How ageless veterans and 58-year best are making Pies better than their flag side — Champion Index

Collingwood again finds itself on an ominous premiership trajectory, and while it’s a slightly different side to in 2023 and some metrics might’ve shifted, the strengths propelling it are near-unmatched through six games.

And their former senior coach believes a particularly “sustainable” scoring method will continue to hold it in good stead, as well as an improved defensive efficiency that has made it one of the league’s stingiest outfits in the early going.

After dropping their season opener to GWS, Craig McRae’s side have won its last five games to rank third in the competition for points against.

FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

But most strikingly, Collingwood’s 396 points conceded over the first six games is its best start to a season since 1967, per Champion Data.

Only Gold Coast (370 points against) and GWS (387) have been more defensively stringent this season, with the former having played one less home-and-away game this season.

Ten-year Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley put his former club’s defensive improvements down to improved “efficiency” and front-half heat, rather than any particular change in tack from the previous year.

“They talk about pressure and territory a lot, and then pressure in the front half has improved incrementally, I would have thought,” Buckley told Foxfooty.com.au.

“There’s numbers supporting their front-half pressure from round zero through to now; it’s on the improve, and then that delays a little bit the opposition rebound, which gives your backs (and) midfielders are a chance to get in layer, which allows your high backs to get in behind them.

“And they’ve just been really efficient in defending the space and not allowing teams through the middle.

“Once they do that, it really does set up their intercept game in slow play, and their contest game from long-down-the-line.

“It was really clear (last) weekend where they forced Brisbane long down the line. Brisbane got frustrated, tried to plug the ball through the middle a couple of times, and that just means you’re turning the ball over in really dangerous positions — you go back and score.

“Or if they go long down the line, corridor, Collingwood are able to win that contest and then wrap to their numbers through corridor, which just made their rebound transition footy really damaging, because they’re coming through the middle of the ground (whereas) they’re forcing the opposition on the outside.”

The Magpies are defending opposition clearances better than any side in the competition, boast the third-best rate of preventing scores once their rivals go inside-50, and are the fourth-best at defending intercepts.

And while some might draw the conclusion it’s enhanced buy-in from the players, Buckley believes it comes down to better defensive execution in terms of structural focus and assignments.

“I just think they’re … sharper on transitioning from fast-play pressure to slow-play structure than any other team at the moment,” Buckley explained.

“So, you consider the front line to cover off and to stop the next uncontested mark in the first phase, but then you drop in to protect the inside-45 (kick) on the second phase, I think has been excellent.

“So, that initial transition from ‘we’ve got it’ to ‘competing’, and then from ‘competing/contesting’ to ‘defending’ — I think that’s what Collingwood are doing — (and) the gaps between those transitions are really strong and sharp at the moment.

“And the other thing is if you just watch across the field as the opposition have got the ball in their back half, just the constant communication and direction and reinforcement of the positioning, and little adjustments they’re making to cover space and to cover the next potential ball receiver for the opposition.

“I think they’re doing that better than anyone else at the moment. I think those two things are the basis of their defensive output.”

And while structural shape is aiding Collingwood’s suffocation of rivals, it is getting enhanced performance from key individuals early in the campaign.

Per Champion Data’s player ratings, Steele Sidebottom went from the 221st-ranked player in 2024 to No.42 entering Round 7.

The 34-year-old is averaging 24.3 disposals per game; his best figure since 2019.

Brayden Maynard has gone from the 103rd-ranked player to 60, Bobby Hill from 186 to 89, and Beau McCreery from unranked to 109.

Buckley simply put it down to improved form.

“You can be in form and out of form. You can, as an individual, as a division, as a team. But I just think that Collingwood are in form at the moment,” said Buckley, who coached the Pies to five winning seasons and a grand final berth in 2018.

“And the reality is the way they’re trying to defend isn’t anything new — it’s not something that … there’s probably been a trend away from space-defence to man-on-man in the competition to try and take away uncontested marks.

“But I don’t think that Collingwood have always been a defend-the-ground, defend-the-corridor defence — well, not always, but have been for a long time — but I think that when you do that well, it’s actually a really efficient way to defend.

“You don’t chew up all your energy defending, you actually conserve your energy defending, which allows you a little bit more gas for contest and offence and then those players (Sidebottom, Maynard, Hill and McCreery) are talented players.

“So, if you’ve got a little bit more energy and you’re fit when you’re playing the game, it allows your talent to come to the fore. And I think that’s probably what we’re seeing.”

Underrated ruckman Darcy Cameron has been another proponent of Collingwood’s early-season dominance, playing a key role behind the ball to disrupt opponents’ forays forward.

His 5.0 intercept possessions per game are considered elite in the AFL among fellow ruckmen.

“He’s obviously not required to clog the centre-square up or the corridor, but he’ll almost be in there for a long-down-the-line, so I suppose Darcy can then choose whether he needs to be up at that one or whether he can drop off,” Buckley explained of Cameron’s movements.

“I think Darcy Cameron and Billy Frampton have probably been the aerial constituents in the back half if the opposition go down the line, or if they speed up off the first long-down-the-line and go off the second, and Darcy has a chance to play that game out of that.”

Dan Houston, meanwhile, is set to make his return for injured captain Darcy Moore, who will miss due to an ear injury sustained against Brisbane last week.

Houston’s slingshotting ability off the half-backline has undeniably bolstered the Pies’ counterattacking capability since his arrival, but he’s also an aerial disruptor.

“Houston for Moore makes a lot of sense (at selection), and he (Houston) can probably be the player who sort of is that intercept, aerial threat that drops into that back six in a very different shape but in a similar form,” said Buckley.

“He can probably sort of position similarly to Darcy.”

Despite Collingwood’s defensive prowess early in the season, it hasn’t yet been able to recapture its ball movement success of 2023 when it ranked sixth in the competition.

Currently, the Pies are 15th for defensive 50 to inside-50 rate and 13th for defensive 50 to score rate.

However, it hasn’t really mattered much, as the Pies rank fifth in the AFL for punishing teams off turnover — and Buckley asserts it’s a more evergreen scoring source than relying on longer strings of possession.

“I’d suggest that a solid front-half profile is more sustainable than relying on end-to-end ball use,” Buckley said.

“I don’t necessarily think they’re doing it differently (than in 2023), but potentially they’re defending better, and if you’re defending better, I think that’s far more sustainable than any offence.

“And it feeds into a really positive rebound, turnover-to-score in the front half — I think that’s far more sustainable … because by definition, it’s closer to your goals, so if you turn the ball over closer to goal, then (you’re a better chance at capitalising).

“You’re (roughly) one in 10 to score from your back half, three in 10 to score from defensive-midfield, five in 10 to score from attacking mid, and you’re eight in 10 to score from your forward 50.

“You increase your chances of scoring the closer the turnover to your goal, so I think that’s more sustainable than anything that the Pies put together offensively.”

On Anzac Day, Collingwood comes up against an Essendon side currently seventh in the competition for chain-to-score rate.

Buckley broke down the keys to victory for either side, highlighting the Bombers’ ability chain possessions together by finding space for uncontested marks.

“Well, it seems to me, that coming out of the bye, Essendon have been really good at using the extra number and keeping the ball off the opposition,” he began.

“They end up having the extra player that just turns up and they’re able to find the next 20, 25-metre option or a two-v-one and they’re keeping the ball moving pretty well.

“But that will be challenged by Collingwood’s team defence, but I think Essendon is probably a side that is happy to go wide and will train themselves up to be able to look for the next uncontested option.

“So, Collingwood’s challenge will be to shut that down, and Essendon’s will be to run hard enough to find the gaps in Collingwood’s D.

“So, for me, outside of contest — which is obviously always first — it’s probably where the game will be decided. Can Essendon move the ball in a manner that neither Brisbane nor Sydney have been able to in the past two weeks?

“Can they keep Collingwood’s defence working and get through it before it’s set up, whether it’s fast or slow (play)? That’ll be the challenge, and that’ll be what I’m keeping an eye on.”

Buckley predicted the Bombers would give the Pies’ defence the “fiercest test” it’s had thus far but that the black and white was in too strong a form to be topped.

“I think that they will test it, (but) at this stage I just feel like Collingwood are just in form, defensively. They’re in form structurally,” he concluded.

“I think Essendon will give it (the Pies’ defence) the fiercest test that it’s had.

“I think they can move the ball really well, I think they’ll be able to find some gaps, and … I think it’ll take a while for the game to settle; it’ll take a while for Collingwood to be able to impose that structural system on the Bombers.

“Essendon will be able to get them early with a bit of movement, and whether Collingwood can arrest it or settle it will be where the game’s decided.”