Gary Buckenara looks at where Collingwood’s list is at after its run to the 2022 preliminary final
Collingwood will pay for an All-Australian ruckman to play for a premiership rival next year — our list analysis ponders whether it could come back to haunt the Magpies.
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You have to have a lot of admiration for what Collingwood did this year.
The Magpies do not have as much top-end talent as clubs like Geelong, Richmond or the Western Bulldogs, but they have come of age a lot quicker than a lot of people expected.
They bought into Craig McRae’s coaching methods and philosophies, and their hunger and determination was obvious to see during what was a very consistent season.
Hats off to the board for getting itself sorted out internally, well done to the football department and also McCrae for also getting the group so invested in playing as a team.
I like the way the side goes about it.
It is a bit Sydney Swannish – they have reduced the gap between their best and worst.
Under Nathan Buckley, they had great games and poor ones.
I am glad Jordan De Goey stayed.
He had the option to go elsewhere but he is a Collingwood player, they have stuck by him and you have to wonder if he would have thrive in another environment.
It might have been buyer beware.
De Goey is the type of player who can win you a game or a final.
You will notice I have him rated a B grade player. Don’t get me wrong – he is an A grade talent on the field, but his potential off-field concerns means as package I can’t give him the highest rating just yet. Another year of consistent top-level performances and he would definitely come into consideration.
In general, the signs are pretty good for Collingwood.
I have graded them as having five rising stars, including Nick Daicos, who has been so good, he is already on A-grade level. Due to my ratings system I don’t rate young players too high, but he is clearly an exception and is essentially at the level now.
There are also another six players who I think need more time to judge them and they still may yet become A or B-graders.
No doubt they can win a premiership over the next three to five years because their demographic is young.
As long as they manage the list well, they should be around the mark for a while to come.
You would expect them to be pushing for a top-four spot again in 2023.
HOW THE LIST RATINGS WORK
At a club level, player ranking is generally based on gradings of A+, A, B+, B, C+, C and the developing players.
My rankings will focus on A, B, C and for the developing 20-year-old and under players will be rated as rising stars and those that need more time.
With the younger players, it is important to consider who is coming through and those who need longer to develop.
The most important areas for clubs to look at is how many A and B ranked players they have as well as the rising stars, who I believe should be A and B-grade players in the future.
A
Taylor Adams, 29
Jack Crisp, 29
Jamie Elliott, 30
Brayden Maynard, 26
Brody Mihocek, 29
Tom Mitchell, 29
Darcy Moore, 26
Scott Pendlebury, 34
Steele Sidebottom, 31
B
Jordan De Goey, 26
Darcy Cameron, 27
Josh Daicos, 23
Bobby Hill, 22
Will Hoskin-Elliott, 29
Jeremy Howe, 32
Patrick Lipinski, 24
John Noble, 25
Isaac Quaynor, 22
C
Trent Bianco, 21
Josh Carmichael, 22
Mason Cox, 31
Billy Frampton, 25
Ash Johnson, 25
Will Kelly, 22
Nathan Kreuger, 23
Nathan Murphy, 22
Beau McCreery, 21
Tom Wilson, 25
RISING STARS
Nick Daicos, 19
Jack Ginnivan, 19
Finlay Macrae, 20
Reef McInnes, 19
Cooper Murley, 19
NEEDS MORE TIME
Aiden Begg, 20
Charlie Dean, 21
Arlo Draper, 19
Harvey Harrison, 18
Trey Ruscoe, 20
LIST BREAKDOWN
A grade = 9
B grade = 9
C grade = 11
Rising stars = 5
Need more time = 6
LIST NEEDS
The list is a work in progress but I like the fact they have a lot of developing young players to come through.
They have traded out a key player in Brodie Grundy and brought in a few from other clubs but I do not mind it for the most part because they have targeted areas of need.
Key forward and another small in attack were two holes on the list, which they have addressed via Daniel McStay and Bobby Hill.
I still think there is scope for another key defender and possibly another experienced ruckman.
A skilled young midfielder might be something worth trying to get via this year’s draft.
TRADES
With Elliott having just turned 30, Hill is a really good pick-up.
I wanted to see them recruit another experienced key forward, so McStay should be a good get for them to help Brody Mihocek.
Although they traded for Billy Frampton, I think they would have been better off going for a younger, developing key defender.
Frampton is a player who has been at two other clubs yet really has not established himself.
There was talk that Collingwood might try to get Sam Hayes as a back-up ruckman from Port
Adelaide but with his previous knee injury, he would have been too big a risk in my view.
I am a little surprised the Magpies did not bring in an experienced big man to replace Grundy.
Darcy Cameron had a good season, but he is probably more of a David Hale type, a better forward than ruckman.
But quality ruckmen are not jumping out of trees at the moment.
I have been really impressed with how much Mason Cox has impressed, particularly his ruck craft, so maybe they are happy to go with him and Cameron.
Perhaps they look for another big man in next year’s trade period.
Tom Mitchell is an experienced, quality player who will help boost the Magpies’ midfield.
Collingwood was happy to lose Grundy because of his salary.
He has been unlucky with injuries, but he has not delivered to his high standards since receiving that large, long-term contract.
De Goey would have damaged his trade value in recent times but I was happy to see him stay at Collingwood.
He had a good season and finals series.
And he is a matchwinner.
It was no surprise Collingwood wanted an early pick for Ollie Henry because he is a talented young player.
CRYSTAL BALL
Having a stable, united and happy list goes a long way to producing consistent performances.
That is what McRae has managed to get happening very quickly since taking over as Collingwood coach.
The list still has plenty of improvement and development to come.
I expect the Magpies to be a regular finals contender over the next few years but patience
under the new coach will be needed.
Collingwood is certainly on an upward trend and success may be around the corner.
They could definitely challenge for the flag for another one to five seasons, given the list demographic.
Enjoy the ride Pies fans as it has been a while coming.
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