Collingwood vs. GWS: Analysis from the Magpies Opening Round match against the Giants

Collingwood went all-in on a premiership in 2025, believing it had stacked the deck to give its ageing list one final hurrah. Sunday’s brutal loss to GWS has handed out a nasty reality check.

Collingwood fans did not need to be told to take February’s pre-season masterclass against Richmond with a pinch of salt.

They also accepted the Magpies would not go into many final terms this season having blown their opponents off the park by ruthlessly kicking 19.1.

But the sight of both Daicos brothers starting the last quarter laying prone on massage mats, with just 4.13 (27) on the board, will raise questions over whether the Magpies gave themselves the best chance of seizing a golden opportunity for a winning start against GWS.

It is possible the Giants may never be more vulnerable this season due to injury than they were on Sunday, but the home side looked like they had springs in their boots in the second half compared to the energy-sapped Pies.

Jesse Hogan, Tom Green and Jake Stringer all absent, with Kieren Briggs out in the first quarter and a raft of handy fringe players suspended should have thrown the door wide open for Collingwood to get on the board.

Jack Crisp and the Magpies leave the field on Sunday. Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Magpies have scarcely entered a campaign with as much clarity over their starting 22, but on a heavy, concert-damaged track against a high-pressure side, they could not go close to replicating their seamless dress rehearsal against the Tigers.

The Pies’ on-ball brigade could barely lay a hand on Finn Callaghan, who stung them with his forward handballs to running teammates as much as he did with his penetrating left boot.

Former Giant Harry Perryman was added to the centre-bounce rotation to provide more defensive integrity, but while he found plenty of the ball this was not his best day as he (three tackles) and Scott Pendlebury (one) struggled to block the Giants’ exits at stoppages.

Craig McRae will be particularly troubled by a five-minute patch in the second quarter where if not for a wayward Toby Greene set shot, the Giants would have booted three goals from three consecutive centre bounces.

The second goal of the trio will grate the most – Callaghan surged from the centre all the way into the forward pocket, exchanging two handballs before he eventually goaled after he left Pendlebury in his dust, and Perryman and Nick Daicos both failed the check his run.

Daicos had Toby Bedford hanging off him and battled cramp all through the second half – with his run in both directions curtailed, the Pies’ midfield looked one-paced and in dire need of Jordan De Goey.

Josh Daicos looks at home distributing off halfback, but his defensive education is not yet complete, and the final lapse in the chain came when he left Toby Greene behind him without a minder as he wandered upfield with his eyes on the ball.

Harry Perryman didn’t have the meeting he wanted with his old side. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

Dan Houston is a career-long halfback who will have the line better organised against Port Adelaide, but it will take longer for the Magpies to get a proper read of Reef McInnes’ capabilities deep in defence as Aaron Cadman and the lightly-framed Max Gruzewski let him off the hook with a series of dropped chest marks.

And after Sam Taylor racked up 12 intercept possessions in defence, including four contested marks, what looked like a set-in-stone forward mix against Richmond will now also be up in the air.

Mason Cox (broken finger) may still have an important role forward of the ball this season as Daniel McStay was held goalless and Membrey had no impact until a consolation final-quarter goal.

One of few positives for Collingwood in the 52-point shellacking was the form of captain Darcy Moore, who appears to have his game back in order after a patchy 2024.

The skipper may still be short of his usual confidence flying for marks, and went for double-fisted spoils on several occasions, but his timing in the air was good and his ball use safe as he kept Cadman to just five touches.

Ruckman Darcy Cameron, who was arguably Collingwood’s best, conceded heat had been a “factor” as the Pies tailed off in the second half, but denied they had concerns over their conditioning for the season.

“If we’re up by 20 points (in the third quarter), maybe we’re not cramping,” Cameron told ABC Grandstand.

“The heat (27C) obviously played a factor in the lads cramping today, but I’m sure there’s no worry with our fitness.”

The forecast for Melbourne six days out from the MCG clash against the Power is 32C, and the heat will crank up further at Collingwood if the most experienced side in the club’s history fails to click into gear soon.

Originally published as Collingwood vs. GWS: Analysis from the Magpies Opening Round match against the Giants