AFL 2025: Why Collingwood’s trade for Dan Houston is yet to pay off

Dan Houston’s Collingwood career started with a bang against his old club, but since then the All Australian has been ‘underwhelming’. Jon Ralph finds out why.

John Noble was long gone by the time Collingwood invested so much into acquiring dual All Australian Dan Houston.

As Noble told the Herald Sun in February his 2023 finals dumping “cut me pretty deep” and was instrumental in his decision to move closer to family on the Gold Coast.

But in a round where Noble’s 1001 metres gained against Hawthorn highlighted his brilliant form, Houston’s season is yet to get going as the new Pies half back.

No one is panicking yet at Collingwood – not with the Pies 7-2 and Houston only just warming up in a season interrupted by suspensions.

Houston isn’t at his best. Picture: Michael Klein

But there is no doubting the massive investment into Houston – including a 2025 first-rounder – is yet to pay off.

Collingwood fans certainly aren’t too fussed, having seen Lachie Schultz’s struggles adapting to the Pies system last year before a more productive 2025 season.

What is apparent is that dual All Australian Houston is having his least productive season for many years.

Houston won two All-Australian blazers in his final two seasons at the Power. Picture: Getty Images

In the words of Fox Footy commentator David King, he has been “underwhelming”.

Why?

Because Collingwood plays a vastly different style to the 2024 Port Adelaide version.

And it also has a star distributor in Josh Daicos, who wins just 20 per cent of his possessions at half back in the contest but is the go-to man when his fellow defenders are looking for a man to exit defence by foot.

Daicos is certainly stealing Houston’s thunder as the AFL’s version of a quarterback who is given licence to win handball receives to set up attacking thrusts.

Houston is averaging his fewest disposals since 2018 (his second season) and his lowest metres gained since his debut year in 2017.

He is the 46th ranked defender in the comp in an admittedly small sample size, averaging only 87 ranking points, down 20 on his average of both 2023 (106.1) and 2024 (106.8).

He is also trying to cut off challenging corridor kicks but is ranked below average with ball in hand with a negative kick rating.

In his defence, he has had no continuity, missing opening round from last year’s suspension before an exceptional performance (27 possessions, 10 intercept possessions) against Port Adelaide in a dominant victory.

Houston’s Collingwood debut was brilliant. Picture: Michael Klein

Then after a round 3 bye he returned for a week and was suspended for two matches for a high hit on Lachie Fogarty.

But he has only five intercept marks in six weeks in a team and isn’t a distributor in a team keen to run the ball out of half back by handball.

Dan Houston's high bump.

Port Adelaide was a heavy kicking team last year as Houston and Kane Farrell dominated from half back (this year they are handball heavy across the ground).

And if the ball didn’t come to him he took 80 kickouts to Farrell’s 85.

This year Jeremy Howe has taken 32 kick-ins to Josh Daicos’ 24 with Houston taking only 13 across six games.

The Pies love the ball in the hands of Josh Daicos. Picture: Getty Images

So the challenge for Houston is to impact games when the ball doesn’t come to him; to be even tougher in the contest; to dominate his man when his possession tally is low.

Last week he gave up goals to Sam Switkowski, Murphy Reid and Patrick Voss but he kept Jesse Motlop and Nick Martin quiet so he hasn’t been exposed in defence.

A slow-burn year has time to ignite.

No better time than against an Adelaide team with slick ball movement and Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker in marauding form.

Houston took the big bucks and came to footy’s biggest club.

He is aware of the expectation.

No better time than Saturday to start matching it.

Originally published as AFL 2025: Why Collingwood’s trade for Dan Houston is yet to pay off