AFL 2021: Forward line deficiency has Magpies struggling to post competitive scores against rivals

Not since Travis Cloke has Collingwood enjoyed the security of a power forward, but now the situation is becoming desperate as a lack of potency up forward exposes a serious problem.

Collingwood wouldn’t have an issue in the world if they were recruiting to win a Brownlow Medal.

Unfortunately for the Pies their priority is attempting to win elusive flags.

Collingwood’s scoring woes were again laid bare with two barren quarters against Sydney against Collingwood as Tom McCartin kept Brody Mihocek to no marks and no goals.

Jordan De Goey’s early two-goal burst came to little as footy’s most miserly stopper Dayne Rampe put him to sleep.

No Collingwood supporter should have been surprised.

Since Travis Cloke kicked 68 goals in 2013, Collingwood have never had a true power forward to build their team around and get them out of a tight fix by taking control of a game.

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Collingwood's Travis Cloke was a big target when roaming the forward line.

Mihocek turned from a 192cm journeyman VFL defender into a brilliant and agile forward who gives his all to the cause.

But a club that ranked fifth in offence in 2018 based on Mihocek’s heroics and a fleet of mid-sized forwards has steadily gone backwards.

After nine weeks the Pies are ranked dead last in marks inside 50 and 15th in points for.

As Nathan Buckley said after the loss, the Pies won clearances by 10, scored eight times from stoppages and kept the Swans to 10 goals but couldn’t kick a winning score.

Collingwood has often battled with mid-forward connection but in this year’s more open game style your star forwards are worth their weight in gold.

Tom McCartin completely shut down Brody Mihocek for two quarters.

Jordan De Goey was quick out of the blocks but Dayne Rampe reeled him in.

In Buckley’s time at the club Collingwood has either invested its draft capital into midfielders, turned key forward recruits into defenders, or just whiffed on the key forwards it has acquired.

The Pies gave up two first-rounders for Dayne Beams, two first-rounders for Adam Treloar (they got second-rounders back for both) and is about to give up 2400 draft points for midfielder Nick Daicos.

In that time the club has drafted or secured talls including Lachlan Keeffe, Jon Ceglar, Jackson Paine, Jarrod Witts, Corey Gault, Quinten Lynch, Jesse White, Jeremy Howe, Darcy Moore, Mason Cox, Max Lynch and Will Kelly.

Kelly, Howe and Moore were all drafted as forwards but became defenders, while Ceglar and Witts flourished as ruckmen but at rival clubs.

In the 2018 draft and trade period the Pies used up their draft collateral on Beams and to their credit found a way to secure Isaac Quaynor (pick 13), Kelly (pick 29) and full back Jordan Roughead.

There is no sliding doors-type player they could have secured in that trade-period where Jesse Hogan moved clubs but key position players taken after pick 10 were very thin on the ground.

By that stage they would have believed preliminary finals hero Mason Cox was their man after a Grand Final where West Coast beat up their midfield in the final critical quarter.

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley knows he has a serious issue with his forward line.

Darcy Cameron has emerged as a ruck-forward who wins high possession tallies with a pair of three-goal hauls, Beau McCreery shows huge promise but is a pressuring forward and Liam McMahon has been drafted as a long-term prospect.

The Pies might have to go to the market, with Sam Weideman the clear option given his place in the Demons pecking order and his links to the Pies.

He has four clubs chasing him including the Pies, with his father Mark an ex-Pie and his late grandfather a Collingwood premiership player, Team of the Century member and triple Coleman Trophy winner.

Mihocek is only 28, but imagine him as the second forward with De Goey as the roving leading target securing mismatches forward and back.

For all of his undoubted brilliance he can’t hope to play on Aiden Bonar and Jack Ziebell every week, as he did when he dined out against North Melbourne.

If the Pies are playing the long game with their build this year, they cannot hope their midfield brigade will win them the day.

As West Coast, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs with Tom Boyd have found since 2016, winning flags with power forwards never goes out of style.

Originally published as AFL 2021: Forward line deficiency has Magpies struggling to post competitive scores against rivals