AFL great David King slams Collingwood’s senior players

David King has launched a fierce spray at Collingwood, naming and shaming some of the Pies’ best players over their winless start.

David King and Collingwood after the St Kilda defeat. Photos: Getty Images/News Corporation

North Melbourne’s dual premiership winner David King is one of the more respected voices in the AFL and when he speaks up, people usually listen.

The Collingwood Football Club better be all ears.

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The poor start for the defending premiers added another chapter on Thursday night when St Kilda outworked and outplayed the Pies in a 14.10 (94) to 12.7 (79) scoreline that ultimately flattered Collingwood.

It leaves Craig McRae’s men in a 0-3 hole and facing all sorts of unwanted history so soon after last year’s stirring Grand Final triumph against the Lions.

King has not held back in his assessment of this year’s outfit, suggesting Collingwood has lost its appetite to compete.

“It’s easy to see isn’t it that it just doesn’t mean enough to the Pies’ players anymore,” King said on SEN radio.

“It did in 2023, it did in 2022, every minute of every game the ball was as hot as hot and they would close space and they would make it impossible for the opposition to function in real time and it was awesome to watch. 

“But in a lot of ways teams have mapped out exactly what they’re doing and now they’re comfortable with it. They’re handling it.

David King and Collingwood after the St Kilda defeat. Photos: Getty Images/News Corporation

“And I don’t know if it’s as big a win in 2024 as what we’re talking about.”

King then went further, singling out some of the club’s best and most important players in his withering spray.

“I don’t know if they’re the same product anymore. Because I saw so many players not really buying into absolute ‘team’,” King said.

“And some of their better players. We’re not going to talk about the also-rans because they’re not really leading the way.

“The guys that are leading the way, Darcy Moore, Nick Daicos, Scott Pendlebury, Jack Crisp – they’re all off. They’re all off. Steele Sidebottom.

Nick Daicos is among those under the pump for their starts to 2024. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

“There’s so many of the top-liners that have just become six-out-of-10 commodities this year.

“And it’s alarming, it’s shocking, I didn’t think this was going to happen.

“There were no signs of this through the pre-season. But they have fallen through the floor.”

The last team to start 0-3 and win the premiership was North Melbourne way back in 1975, while the last to start 0-3 and earn even a Grand Final berth was also North a year later.

In the modern AFL era, only Geelong of 2023 and now Collingwood have started 0-3 as reigning premiers, with the Cats finishing a lowly 12th last season.

On Thursday night, 12 of St Kilda’s 15 goals came from Magpie turnovers and Collingwood coach Craig McRae conceded senior players were some of the worst offenders on the night.

“Twelve goals, that’s a big number,” he said. “You see the ones that we can control, there’s a lot of fundamental errors we’re making, from experienced players, that you wouldn’t expect.

Craig McRae needs to find some answers and soon. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“I think you can see the fundamental skills that are just sloppy, rusty, clunky, just giveaway goals.”

Former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna was another to single out the senior Pies ahead of a trip to Brisbane to face the Lions next Thursday night in a Grand Final rematch.

“To be fair, some of their veteran senior players just aren’t quite the same,” Montagna told Fox Footy.

“Some of their veterans — who have been so good for them for so long — they just haven’t come to the party to start the season.

“They don’t look invested, that’s obvious … they don’t look anywhere near as tough as what we saw last year.”

Originally published as AFL great David King slams Collingwood’s senior players