COLLINGWOOD has challenged its middle-tier players to fill the leadership void created by the departure of several veterans.

Over the past two off-seasons the rate and extent of change among the Magpies' playing list has been startling.

Last year alone the Pies shed five premiership players - delisting Darren Jolly and Alan Didak, trading Heath Shaw to Greater Western Sydney and losing free agent Dale Thomas to Carlton, while Ben Johnson retired.

Entering coach Nathan Buckley's third season at the helm, the Pies have installed a new skipper in Scott Pendlebury (who replaces Nick Maxwell), and an eight-man leadership group that includes fresh faces Steele Sidebottom and Lachlan Keeffe.

Collingwood tagger Brent Macaffer says it is critical that players in the 23-26 age bracket, including himself, emerge as strong leaders.

"With a lot of older guys leaving, the onus is on guys in my age group – Nathan Brown, Ben Reid, Jarryd Blair, Steele Sidebottom, Lachlan Keeffe – to step up and fill the void that they've left," Macaffer told AFL.com.au.

"A few of our leaders – 'Maxy' and 'Pendles', 'Bally' (Luke Ball) and 'Bucks' – have spoken to us about the need for us to develop our leadership skills and it's something we're really conscious of. There's a gap there but a lot of guys have really stepped up to try to compensate.

"There is a different feel around the club but it's a really good feeling. It's exciting."

Macaffer, who will turn 26 in late February, says the Pies have already found replacements for extroverts Shaw and Thomas, who had been crucial to the dynamics of the playing group.

"Steele Sidebottom has sort of taken on that role to lift the vibe when we go out to training and pick the moments when it might be a bit flat or what-not. He's pretty good at filling that void," he said.

"A couple of other guys have really stepped up too – Jarryd Blair and Lachlan Keeffe have taken it to another level."

Macaffer is also intent on lifting his game, and fitness, to a new level.

He has set himself the task of evolving from a predominantly negative tagger into a more offensive run-with player in the mould of Geelong great Cameron Ling.

And Macaffer doesn't need to look far for first-hand advice on the methods employed by the three-time Cats premiership player.

Ling regularly opposed Magpies superstar Dane Swan, most notably proving Swan's nemesis in the 2011 Grand Final (Ling's last game), after spending several years tracking current Pies coach Nathan Buckley and senior assistant coach Robert Harvey.

Buckley, who was tagged from the very first of his 280 games, rated Ling his toughest opponent.

Collingwood's new midfield coach Scott Burns is another who has encouraged Macaffer to base his game on the Ling blueprint.

Macaffer last year thrived in his first season as a midfield stopper, nullifying playmakers such as Joel Selwood, David Mundy, Josh Kennedy, Travis Boak, Nick Dal Santo and Pearce Hanley on his way to a career-best sixth placing in the Magpies best and fairest and a new two-year contract.

Champion Data rated Macaffer the AFL's third-best tagger last season.

But after fighting hard for opportunities at AFL level and overcoming injuries, the former rookie isn't about to lapse into contentment.

"From where I've been, I can't afford to relax," he said. "The next step for me is to become more offensive. That's been a pretty big focus of mine.

"A few guys at the club have spoken to me and the name Cameron Ling has popped up. They've told me how hard he was to play on. He was a similar body shape to me, a bigger body, and he became an expert at shutting his opponent down while also being damaging going the other way. That's something I'm hoping to build on this year."

The 52-gamer has also been trying to add another element to his defensive skills, as he expects his opponents to "rest" more in attack to accommodate the new interchange cap.

"It happened a bit last year but I need to work on getting used to being one-on-one with my man deep in our defensive area because I'll probably spend a bit more time down there," he said.

Collingwood's NAB Challenge campaign comprises a night match against Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Wednesday February 12 and a twilight game against Richmond at Wangaratta Showgrounds on Saturday February 22.