AFL world reacts to Collingwood disaster as finals hopes slip away
Collingwood, the AFL’s reigning premiers, are at serious risk of joining an unwanted club following their third straight loss.
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Collingwood are at serious risk of joining an unwanted list following their loss to Geelong on Friday night.
The Pies hopes of defending their 2023 premiership are teetering on the brink having lost their third-straight game.
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A resurgent Geelong outfit proved too good at the MCG as they secured the 13.13 (91) to 10.11 (71) to leave the reigning premiers in 10th on the ladder.
The Pies could slip all the way down to 13th on the ladder at the end of round 18 and with only six games left in the 2024 season, coach Craig McRae admitted that his side is “running out of time” if they want to make the finals this year, let alone defend their premiership.
The loss to the Cats has them staring down the barrel of joining Geelong (2023), Richmond (2021), Western Bulldogs (2017) and Hawthorn (2009) as premiers in the last 20 years to miss finals the following season.
It’s a fall from grace that has left the footy world scratching their heads after the club’s dominant run throughout the 2023 season.
CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny wrote on X: “Turning into one of history’s strangest premiership defences from Collingwood. Didn’t lose a game from late March to late May yet will be clearly outside the eight by mid-July.”
News Corp’s Jon Ralph wrote: “Collingwood only had to be in the hunt somewhere near their opponent and they mowed them down at their peak. They have been close enough to the Suns, Essendon and Geelong three weeks in a row in the last term and they got handled. The signs aren’t great right now.”
McRae didn’t beat around the bush following the loss as his side slipped further down the ladder.
“Reality is there’s six games to go. Time’s running out … time’s running out. Yep. Time’s running out,” he said.
“It’s just the facts. We’ve got a number (of wins) in our head that we thought would get the job done to make the finals.
“This year has been probably like no other.”
McRae felt that things like Collingwood’s relentless injury list, which had two new key additions this week in Jeremy Howe (hamstring) and Brody Mihocek (pectoral), were weighing his team down.
“I do feel like there’s a little bit of a dark cloud at times over us,” he said.
“We can’t live in that space … you know, like, Josh Carmichael retiring, you know? Those things. We’ve got to be able to celebrate and support, but also keep moving.
“We’re not here to make excuses … I just want to rid of excuse. I just don’t want to live in that space.”
The Magpies have an extremely difficult run home that features games against Hawthorn, Carlton, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne but, ever the optimist, McRae wasn’t ruling out his team from featuring in the September action.
“Why can’t we perform really well in a all the games that are coming up? There’s no reason to think otherwise,” he said.
The Magpies were in the game for large parts against Geelong, but McRae was still scathing of many aspects of their performance.
“We had minus 20 inside 50s. I’m not sure too many teams are going to bode well if that’s one of your key indicators,” McRae said.
“Losing a lot of territory at the minute. Centre bounces were a big cost - 16-6 or something like that - and scores, too. Centre bounce scores.
“This is the game, isn’t it? You’ve got to be good at everything at times, but … you’ve got to be not really bad at phases of the game.”
Collingwood’s injury woes worsened with goalsneak Lachie Schultz failing a concussion test, but in some much-needed positive news, Daniel McStay will play his first competitive match in the VFL on Saturday since rupturing his ACL in the summer and could provide an option up forward next week if he gets through unscathed.
- with Ronny Lerner, NCA Newswire
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Originally published as AFL world reacts to Collingwood disaster as finals hopes slip away
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