Pies duo set to be dropped off the team list as Collingwood urged to make AFL changes.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae has been urged to look to the future and make a host of changes for the remainder of the 2024 AFL season, with the likes of Tom Mitchell, Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom all on the chopping block. The Pies’ dream of snaring back-to-back flags for the first time since 1935-36 looks almost certainly over after a 66-point thrashing from Hawthorn on the weekend left them 13th.

It was the heaviest defeat of premiership coach McRae’s tenure and leaves the club likely to miss the top eight in what has been a horror campaign. The Magpies face Richmond next round before a tough run home against Carlton, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

But the brutal fact Collingwood must come to terms with is that they have an ageing squad. And while this year may be too far gone to save for the proud club, it provides them the perfect opportunity to blood some of their inexperienced youngsters. Having had the oldest team in the competition in Round 19, the Pies currently have 11 players on their list aged over the age of 30.

That includes champion trio Scott Pendlebury (37), Jeremy Howe (35) and Steele Sidebottom (34) – who are all out of contract at the end of the year – as well as Mason Cox (34), Jamie Elliott (33), Brody Mihocek, Tom Mitchell, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Jack Crisp, (all 32), Dan McStay and Darcy Cameron (both 30).

Earlier this year Magpies president Jeff Browne told the Herald Sun the club would continue to attempt to continue their flag dominance by topping up the squad at the trade table. They did that successfully ahead of their 2023 flag run adding McStay, Mitchell, Bobby Hill and Billy Frampton.

But with their 2024 premiership hopes all but over, St Kilda great Leigh Montagna believes they need to start looking at the bigger picture. “The chat now is about the bigger picture and if age is starting to catch up to them,” Montagna said on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.

“It was lauded as one of the oldest premiership teams of all time last year … it’s starting to become alarming, so there’s got to be some big decisions at the football club. How many of those 11 players can they go on with? How many do they have to start moving past? Whether it’s not keeping them on the list or not playing them in the senior team? And try and get some more youth in.

“This has been a year where yes, they’ve had a lot go wrong, but they’ve got the bigger picture in mind. They have gone on record to say they are going to continue to trade in and bring in players for the now – they’re not necessarily wanting to rebuild.”

Collingwood’s youth ranks called into question

Montagna also believes not only are the Pies an ageing squad but they also lack young talent away from star youngster Nick Daicos. The Pies have an incredibly inexperienced group aged 25 or younger at the club with only Isaac Quaynor, Hill (both 25), Beau McCreery, Charlie Dean (both 24) Reef McInnes, Fin Macrae (both 23), Daicos, Ned Long (22), Harvey Harrison (all 22) exposed at the top level.

“This is all they’ve really got that we’ve seen, so there’s not a lot there … we’re really clutching, there’s a handful of players 25 and under,” Montagna added. “So they’re really relying on these guys between 26 and the over 30s. The question is how far can they take them? Do they have to continue to top up and try and squeeze out another one or two premierships? They’ve won their flag, so they can be happy.

“(But) I think with that little talent under the age of 25, they have to start getting some drafting in at some stage. They can try and squeeze out and win one more premiership, but they’re going to be in a hole for a long time.”