“Hard calls are coming”: The list decisions that Collingwood faces at season’s end

SEN’s Sam Edmund is intrigued by the state of Collingwood’s list and what the club could do at season’s end to keep their premiership window open.

While the Pies are coming off the 2023 flag, they had nine players over the age of 30 that took the field in Saturday’s Round 6 win over Port Adelaide as a handful of veterans near the end of their careers.

Several sides that have won flags in the last decade – including Richmond, Hawthorn and West Coast – fell quite quickly after their premiership window closed and Edmund expects Collingwood to learn from those cases.

Edmund thinks that club greats Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe – who are all over the age of 33 – are the players that the club will face particularly hard decisions on this off-season.

“What Collingwood will do at season's end? I know it’s crazy to raise now because we're going into Round 7, and they are full bore for top four and another premiership,” Edmund said on SEN Sportsday.

“There's some projection required here, but don't think that Collingwood aren't doing it and going further because recent history is littered with clubs who have fallen off the cliff after success by virtue of decisions that they've made.

“Richmond as we know, traded heavily for Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper. Hawthorn traded heavily – Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell, Chad Wingard. West Coast fell fast.

“The Collingwood premiership window is clearly wide open now, but just speaking to those in the player movement industry, some hard calls are coming on some of their biggest names.

“Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe, Jamie Elliott, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Mason Cox, Brody Mihocek - the list goes on.

“The Cats made hard calls on their veterans and they're the best to do it in this space with Sydney.

“Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Howe, they'll all want to play on and why wouldn't they? They're in best 22 form. They could win another flag, so you're going to keep going.”

The Pies won’t be rebuilding though, with President Jeff Browne stating that the club will get active in the trade period to stay in the premiership hunt while adding experienced players to continue topping up the squad.

Edmund also thinks that Collingwood will go with a refreshing on-the-go plan as Tasmania’s entry to the competition looms. He also doesn’t expect the club to throw away too many of their future picks on quality players.

“They count down now, it's like the number of sleeps to Christmas,” Edmund explained.

“There are three drafts left until Tasmania that is looming large already for clubs.

“Jordan De Goey, Darcy Moore, Dan McStay, Brayden Maynard - they're all 27 or 28. You want to maximize that core as the next wave comes through and then you've got Nick Daicos under that.

“The Pies will learn, they gave up two firsts for Adam Treloar, they gave up two for Dayne Beams.

“Their decisions are what they make for their established veterans going forward (are huge).

“Don't get rid of them all at once, but how many do they possibly move on? It’s going to be a really interesting watch these decisions and how they go about it.”

Pendlebury will pass game 400 in 2024 if he remains injury free while Jeremy Howe and Steele Sidebottom will be 34 and 33 respectively at the end of the season.