Collingwood will allow Daisy Pearce in its rooms for the club’s blockbuster with Brisbane
While a number of clubs have banned Daisy Pearce from entering their rooms, the premiership favourites say she will be welcome this week.
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Collingwood boss Craig Kelly says the club has a “scary” level of improvement on and off the field as the Magpies prepare get creative with their ruck stocks against Brisbane on Thursday night.
The Pies have peeled off a trio of impressive victories against premiership contenders Geelong, Port Adelaide and Richmond.
Kelly clearly believes the club can be a financial and on field juggernaut, having drawn crowds of 85,595, 60,744 and 85,241 while sitting unbeaten in the top reaches of the ladder.
Even the loss of Darcy Cameron for six to eight weeks with a knee injury is unlikely to ruffle coach Craig McRae.
While uncapped summer rookie Oscar Steene had 17 hit-outs and seven possessions, in his second VFL game, former Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith had 61 hit-outs (14 to advantage) against the raw 19-year-old.
It means free agency acquisition Dan McStay is in the box seat to lead the ruck department against his former side.
He had his best game of 2022 stepping up for concussed ruckman Oscar McInerney in the elimination final last year with 23 possessions.
The Pies can support him with the spring-heeled Ash Johnson, while Billy Frampton is an occasional ruckman but might be needed in defence.
Captain Darcy Moore could also play as a roving ruckman but is surely too valuable to be used as a battering ram in the centre square.
Kelly said the Pies were open to possibilities under the club’s leadership in his first as CEO and Jeff Browne’s second years of his presidency.
He said Pies coach Craig McRae had made clear Channel 7 special comments expert Daisy Pearce would be welcome in the club’s rooms on Thursday night.
Seven has replaced her for the foreseeable future in the Thursday post-match with former Essendon captain Jobe Watson to take the sting out of the continuing controversy.
As Kelly told Triple M, it is part of the club’s mission to create a relaxed environment that has a huge upside on all fronts.
“I asked ‘Fly’ (McRae) and Wrighty (football boss Graeme Wright) the other day if you got offered a job at another club tomorrow what would the things you wanted to make sure were right? Wrighty straight away said the salary cap and Fly said to make sure he had the right coaches and players. So I will say we have wonderful people, we have great things happening here.
“But we are chugging along at a four over our side of the business (commercially) and footy is around a six or seven and there are still a lot of things Wrighty has to work through so I would think we have got a lot of upside. It’s really exciting.
“We have some wonderful people and we have good alignment happening and there is some direction. I am excited and it also should be scary for a few others clubs because if we get going on both sides (of the club), away we go.”
Kelly said the Pies had no qualms with allowing Cats assistant coach Pearce into the rooms on Thursday if Collingwood beat Brisbane, which banned her in round 2.
“Jeff and the board are outstanding. The decision Jeff made about the Port Adelaide jumper, it’s just common sense.
“That starts to permeate through the joint. Fly is the same. He said, ‘Daisy Pearce, I promise you, is coming into our rooms whenever she wants’. Like really … Give us a spell.”
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