he gets on the field.

The midfield is clearly the strength of the Pies. The top end of their talent pool is as good as almost anyone. Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Treloar and Adams is a great place to start. I am not sure it bats as deep as they would like it to. They could use a little more speed on the outside.

The forward line looks like losing Moore and gaining Reid which is a step backwards at least from a long term perspective. I am far from sold on Mason Cox who may do the occasional great thing but isn’t up to standard for mine. Hoskin-Elliot is capable and needs to step up. Elliott is currently their best and most important forward but they need that to change. I am sure De Gooey would love a permanent midfield role but right now is needed up forward. It’s a makeshift forward line that won’t carry them into the eight.

Grundy is an excellent ruck but there is no depth after him. Cox and Moore would be the next options and they are needed elsewhere. If Grundy gets injured this year they are in massive trouble.

I know Buckley got an two year extension but they are kidding themselves if they think that will be the end of the pressure on him. If half way through this season they are struggling, it will kick back off. He needs to make the finals. That being said, I don’t think they can. I don’t think their list has improved and I think they could even drift downwards. For mine they finish somewhere from 11-13.

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As a player Buckley could walk the walk. As a coach, Buckley can talk the talk, but has walked his team backwards each year of his incumbency. After 5 years the spine he has developed is far less than convincing and although the midfield is very good, the jewel in the crown Pendles is not getting younger and his performance , while still at good levels last year, peaked in 2014. Pendles probably will not improve this year.
We should beat them again on Anzac Day. Thats what that matters most to me . I dont think they will make finals.

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Their list management has been friggin’ weird.
I’m not sure how much of that comes back to the coach.
Seriously. I just don’t know.

But, alright I don’t know, but I think Buckley got more out of last year’s list than anyone reasonably should have.
Last year they didn’t have a backman.
This year, if they take Cox in as their one KPF, a guy that would be lucky to get a game elsewhere…

I dunno.
It should get ugly. But I don’t think it will.

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mids mids mids

B: Scharenberg Dunn Langdon
HB: Howe Reid Maynard
C: Wells Pendelbury Sidebottom
HF: Fasolo Moore Hoskin-Elliott
F: Daicos Cox Elliott
R: Grundy Treloar Adams
Int: DeGoey, Greenwood, Crisp, Varcoe
Emg: Phillips, Blair, Broomhead

Note: I have added Daicos to the forwardline (gives supporters a look at future) as think they will need more small forwards with spark if Cox plays Forward. But Bucks will probably pick Blair.
Pretty strong midfield interchange. But they lack Key talls!!.
Moore must play forward, Daniher played in our saga year as solo forward and he still developed even though it was tough and he was double teamed.
Reid is better as a backman, so makes sense to play them in their roles they are best at.
Pendelbury is at the age where Bucks might consider moving him to the backline/forwardline to give other mids a run.
Not sure about Aish, its hard for him to get a gig with so many mids, could fight greenwood for a spot though.
Priorities next trade period would be another key tall forward. I cant see cox making it TBH, unless Grundy gets injured and he gets to be fulltime ruck.
And they should be able to pickup a surplus key defender who isnt getting a game on another clubs list better than Dunn.

Pies will win games due to strength of midfield, but will rely on midfield kicking goals to win.
I Can’t see them making the 8.

Prediction: 12th - 16th

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Prediction: 10th - 11th
(Would’ve been as high as 3rd - 4th if they’d signed Nelly Yoa…)

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Their midfield will keeep them in a lot of games

Will push for finals but lack of quality up forward and lack of depth will hurt.

10-12th

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If they go 0-5 will buck be under pressure again, even after the extension?

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If they went backwards again this year, I reckon he would chuck it in.

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Bucks to get a gig on Fox footy for 2019.

15th.

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They have not kept pace in terms of trading or recruiting this season. That will hurt them long term. short term they rely too heavily on their stars in the midfield to get them over the line. Their forward line will suffer without Moore, who while still developing is a quality player. Their small forwards are also v good, but any team consistently relies on its small forwards and midfield to kick winning scores, is in trouble. They will struggle, and won’t make the finals. If they get real lucky they could limp into 9th.

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Interesting goings on at Collingwood.

After several years of incarceration at the windswept Casey Fields gulag, Collingwood install escapee Lynden Dunn at full back in 2017. Now far from being done, he is a member of the Collingwood leadership group.

Does this say more about the deficit of leadership contenders among the long term list at Collingwood, or the carelessness of Melbourne?

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Says more about the ridiculous number of players in a leadership groups.
Don’t see why you can’t have 1 captain and two (max) vice captains with veterans being non titled ‘guiding mentors’.
Instead we can have up to ten players in a leadership group. Sort of devalues the importance of a leadership group.

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Just shows how devoid of experience & quality they are in back half of ground.

Moore getting moved to CHB, and Howe whilst being AA squad worthy perhaps doesn’t carry himself like a leader… he is a big sook after all.

At either end of ground serious weaknesses for the Pies with kpp. Lyndon Dunn as FB with raw CHB in Moore, and injury prone Reid at CHF with Mason Cox at FF.

Midfield not strong enough to cover over that, and if they get any injury to Reid / Moore they are fkd.

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Are they hiding moore at chb because they’ve got no one to take the heat off him up front or is he a legit long term prospect there

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11th

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Protecting him.
Surely Reid back and Moore forward.

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It’s amusing to see Collingwood have 3 guys in doubt to be ready for the start of the season because they originally went for the rest option to overcome injuries but eventually had to go ahead with surgery.
Good to see we’re not the only ones who do that.

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Essendon, Collingwood and responsible doctors everywhere

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316993-collingwood-fans

…nah

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Sigh, not a looker in the bunch