Gary Buckenara analyses Collingwood’s list after the 2019 season
Collingwood has done remarkably well to cover a horror injury toll to finish top four the last two years but veteran list builder and recruiter Gary Buckenara has some concerns about the Magpies in 2020.
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I was wrong about Collingwood.
In the past I’ve been critical of the Magpies’ recruiting and their methods but what this club has built over the past two seasons has been remarkable when you consider where they were at the end of 2017 and the injury curse they have endured over the last two years. The players and staff that have been brought into the club have shown a tremendous amount of character and selflessness — two qualities imperative to building a successful team environment.
Collingwood is in the envious position of having 23 A, B and C+-grade players to choose from, which speaks volumes for the depth of talent on the list. That doesn’t include Jaidyn Stephenson and Isaac Quaynor — two young players I believe will develop into A or B-graders in the near future.
What the horrendous injury toll the club has endured over the last two years has done is give young players like Stephenson, Callum Brown, Isaac Quaynor, Josh Daicos, Brayden Sier and even Nathan Murphy last year more exposure to senior football than they potentially would have expected at this stage of their careers. It holds the players and coaching staff in good stead for the present and the future because they know what these guys are capable of at senior level, so they have more options to fill roles when needed.
We know Collingwood’s midfield is excellent — Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom, Taylor Adams and Dayne Beams are stars but the same question is being asked: Who are they kicking it to?
Jordan De Goey, Jamie Elliott, Stephenson and Will Hoskin-Elliott are all very dangerous mid-sized forwards but the missing piece in the Magpies’ premiership puzzle is a key forward. Mason Cox had a disappointing season, while Ben Reid is always injured and Brody Mihocek is more of a third tall.
That’s why I was very surprised they didn’t show interest in Josh Jenkins — he would have been a perfect fit to add structure and goalkicking power with Adelaide paying the majority of his wage. It means same problems will face Collingwood next year without a good genuine key forward target — at his best, Jenkins kicked 40, 46, 62, 45, and 46 goals from 2014-18, while he still kicked 22 goals from 11 matches this year.
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Sydney’s Darcy Cameron will be a handy pick-up in a trade to provide ruck back-up to Grundy. He was a very good WAFL ruckman before he got drafted and has performed well in the NEAFL, but has been stuck behind Callum Sinclair, who’s been very durable. He’s not super quick so I’d be hesitant to play him as a forward-ruck — he’s predominantly a ruckman who can take a mark around the ground.
The biggest talking point at Collingwood this off-season is Grundy. He wants a seven-year deal and while they are dangerous to offer, he’s a player I’d take that risk on because he’s irreplaceable. He’s the game’s No. 1 ruckman who doubles a midfielder and even kicks goals. In negotiations I’d try a five-year deal with a games played clause in the fifth year to trigger two more years. If Grundy and his management won’t agree to this then absolutely just give him the seven-year contract.
LIST NEEDS
Collingwood’s biggest need is for a good run with injuries so we can see just how good this list is. It’s well-balanced, with four A-graders, nine B-graders and 18 C-graders and we know there is a lot of depth because they’ve made top four the last two years with horror injury lists. How good can this team be with a good run at it?
What still stands out is the need for key position players both forward and back. The Pies’ lack of depth in key forwards was exposed when both Cox and Reid were injured as they were forced to rely solely on Mihocek, while Jordan Roughead filled the need at times. They need both an experienced and developing key forward. Will Kelly is developing as a potential key defender but I’d also like to see another added to the list.
LIST BREAKDOWN
A: Brodie Grundy, Jordan De Goey, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom
B+: Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Will Hoskin-Elliott
B: Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe, Dayne Beams
B-: Ben Reid, Brayden Maynard, Brodie Mihocek
C+: Jamie Elliott, Tom Langdon, Matt Scharenberg, Chris Mayne, Travis Varcoe, Tom Phillips, Josh Thomas, Jack Crisp, Mason Cox, Jordan Roughead
C: Lynden Dunn, Levi Greenwood, Tim Broomhead, Rupert Wills, Ben Crocker, Jack Madgen, John Noble, Darcy Cameron
C-: Nil
Developing*: Isaac Quaynor, Jaidyn Stephenson
Developing: Callum Brown, Josh Daicos, Nathan Murphy, Flynn Appleby, Tyler Brown, Brayden Sier, Max Lynch, Anton Tohill, Mark Keane, Will Kelly, Atu Bosenavulagi, Tom Wilson
Please note: Developing* refers to players aged 21 or under with the potential to become A or B-grade players in the future.
DRAFT STRATEGY
The Magpies should look exclusively at key position players in this draft but unfortunately there aren’t many on offer as this year’s crop is strong for midfielders. That could mean they go for best available and look at an experienced key defender or forward from the state leagues with a late pick or in the rookie draft.
CRYSTAL BALL
Collingwood has enough quality to again be top four and challenging for the premiership but I’m worried about how much the injury toll of the last two seasons has taken on the players. While we know they have great depth, players like Grundy, Pendlebury, Crisp, Sidebottom, Treloar, Mihocek, Roughead and Howe have been asked to shoulder a lot of the load and have probably played through various injuries. Injury tolls like the ones Collingwood have endured over the last two years do have the capacity to drain the players still standing because they’re having to give 100 per cent every week without the possibility of a rest. Hopefully the club has a change in luck in 2020 — they’ll be hard to beat with a full list to choose from.
Originally published as Gary Buckenara analyses Collingwood’s list after the 2019 season