Practice Match: Blues v Pies, Fri 24 Feb

[Gointocarlton]

Collingwood are very fit and mobile, what they lack in star power they make up for in that ability to run out games after making it tight all the way through games playing blue collar rebound football.
Apart from Cox they dont have too many lumbering stiffs, run a small mobile backline and have that bits and pieces forward setup with odd type players who have that ability to work as individuals but also link up when required.
Its working with what you have and Macrae's problem will be sustaining and improving that brand in 2023 as other teams work them out. Most wont know what I am talking about with the following but a similar analogy is what has happened in the NBL this year with the Cairns Taipans who are the team I follow, they are a mixture of odd type players who have been cellar dwellers for years but this season have a left field thinking coach in Adam Forde who has them playing this high octane rebound run the floor, shoot plenty of threes type game coupled with a very in your face defensive setup. They have gone from nearly last to top 4 and have just had their season ended but played very well in the finals even after losing key players.
Just shows what a good coach can do but the test is sustaining and making improvement year on end and this where I think Collingwood and Macrae will be tested and I have them slipping a bit...

If you heard C Scott the other day, he talked about needing to bring something new this year despite winning a premiership last year. He suggested that if they do the same as last year, they are gone. Thats a good coach, just won a flag and not resting on his laurels. Every year, not matter where you finish, you need to bring something new, you know what they say about doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.