AS THE dust settles on the season for clubs out of the premiership race, the review process begins in earnest - and that includes from our AFL.com.au experts, too.

We look at what worked, what didn't, season highlights, and what your club needs to do ahead of next season.

Check it out.

Where they finished

18th (one win, 10 losses, 44.3 per cent)

What worked

Collingwood's 2024 campaign was probably one they'd like to forget. The Pies could manage just one win under new coach Sam Wright, a contentious three-point victory over Gold Coast in week five. Winger Sarah Rowe had a sound year, averaging 18.8 disposals, 4.3 tackles and 2.5 marks, while Ruby Schleicher also showed some promising signs in the midfield in the latter stages of the season. Brit Bonnici can hold her head high, and Sabrina Frederick fought valiantly in the ruck. Collingwood played eight debutants in an injury-hit season, with players who might not have otherwise had an opportunity being exposed to an AFLW standard of footy.

What didn't work

To put it simply, there was plenty that went wrong for the Pies in 2024. Injury issues were one of the biggest factors in their demise this year, with their injury list so large that they had to dip into their pool of top-up players early in the season. Captain Bri Davey endured an inconsistent campaign due to concussion and bone stress in her left tibia, while Bonnici also spent time on the sidelines with a calf issue. The likes of Lauren Butler, Mikayla Hyde, Grace Campbell and Tarni White also had disrupted campaigns. Then there's the scoring issues, underlined by the fact Collingwood didn't have a single player boot five or more goals this season. Bonnici, Butler and Imogen Barnett all topped the goalkicking charts with four majors apiece.

Season highlight

The major positive for the Pies in a bleak year was that they were able to get plenty of experience into their young players. The Pies had eight debutants this year, with the most promising of those being defender Lucy Cronin, who played every game in her debut season. Cronin averaged 10.9 disposals, 2.8 marks and 5.1 intercept possessions a game, gaining valuable experience playing on some of the game's biggest stars. If not for Cronin, some of the Pies' losses could have been even larger. The likes of Muireann Atkinson and Georgia Clark gained experience as well, while VFLW defender Jordan Ivey played six games as top-up player. It's players like Cronin and Clark that will be leading this side forward into the future, so all the experience they can gain now is incredibly crucial and beneficial to their development.

Targets in the player movement period/draft

Collingwood need to improve their playing list dramatically and should be exploring as many avenues as possible to do that. The Pies will no doubt attack the draft this year, aiming to bring in the best available talent with their selections. An established goalkicking forward could be at the top of their wish list, but another possibility is to move Davey forward as a target inside 50. Wright said the upcoming player movement period and draft provides the club with an opportunity to "aggressively assess" their list for 2025, so it'll be interesting to see who they target and whether they can hold their talent. The Pies have also shown interest in Hawthorn youngster Charlotte Baskaran, who has struggled to break into Daniel Webster's best side this year. Baskaran was an elite talent through the junior pathways and a fresh start could be what she needs to reignite her AFLW career. That addition would also give the Pies another talented on-baller through the midfield, meaning Davey's talents could be used inside the arc. Either way, the Pies will land some serious talent at the pointy end of the draft in December.