After reaching the second week of the finals in 2023, Collingwood plummeted to 20th this season as a crippling injury list saw the Magpies slump to a 12-game losing streak.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 20th
W-L-D (%): 4-14 (76.1%)
Players used: 57
Played every match: 2 – Sam Glover, Campbell Lane
AFL players used: 25 (184 matches)
Ex-AFL players: 2 (20 matches)
Debutants: 19 – Christian Algeri, Hayden Brown, Nicky Christian, Zane Cochrane, Harry Demattia, Boston Dowling, Patrick Farrant, Jett Hartman, Jack Hutchinson, Tew Jiath, Harry Mahoney, Isaiah Markovsky, Josh Mathey, Wil Parker, Luke Quaynor, Angus Seivers, Iliro Smit, Oliver Warburton, Conor Willis
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Sam Glover (199 votes), 2nd: Campbell Lane (182), 3rd: Ryan Sparkes (168), 4th: Ed Allan (156), 5th: Ash Johnson (149)
J.J. Liston Trophy: Finlay Macrae (7 votes), Ned Long (5), Joe Richards (5), Ed Allan (3), Lachie Sullivan (3)
Coaches MVP Award: Ned Long (26 votes), Finlay Macrae (22), Charlie Dean (21), Ed Allan (15), Joe Richards (14)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: Nil
Leading Goalkickers: Ash Johnson (21), Ben Crocker (18), Joe Richards (15), Harry Mahoney (9), Josh Carmichael (9), Jack Hutchinson (9)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Finlay Macrae 27.5, Jack Bytel 27.2, Lachie Sullivan 24.6, Ned Long 22.1, Campbell Lane 20.8
Contested possessions: Finlay Macrae 12.1, Lachie Sullivan 10.6, Jack Bytel 9.9, Ned Long 9.7, Aiden Begg 8.3
Kicks: Jack Bytel 14.7, Sam Glover 14.4, Charlie Dean 14.2, Campbell Lane 13.9, Finlay Macrae 13.7
Handballs: Lachie Sullivan 14.0, Finlay Macrae 13.7, Jack Bytel 12.5, Ned Long 12.1, Ed Allan 10.7
Marks: Charlie Dean 8.2, Sam Glover 5.9, Oleg Markov 5.2, Jakob Ryan 5.2, Jack Bytel 5.0, Campbell Lane 5.0
Tackles: Ned Long 9.0, Finlay Macrae 6.2, Aiden Begg 5.9, Ryan Sparkes 4.7, Ed Allan 4.4
Hitouts: Iliro Smit 22.6, Aiden Begg 15.9, Liam Purcell 11.8, Patrick Farrant 1.2, Ash Johnson 1.1
Clearances: Finlay Macrae 6.5, Lachie Sullivan 4.8, Ned Long 4.7, Jack Bytel 4.6, Aiden Begg 3.9
Inside-50s: Finlay Macrae 5.2, Jack Bytel 4.3, Ned Long 4.1, Joe Richards 3.9, Ryan Sparkes 3.4, Ed Allan 3.4
Rebound-50s: Sam Glover 6.7, Charlie Dean 6.5, Campbell Lane 4.2, Oleg Markov 4.2, Jakob Ryan 3.8
What went right: The season started well for the Magpies with a strong away win over Sandringham at RSEA Park in the opening round of the season. They then fell just short of preliminary finalist the Brisbane Lions on the road in Round 2 before edging arch-rivals Carlton by a point in a thriller. Ned Long and Jack Hutchinson impressed in the first part of the season and were picked up in the AFL Mid-Season Draft, with Long promoted by the Magpies and the West Coast Eagles swooping on Hutchinson. They extended their 130-year record of not losing at the Swinburne Centre and then stunned the Lions in the rematch at AIA Centre to send Josh Fraser and Campbell Lane out as winners.
What went wrong: Everything in between. The wheels completely fell off as the Magpies lost 12 matches in a row through the middle of the season. They were the victim as Coburg and then the Northern Bullants broke long losing streaks, but the low point was the 83-point hammering from Carlton in Round 17 that ended up snapping the Magpies out of their malaise. Injuries to the AFL list didn’t help – they got 103 games less service from the senior squad than last year and had to use 19 debutants compared to last year’s 11.
Summary: After making the second week of the finals last year, slumping to 20th was a surprise and major disappointment for Collingwood supporters. There were excuses, including limited AFL player availability and not playing as many games at Victoria Park as originally hoped. But they did get important games into youngsters such as Harry Demattia, Tew Jiath, Ed Allan and mid-season draftee Iliro Smit that will serve the club well into the future.
Grade: 2/10