Pure Footy: Stats gurus David King and Daniel Hoyne on the big trends ahead of round 8

Collingwood is doing a lot right, but the Pies rank 18th in one key area over the past five weeks. And it could be about to come home to roost.

Collingwood sits on top of the ladder after seven rounds and can seemingly conjure a win from any position.

But one surprising statistical warning light is flashing, and even Craig McRae’s miracle men can’t keep winning unless the issue is fixed, according to Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne.

“While we talk about the stoppage game becoming more imoprtant in terms of potency, the turnover game is still king,” he said on a new episode of Pure Footy.

“If you look at what they’re doing over the past five weeks, to be 18th at scoring from intercepts – that is a huge concern.”

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Hoyne said Collingwood’s intercept game was still strong, but the Magpies’ ability to convert those intercepts into scores is falling down badly.

“It’s not through lack of opportunity. They’re winning the ball back off the opposition the second-most of any team in the competition, which is what they were doing last year,” he said.

“There is no better team at winning the ball back between the arcs than Collingwood.

“They’ve won 65 intercept marks between the arcs over the past five weeks, which is 12 more than any other team in the competition, yet they can’t punish you going back the other way.

“It wasn’t a big issue last year, so it’s a huge scope for improvement. But if it doesn’t fix, their six and one win-loss record will start to change over the coming weeks.”

The Pies aren’t getting bang for their buck from Isaac Quaynor’s intercepts. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

In that time Isaac Quaynor has won 28 midfield intercepts – the most of any players in the competition – but they have generated a return of just two points on the scoreboard. Brayden Maynard’s 21 intecepts have generated four points and Nick Daicos’s 19 have generated eight points.

North Melbourne premiership champion David King said injuries to tall forwards Dan McStay and Mason Cox were hurting the Pies, and the solution could be going back to the future with superstar Jordan De Goey.

“The talking point here is if you want to get it on the scoreboard then maybe De Goey has to go forward again. He’s played 15 per cent time in the forward half the last four weeks, and Mihocek needs help, it’s as simple as that.”

Also on a big episode, Geelong’s ‘insane’ scoring stat – and the one big concern for the Cats, why Essendon can’t afford to lose Darcy Parish, Port Adelaide’s template for disarming St Kilda’s running game, and TAB’s Jaimee Rogers joins the panel to run through the latest odds.