‘Know they can’: Trade coup can unlock scary new level for ‘all-in’ Pies. But there’s one big concern

It’s no secret that Collingwood is all in on 2025.

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Champion veteran trio Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe all went around again.

And the Magpies consolidated the oldest list in the competition by adding Dan Houston, Harry Perryman and Tim Membrey as the club once more mortgaged draft picks — and arguably its future — for the now.

You can’t knock them for going for it.

History suggests every year there’s a club that climbs from outside the top eight into the top four. That could well be Collingwood.

If they have everyone available, Craig McRae has as much talent as any team, with a full-strength Pies primed to contend for a potential outright record 17th premiership.

That’s with the hope that last year’s finals miss as reigning premiers was the result of some bad injury luck and a general flag hangover — not this group being on the decline.

For if they’ve miscalculated, or this ageing list again struggles to stay on the park, there could be longstanding consequences. That’s a potential problem for another day though.

Because in our first good look at Collingwood in 2025 it looked every bit a contender.

It might’ve only been a pre-season game against the wooden spoon favourites, but the Pies were dominant in an 83-point dismantling of Richmond in the AAMI Community Series.

It was reminiscent of that 2023 swagger that was absent for most of last year.

Nick Daicos, somehow, appears to have levelled up again and a new-look halfback line of Josh Daicos, Isaac Quaynor and Houston looms as a serious weapon. Plus a three-pronged attack of Membrey, Brody Mihocek and Dan McStay, who combined for 16 games last year, gives McRae aerial threats and firepower in front of the ball he hasn’t had previously.

Provided Jordan De Goey’s injury interrupted pre-season doesn’t linger for too long, there’s a lot to like about Collingwood’s 2025 prospects.

They’ll get an opportunity to make an early statement against an undermanned Giants, who 11 of 35 Fox Footy pundits predicted will win the premiership, in Sunday’s Opening Round showdown.

Membrey and Perryman will play their first games in black and white, but Pies fans will have to wait an extra week to see the suspended Houston in a Round 1 showdown with the dual All-Australian’s former side, Port Adelaide.

Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton was bullish about what a full-strength Collingwood could do this year, saying Houston’s elite kicking skills across halfback would allow Nick Daicos to flourish further in the midfield.

“Collingwood won the premiership a couple of years ago. Yes, they have an ageing list, but they know they can do it; they’ve got a very good team,” Brereton told foxfooty.com.au’s Jack Jovanovski last month.

“Their best 22 is right at the sharp end of the competition. They just couldn’t get their best 22 out on the ground week in, week out, which a lot of teams have that problem. But their very best 22 is seriously good.

“They’ve now added a beautiful kicker of the footy out of the backline in Houston. The best kick they had coming out (of) their backline was Nick Daicos. They were asking him to be their best, most creative, hard-running midfielder and kick the ball out of the backline, too.

“Now they’ve got Houston, which gives them some real weaponry so that Daicos can actually exert himself in dangerous areas in the middle of the ground.”

Brereton thinks the inclusion of Houston is enough to rocket the Pies back into flag contention along with the “absolutely fantastic addition” of Membrey to help their returning key forwards.

“A seriously smart player, every time he is used, you’ll ask yourself ‘why isn’t he playing every game?’,” Brereton said of Membrey.

“Very good player, very clever, and he’s a high-conversion player. I was a little bit bewildered by why St Kilda let him go.

“Collingwood will be that team (to go from bottom 10 to top-four contention) along with Fremantle.”

STRENGTHS

Starpower. For all the question marks on if Collingwood is too old, their top-end talent is still as good as any in the competition, with valuable finals experience on every line. That includes having arguably the best player in the AFL in Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos, who might just single-handedly drag them to a few wins. The fourth-year superstar is to have more midfield support with Perryman, and when he returns, De Goey, who played only 13 games last year. The Pies’ back six has historically been the one of the stingiest in the league, though that dropped away last year, while they have multiple weapons in attack capable of kicking 30-plus goals. That Houston-Quaynor-Josh Daicos half back line is sure to be a big problem for opposition, too.

WEAKNESS

Age slowing them down. Figuratively and literally. There’s a world where the Pies veterans are over the hill and not able to continue to perform at a high level. The likes of Pendlebury (37 years old), Howe, Sidebottom (both 34), Jamie Elliott and Mihocek (32) are all getting on. We know how important leg speed is in the modern game, so having the oldest list in the competition doesn’t exactly bode well for that. Worse yet, the their experienced cohort could simply physically break down and make for another injury impacted season, which could expose the rest of their list if it’s not ready to step up.

And key defensive void. Since Nathan Murphy was forced into retirement at the end of 2023, they just haven’t been able to replace him. Billy Frampton held his own at stages last year but doesn’t have the smarts, flexibility or connection with the other defenders Murphy did. It forces the likes of Howe, who no longer has the same bounce, and Maynard to play taller and Darcy Moore to be more accountable instead of playing his preferred zone off game. You can see why they moved Reef McInnes into defence in an experiment that could be key.

PREMIERSHIP CLOCK

11.59pm. The Pies remain in the sweet spot and will be looking to repeat Geelong’s 2024 revival in bouncing back from a failed flag defence. Collingwood gets a big chance to kick off its 2025 campaign better than last season’s 0-3 start with games against the injury-hit Giants (away), Power and Western Bulldogs (both MCG) before their Round 3 bye. If they can stay injury free, the Pies loom as a key player in the premiership race.

PREDICTED LADDER RANGE

4th-8th

OPENING ROUND TEAM

B: B.Maynard, D.Moore – C, R.McInnes

HB: I.Quaynor, J.Howe, J.Daicos

C: H.Perryman, S.Pendlebury, P.Lipinski

HF: Bo.Hill, B.Mihocek, B.McCreery

F: D.McStay, W.Hoskin-Elliott, L.Schultz

FOLL: D.Cameron, J.Crisp, N.Daicos

I/C: N.LOng, S.Sidebottom, J.Elliott, T.Membrey, E.Allan

EMG: L.Sullivan, W.Parker, B.Frampton