Collingwood’s Ben Reid set to start 2018 in permanent forward role to help unlock Pies’ finals potential

THEY have resisted the move for years but Collingwood is set to finally pull the trigger on starting Ben Reid in attack in Round 1 next season. But what does that mean for Darcy Moore?

Ben Reid in action in attack late last season. Picture: Getty Images

BEN Reid will spearhead Collingwood’s finals aspirations in a permanent forward position next season, allowing Darcy Moore to start a new chapter in defence.

Reid, 28, has averaged only five goals a season playing mostly in defence across his 11 AFL seasons.

But after a late switch into attack last year, Collingwood plans to make Reid the centrepiece of its reshaped forward structure when the Pies kickstart the new season in the Round 1 blockbuster against Hawthorn at the MCG.

MILESTONE MEN: WHO’LL CELEBRATE IN 2018?

OVER/UNDER: HOW MANY GAMES WILL YOUR CLUB WIN?

The positional switch is a crucial cog in Collingwood’s plans to make finals for the first time in five years in 2018 and also help the out-of-contract pair lock-in lucrative new deals.

Collingwood has already begun talks with Darcy’s manager, his father and former Collingwood great Peter Moore, about a potential new long-term deal for the 201cm linchpin.

Ben Reid is set to be the Pies’ main man in attack. Pic: Michael Klein

Reid is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but is determined to repay Collingwood for the faith it showed in him during his repeated soft tissue injuries in 2014-15.

Reid’s move into a key forward post looms as one of the most important of the 2018 season and will allow Moore, 21, to resume his career in a key defensive position where he shone in his draft year for Oakleigh in the TAC Cup.

Moore carried a heavy burden in his third season in attack last year but Collingwood is confident his athleticism will help the swingman flourish in the back half after Carlton’s Liam Jones saved his career with an unexpected shift into defence last year.

Reid has trained with the forwards and Moore with the defenders before Christmas. The pair will continue to work on their craft when training resumes today.

Ben Reid and the Pies return to training on Monday. Pic: Michael Klein

Darcy Moore is likely to have a new role in 2018. Pic: Michael Klein

However, crucial goal kickers Jamie Elliott (ankle) and Alex Fasolo (shoulder) are in doubt for the JLT preseason games against Greater Western Sydney (Canberra) and Western Bulldogs (Moe) after preseason setbacks which required surgery.

Elliott, who has led the Pies goal kicking in two of the past three years despite his repeated injury setbacks, is set to resume full training later this month.

Elliott has been working closely with Australian ballet body conditioning expert Paula Baird Colt and said he hoped the most recent surgery helped deliver him a “brand new (left) ankle”.

“During the off-season it felt OK when I wasn’t running, but then I would run and it would be uncomfortable but I was a little bit naive,” Elliott told the club website.

Jamie Elliott is nearing a return to training. Picture: AAP

“When I came back and I got another scan and had another look at it we basically said we’ve got time now to get it right and be 100 per cent or we can let it grumble along.

“If I can’t jump or I can’t sprint or I can’t change directions I can’t be at my best.”

Elliott, 25, and fourth-year midfielder and No. 5 draft pick Jordan De Goey, 21, are also priority signings in the first half of next season for Collingwood’s new list chief Ned Guy.

Collingwood late last year re-signed important defender Brayden Maynard until 2020 as he prepares to make a move into an expanded midfield role next season.

New recruit Sam Murray, from Sydney, is in line to replace Maynard in the back pocket following the delistings of Ben Sinclair and Jackson Ramsay.

Classy midfielder-forward Daniel Wells, 32, is also on track to complete a full preseason after last year steering Collingwood to seven wins in the 10 games he played amid calf setbacks.

Could the Blues use Charlie Curnow through the midfield? Picture: Getty Images

POSITIONAL MOVES WE WANT TO SEE NEXT SEASON

Carlton — Charlie Curnow onball/forward

Collingwood — Ben Reid forward

Essendon — Cale Hooker defence

Geelong — Harry Taylor defence

Hawthorn — Ryan Burton forward

Melbourne — Christian Petracca midfield

North Melbourne — Majak Daw defence

Richmond — Josh Caddy midfield

St Kilda — Jade Gresham midfield

Western Bulldogs — Lewis Young forward