Can Collingwood Go One Step Further In 2010?

as seen on The Roar

Mick Malthouse managed to take his young Magpies side further than many expected in 2009. Indeed, Collingwood over-achieved this year. But in the end they lacked the quality required to go further. So you wonder, can Collingwood do any better in 2010?

The finals defeats to St Kilda and Geelong and the Round 22 loss to the Western Bulldogs confirmed the fact the Pies were fourth best in 2009. It seemed the reason for that was that they simply didn’t have the quality to go with the best.

Despite Malthouse’s matchday tactical nous (recalling a famous Mick quote) he didn’t have the cattle on the park in 2009.

The underwhelming performances of Alan Didak and Leon Davis during the finals have been well-reported and when two of a side’s quality players don’t produce the goods in the cut-throat games, it makes life difficult.

And you wonder whether or not Didak or Davis can produce their best form in the finals in the future, especially when you consider the pair are both past their mid-20s and their history suggests otherwise. It’s a worry for the Pies going ahead.

But Malthouse remains optimistic because this is a youthful team who achieved a top 4 finish. That’s some feat, especially when you consider 12 of the 22 players wearing the black-and-white stripes in Saturday night’s 73-point loss to Geelong were 22-years-old or younger.

Malthouse told the media after Saturday night’s heavy defeat, “If there are bonuses out of it, we’ve done a lot of the hard yards with a lot of young kids who should be stronger.

“I can’t remember a grand final won by too many young players… most sides will have a lot of 25-year-olds to 30 with bigger bodies… and a history of playing a long time together.

“That’s our goal. You can’t make a 20-year-old 26.”

Indeed, Malthouse’s statement suggests Collingwood fans can look forward to some bright years ahead.

But right now, the team’s immediate shortcomings need to be addressed. The Pies need to find some quality. Classy 21-year-old Scott Pendlebury was missed during the finals and he’ll no doubt improve them should they make it through to September in 2010.

And if Didak and Davis can’t deliver in September, then the potential in Travis Cloke (22), Dale Thomas (22), Dayne Beams (19) and Steele Sidebottom (18) will need to be realised and they will all need to make improvements.

But looking through Collingwood’s squad list, it seems potential superstars and match-winners may not be so easy to find. Sure, Malthouse has blooded a lot of youth, but how far can many of these youngsters take their talent?

Indeed, there’s a common perception that the Pies are a team of hard-working grafters, who combined with the footy nous of Malthouse, become a pretty difficult outfit to beat on any given day.

But the Pies have been ‘grafting’ and over-achieving for a long time under Malthouse, much to their credit. In fact, Collingwood have the made finals in the last four consecutive seasons.

But such is the AFL system, you question the wisdom of Collingwood’s efforts when this season’s finals showed they were short on quality.

Where I’m going with this is perhaps a few seasons down the bottom might have enabled them ownership of a few more quality young players via the draft. Just look at the player lists of Geelong and St Kilda, filled with high-draft picks.

But ignoring the past, Collingwood are at where they’re at under Malthouse for another two years, before Nathan Buckley takes over (which is a tad perplexing in itself).

Adding quality and fulfilling potential is one thing, but the Pies also have some problems in the ruck division.

Geelong smashed Collingwood on the weekend in the ruck, with makeshift bigman Leigh Brown found out. 1999’s number one pick draft pick Josh Fraser continues to frustrate and battle injuries, while 22-year-old Cameron Wood improved late on this season, but didn’t cut it in the finals.

And full-back Simon Prestigiacomo, who I must say did a solid job in 2009 in defence, perhaps is indicative of Collingwood’s problems. Just compare Presti to Geelong’s Matthew Scarlett and you’ll understand why.

Prestigiacomo does a great imitation of a human glove, but unfortunately he doesn’t add much more. In the modern game built on defensive rebound, I’m not convinced a premiership winning team can carry someone like that.

The youthful Pies, though, are a developing squad and you suspect they could be realistically challenging at the top in a few years.

Whether or not they can win it under Malthouse (who hasn’t won an AFL premiership for 15 years) is an intriguing question.

But for now, it’s hard to envisage enough immediate improvements to win them the premiership in 2010, but the fans have had a sneak preview of what’s coming.