After reaching a preliminary final in 2009, the Magpies added star ruckman Darren Jolly and Luke Ball during the off-season, while Nathan Buckley's return as an assistant coach increased the hype among the black and white army.
But there were no outlandish comments from either Maxwell or McGuire on Monday, with the pair simply saying the club had laid a solid platform for the coming season.
Speaking from Tullamarine Airport following the announcement of a sponsorship extension with Emirates, Maxwell believed his side was moving in the right direction.
“You look at last year and we lost a preliminary final,” he said.
“Add to that one of the best ruckmen in the league, an All-Australian ex-captain midfielder in Bally, guys like Simon Buckley who have come across and really impressed and all the young guys who have just got an extra year under their belt, an extra pre-season.
“So you think of all that and put it all together and you think, on paper, yes we’d be looking to move forward but having said that, on paper doesn’t always add up.
“We’ve worked really hard over the pre-season and we’ve got a real drive amongst us to make 2010 our year.”
Collingwood’s pre-season form stacks up as well as anyone’s, perhaps with the exception of the NAB Cup-winning Western Bulldogs - the Pies’ round one opponent.
Maxwell was reluctant to pinpoint one team to beat this season but acknowledged the Dogs would be among the contenders.
“I wouldn’t say there’s one,” he said.
“Obviously the Western Bulldogs are the talk of the town at the moment … but St Kilda, Geelong, Brisbane … Adelaide are always right up there.”
McGuire has been buoyed by his club’s summer but knows there’s a long way to go before any Pies fan can start dreaming of September success.
“It’s a long season, it’s a season of attrition these days - 22 weeks of the toughest football in any sport, as we all know," he said.
“You need a bit of luck going your way but you also need to do everything right … so far we’re very happy with the way everything’s gone.
“The coaching panel has been fantastic [with] the way they’ve been able to work together and with each other and replace some of the people who left, and we’ve replaced them with some very significant ins this year.
“So we’re delighted with the football coaching part of things, we’re rapt with the way the players have really dedicated themselves.”
McGuire optimism about his team’s on-field chances in 2010 was matched by Monday’s key off-field announcement.
Flanked by Emirates’ divisional senior vice-president Richard Vaughan, McGuire proudly announced Collingwood and the airline would continue their agreement for at least another five seasons.
The deal, which will now last until the end of 2014, extends the Pies' relationship with Emirates to 16 years.
McGuire said the seven-figure sum - an increase on the club’s last deal with the airline - was more significant given the recent uncertainty of the global financial crisis.
“This time last year every sporting organisation was in turmoil - no one knew where to turn, where to go to … [but] at no stage did we have anything other than full support from Emirates,” he said.
“They’ve been an amazing sponsor and we’re very proud of the fact that the Collingwood Football Club guernsey is the most expensive real estate in Australian sport.”
