Squad Breakdown: Collingwood SC roster analysis

<p>Nick Daicos in the best 22, but you haven&#8217;t listed him in your best team, including 4 emergencies???</p>
<p>Mind you, I&#8217;m just happy talking about Daicos&#8217;s, remember when his old man kicked 99 goals in a season from a pocket??</p>



<p>Collingwood will be looking to put a horrid 2021 campaign behind them as they aim to blood and develop their next crop of stars in season 2022.</p>



<p>2021 was tumultuous for the Pies to say the least, with numerous off-field fiascos overshadowing their on-field struggles.</p>



<p>Nathan Buckley was sacked from the senior coaching position mid-way through the season, Eddie McGuire was ousted as President and the club’s board continued to attract unwanted attention.</p>



<p>Jordan de Goey, who has since been cleared, was also in hot water over assault allegations from a night out partying in the US.</p>



<p>De Goey suffered a broken rib during the pre-season but should be okay to take his place in the season opener.</p>



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<p>It’s easy to focus on those off-field dramas for the Pies but their on-field troubles were just as bad.</p>



<p>The Pies won just six matches for the season, finishing 17<sup>th</sup> on the ladder, a large fall from grace from one of the largest clubs in the competition.</p>



<p>Injuries hampered the Pies during Buckley’s final season at the helm, but it looks as though the playing list is relatively fresh and healthy as the new season approaches.</p>



<p>Perhaps the biggest injury concern is Scott Pendlebury, who is now back training and partaking in match simulation.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LIST CHANGES</strong></h2>



<p>The Pies have had eight players either retire or traded/delisted following last year.</p>



<p>Chris Mayne is probably the biggest name on the retirement front, whilst Brayden Sier was delisted after struggling to make a significant impact at AFL level.</p>



<p>Two players were brought in via trade, former Bulldog Patrick Lipinski and tall Cat Nathan Kreuger.</p>



<p>Kreuger was on Geelong’s list for three years but only managed two games for SuperCoach scores of 48 and 56.</p>



<p>Lipinski ($359,900 |MID) is the more attractive of the two options after he made the switch to the Pies in search of more opportunities.</p>



<p>Perhaps a breakout candidate, but one I’m happy to wait on given he’s only got MID status in SuperCoach.</p>



<p>The Pies brought in some talented youngsters such as Arlo Draper via the draft, but the biggest name was Nick Daicos, son of legend Peter Daicos and brother of Josh.</p>



<p><strong>FB:</strong> B. Maynard, D. Moore, J. Howe </p>



<p><strong>HB:</strong> S. Pendlebury, C. Dean, J. Crisp </p>



<p><strong>C: </strong>J. Daicos, T. Adams, S. Sidebottom </p>



<p><strong>HF:</strong> J. de Goey, B. Mihocek, O. Henry </p>



<p><strong>F:</strong> J. Elliott, D. Cameron, B. McCreery </p>



<p><strong>Foll:</strong> B. Grundy, P. Lipinski, N. Daicos </p>



<p><strong>I/C:</strong> I. Quaynor, J. Noble, T. Bianco, C. Poulter </p>



<p><strong>Emerg:</strong> C. Brown, T. Brown, F. Macrae, W. Kelly</p>



<p><strong>Injury concerns:</strong> Jordan Roughead, Jeremy Howe, Jordan de Goey (Ribs, likely Round 1)</p>



<p><strong>Draftees:</strong> Nick Daicos (Pick 4), Arlo Draper (Pick 45), Cooper Murley (Pick 49), Harvey Harrison (Pick 52)</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>GUNS</strong></h2>



<p>The main man in Black and White is ruckman Brodie Grundy ($627,100 | RUC).</p>



<p>Sean Darcy may be coming to shake up the Gawn/Grundy SuperCoach ruck combo, but his body is still a concern for me so at this stage I will back in Grundy.</p>



<p>His last four seasons have seen him average in excess of 115 points at a minimum.</p>



<p>He’s shed a few kilos and Collingwood track watchers also say he is set to bounce back and reach the heights of his All-Australian years yet again.</p>



<p>The main thing with Grundy is that he is a known commodity. There’s no real threat of losing ruck minutes (E.g. Gawn/Jackson combo) and his body is usually pretty reliable (Darcy raises question marks in this area).</p>



<p>Lock him in and focus your energy on other parts of your team.</p>



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<p>Jordan de Goey ($463,500 | MID/FWD) is one of the most difficult players to get a read on this pre-season.</p>



<p>As mentioned above, he has had an interrupted and far from ideal start to 2022.</p>



<p>However, he’s back within the fold at the Holden Centre and the coaches have dangled the carrot of more midfield time in front of him, something that saw his SuperCoach relevance thrive in 2021.</p>



<p>From Round 11 onwards, JDG put up some monster scores and averaged 110 points.</p>



<p>If he can put that sort of form together for an entire season, he will become one of the best forward options for our teams. Extra trades might encourage coaches to take a punt on a guy like de Goey, who has huge upside.</p>



<p>Jack Crisp ($571,000 | DEF/MID) comes with a lofty price tag but for good reason.</p>



<p>His rebounding and ability to break the lines meant he became one of the most reliable defensive options for SuperCoach. He posted 13 tons throughout his 2021 campaign and played every game.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CHEAPIES</strong></h2>



<p>I expect Nick Daicos ($193,800 | MID) to slot straight into the Pies 22 and have an immediate impact.</p>



<p>The Pies openly admitted last season that if he was eligible to be listed, he probably would’ve played in 2021.</p>



<p>He averaged 159 in the NAB League last year and Craig McRae has mentioned that he will play through the midfield and across half back this year.</p>



<p>He averaged 36 disposals and 2 goals a match playing for the Oakleigh Chargers, so the numbers are there.</p>



<p>A higher price tag rookie wise but he ticks the boxes for job security and scoring potential.</p>



<p>Will Kelly ($123,900 | DEF/FWD) is another to keep an eye on. Kelly has played three matches for the Pies but has had a career plagued by injuries so far.</p>



<p>If he’s fit and named Round 1, consider given the lack of obvious rookie options this year.</p>



<p>He’s a key position player, so don’t expect his scoring to be out of this world, however.</p>



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<p>Finlay Macrae ($206,800 | MID) is another there has been some chatter about.</p>



<p>Personally, I’d rather go Daicos or a Jason Horne-Francis type, even a Josh Ward. Yes, the Pies will need to be blooding youth and developing players, but there’s only so many players who can play midfield at once.</p>



<p>No doubt he could become a really good player, but I think I prefer cheaper alternatives at this stage.</p>



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<p>Mature-age, intercept role, VFL experience? Tick, tick, tick. Charlie Dean ($102,400 | DEF) won the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell medal in the VFL last year as the competition’s best young player.</p>



<p>He averaged 85 SuperCoach points playing for Williamstown and he’s a chance for Round 1 given Jordan Roughead is set to miss the start of the season due to shoulder surgery.</p>



<p>Keep a close eye on his form in the practice matches from here on.</p>



<p>Don’t waste your time on any of the other sub 250k players for the Pies – even if they are named their scoring potential isn’t good enough to warrant any serious consideration.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>AVOIDS</strong></h2>



<p>Perhaps a slightly controversial avoid in Brayden Maynard ($502,500 | DEF).</p>



<p>It’s certainly not out of the question that he has another solid year and averages around the 95 mark, but I think there are far better options to start with in defence.</p>



<p>There are about 10 guys I think who are ahead of Maynard in the SuperCoach defence pecking order, who are either more reliable or have higher upside.</p>



<p>He’s a quality player, but look for him to be an upgrade target during the season at best.</p>



<p>Scott Pendlebury ($492,300 | MID) is another who I think should be left out of starting squads.</p>



<p>Don’t cross him off your list entirely though – he’s been taking kick ins during match simulation and if he plays off half-back during the season proper, he may become DEF eligible at some stage throughout the season.</p>



<p>He would be relevant then, but don’t waste a midfield slot on him to begin with.</p>


Squad Breakdown: Collingwood SC roster analysis

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