2014 Season Review: Collingwood W/L Record: 11-11 Ladder Position: 11th AFL Gradings B&F Winner: Dayne Beams Gone: Luke Ball, Nick Maxwell, Quinten Lynch, Ben Hudson, Marty Clarke, Peter Yagmoor The Good: Collingwood has found the crux of their backline, with youngster Jack Frost and draft steal Tom Langdon both impressing. Jamie Elliot also has taken a leap forward as hes proven a great complement to spearhead Travis Cloke. Collingwood also showed their team was still strong overall, defeating 5 teams that would play finals in 2014. The Bad: Drafting: Im not calling them busts but with the exception of Tom Langdon the rookies were nonexistant despite drafting twice in the top 10, with Matt Scharenberg (pick 6) and Nathan Freeman (pick 10) not seeing an AFL field in their debut season. Their young bodies should respond but Scharenberg is a concern as he suffered injuries prior to being drafted. On the same line free agency hasnt been kind to them as Quinten Lynch proved a massive draft bust before retiring while Jesse White hasnt been able to shore up the forward line like they want. This showed as the Magpies were amazingly ranked 15th for scoring despite boasting Cloke and Elliot. Their injury list should also be mentioned, a full strength Pies side is essential for 2015. Next Step: Collingwood need to draft their next big forward. Recruiting Lynch was a bust and White could be following him. Plus their forward line has obvious holes that cant be filled with the kind of fixes the Pies were attempting to bring in. Collingwood will probably nab pick 4 with a potential Beams trade with the Lions so Peter Wright will be a definite possibility. Depth is also a factor considering the Pies drop in form after suffering injuries. Conclusion: The Pies started the year 8-3 and finished the year 3-8, the state of the team isnt in as much trouble as people think but its clear the Magpies have to find fixes for its forward line and depth in the offseason. If they dont I expect the Pies to contend for the lower half of the finals race if they contend at all. -JW
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 00:48:32 +0000
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