The little things putting Collingwood's premiership chase at risk

News.com.au

13 hours ago

It wasn't just Michael Voss whose eyebrows were raised when Craig McRae spruiked his date with Carlton defender Jack Silvagni.
Opposition coaches sounding out free agents isn't anything new and clubs now understand how it works but there was something about the flippancy from the Magpies coach which caught many off guard.
McRae has been a breath of fresh air since he finally landed a senior coaching gig, generating good vibes as the AFL's Ted Lasso with his boundless positivity washing over his players and the media.
But his former Brisbane premiership teammate Voss didn't like his bragging about the Silvagni meeting and there were plenty of rival club officials who thought McRae had got this one wrong.
Right now it seems Collingwood has a lot of little things happening on and off the field which are combining to see the once rock-solid premiership favourite suddenly on shaky ground.
In a premiership race which is getting tighter and tighter, it's the little things which can turn fortunes one way or the other.
We knew at the start of this premiership campaign when the Pies went all-in on the 'Dad's Army' approach, they needed everything to go right.
And it was until a month ago but now the little things are adding up, three losses in the past four games, top spot gone and a tough draw which potentially could see them to slip to fifth by the time finals come around.
McRae, like Lasso, is a good or bad energy man. He looks for such intangibles and he should probably read the tea leaves now about his very public Silvagni chase.
Getting the Blues favourite son in is clearly to replace popular veteran Jeremy Howe, who despite being 35, wants to play on and hasn't been offered a contract.
So how does Howe feel?
Then you have your centre half-forward Brody Mihocek, who has been underpaid for years, is looking for a new deal and now sees four years and $2.5 million getting thrown at a bloke from Carlton who has played about eight good weeks as a defender.
Throw in ruckman Darcy Cameron whose current wage doesn't match his outstanding output, and while he's signed for next year, the right thing to do would be to bump up his pay as an act of goodwill.
The elephant in the room when it comes to the subject of contracts v performance at Collingwood is that its two high-priced recruits this season aren't performing anywhere near the cheques they're cashing.
Port Adelaide all-Australian defender Dan Houston and GWS Giant Harry Perryman were lured to the Pies on deals around $900,000 per season. Right now Houston is lucky to still be in the team while Perryman seems lost in the Pies system and struggling to figure out his role.
While players understand bringing in fresh blood is crucial for good teams to stay up the top, a mantra McRae has been big on, it's human nature that there will be some noses out of joint at some stage.
Are Howe, Mihocek and Cameron happy to be told to sit tight and be good boys?
The other part of the Howe equation which clouds it even further is he's suddenly become the Pies most important defender given the issues captain Darcy Moore is having.
Twice in the past three weeks a young forward has booted six goals on the skipper – this time Brisbane's Logan Morris – when Howe hasn't been there to watch his back.
With Charlie Dean not up to it yet, Isaac Quaynor struggling to reach the heights of 2023 and Billy Frampton in the VFL, the Pies defensive issues are a real concern given it's seemingly all revolving around 35-year-old Howe and his dodgy groins.
Peaking the veterans at the right time of the year was always going to be the biggest battle. Six weeks ago they looked to be doing it on the bit and there has been talk of heavy training loads looking ahead to September but everything needs to be realigned quickly now.
This situation isn't foreign to McRae.
In the Pies premiership run in 2023 they'd only lost two games to Round 19 then dropped three of the next five before walking the tightrope successfully in September winning their three finals by seven points, one point and four points.
There was a healthy dose of good management and good luck in all of that but relying on a similar mix two years later is a gutsy call.
Last year Sydney were easily the best team in the competition for the first half of the year before the wobbles struck and they lost five out of six games including a 112-point flogging by Port Adelaide in Round 21.
They managed to win their last three but the aura of invincibility had been cracked and they got out of jail in the first final against GWS, had an easy kill against a depleted Port in the preliminary final and then we all know what happened on Grand Final day.
Former club champion and coach Nathan Buckley says he's 'not losing too much sleep' about Collingwood leading into Thursday night's blockbuster against Hawthorn.
Others point to the stats which show significant cracks. Over the past four weeks Champion Data has the Pies' damage with ball in hand slipping from fifth to 12th in points for and second to 14th in scores per inside 50 entry.
The players spiralling over the past six rounds include Ned Long who has fallen to the 306th ranked player in the competition, Perryman (166), Daniel McStay (174), Mihocek (181), Steele Sidebottom (184) and Jamie Elliott (257).
Those with a glass half-full approach can launch a solid argument saying there is an obvious solution coming. Norm Smith Medallist Bobby Hill and Jordan De Goey will be better for their limited minutes against Brisbane while Beau McCreery and Howe are also close to returning.
They will clearly help as will McRae maybe limiting his dating activity in the coming weeks.