David King: The premiership is yours if you want it and right now you don't

OPINION: THE Magpies can win the flag ... if they want to. But at the moment their players are not committed or professional enough.

Dane Swan

THE Magpies can win the flag ... if they want to.

The more I watch the AFL the more I realise it has become about gaps - the gap between the haves and have-nots, the gap between teams' best and worst, the difference between your time with momentum and the opposition's.

Collingwood's problem is it has no gaps it wants for nothing.

Such are the Pies' financial resources they can afford to leave nothing to chance - and they don't.

They're enveloped in excellent facilities, train with first-rate equipment, embark on lavish pre-season camps, boast large development staff and have the best coaching, management and conditioning intelligence money can buy.

So there are no excuses.

All of this should allow the talent to blossom and, assuming their heavily resourced recruiting department has again performed its duty, the production line of success should follow.

However, you can only lead a horse to water ...

And this is where a critical gap may exist - the space between the players' ears.

Are they committed enough, professional enough and honest enough?

Not at the moment.

Issues bubbling away under the surface present themselves as isolated incidents - think skinfolds, "cheating", disrespecting the club's protocols, etc.

These standards are set not by the media, contrary to some players' beliefs, or even by those in power at Collingwood, but by their peers at other clubs - the troops from Sydney and Fremantle - and the gaps are stark.

Right now form is an issue, but it's only Round 12.

At this point last year Sydney was fourth on the ladder after defeating Essendon by less than a goal, despite 20 less clearances and 28 less inside 50s. There were doubters everywhere.

The best home-and-away performer hasn't won the flag in four of the past five years so a top-four finish is the only priority for Collingwood right now.

The million-dollar question is why is its form so mediocre? Only one logical assumption can be drawn - the players don't want it badly enough.

They like the idea of winning and many have been to the top of the mountain before and appear to be less driven to get there again.

They might as well relocate the much-lauded high-altitude room to the Barkly Hotel. That would seem to benefit more of their players.

Conditioning of the body isn't what's lacking, it's the passion and focus of the mind.

Coach Nathan Buckley can tinker with the game plan, even overhaul the way they defend to the point where the radical becomes an option, but there will always be a collective mode.

Any method without total player buy-in is doomed. It has to be a commitment without riders, not only when in possession, only when playing midfield or only when the Pies are winning.

If Champion Data could measure hunger, and in reality it does, it would best be depicted in pressure acts.

At Fremantle, the foundation of the Dockers' game is the manic, Jack Russell-esque harassment.

The Dockers are a clear No.1 without the football. The Pies rank 10th. Jarryd Blair and Steele Sidebottom are their top-rated pressure players, averaging 23 and 19.5 pressure acts respectively.

Dane Swan averages only 11 and Travis Cloke seven. Interestingly, at Sydney, the co-captains Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack, lead the way averaging 40 between them. They are bloody rippers.

Results of importance won't come Collingwood's way if its defensive pressure remains sporadic.

The Pies are capable, as witnessed against Geelong this season and consistently over the past three to four years.

In 2010 their intense harassment combined with the forward-half press were the modes, but the mentality and desire was evident. We never questioned their 100 per cent defensive buy-in.

Handling pressure against the best has also been inconsistent in 2013. Hawthorn, Fremantle and Essendon put them to the sword as they conceded 11 goals plus from turnovers on each occasion.

Experience within the playing group is an obvious factor against quality opposition, but it wasn't too long ago that Collingwood looked like scoring with every possession.

There's an element of work in progress because it is playing more aggressively out of a defence that has missed Alan Toovey, Ben Johnson and at times Heath Shaw's skills.

Irrespective of the injuries to Toovey, Alex Fasolo, Dayne Beams and Dale Thomas, depth isn't an issue.

The youth have stepped up, possibly with greater impact than internally expected.

Kyle Martin and Josh Thomas have thrived in midfield roles and, although they're still in their infancy, you'd be surprised at the centre-bounce clearance strike rate when it's trusted to this pair. It's better than Swan's, Pendlebury's and Blair's over the past month.

A point will be reached when Buckley and his crew assess the lay of the land for 2013 and decide what are the greater gains: a tilt at 2013 success or realigning for the future?

If it's the latter, then heads will roll at season's end.

Leading Teams is on board to assist and its philosophical core message is based on feedback that can cause waves.

I wonder if Harry O'Brien possesses the same courage of voice with his teammates as he did his president?

I can guarantee the premiership will be decided by the best defensive team in September, not necessarily Rounds 1-12.

But if Collingwood's defensive ineptitude costs it a top-four placing, then it's adios amigos.

Collingwood can still win this year's flag. They just have to want to.