In recent weeks, I touched on the notion of the ‘honourable decline’ when discussing the role and expectations of Nick Maxwell in the twilight of his career. As if on queue, the topic of players in decline and the manner in which they meet and accept the reality of their own expiration date was brought…
Month: November 2013
The Finishing Touches: Pre-Season Draft, Rookie Draft and the Road Ahead
After a fruitful trade, draft and Free Agency period (the true success of which will not be known for some time), Collingwood will finalise its playing list for the 2014 season today with just a single pick in the Rookie Draft, which by all reports will be spent on re-drafting the 65th pick from the…
The Crop of 2013
Several weeks of speculating and anticipating came to an end last night, with Derek Hine bringing four new names to the best club in the land. With a consensus forming on the top ten the closer we got to the draft, the biggest question seemed to be whether the Bulldogs would take a risk on…
Draft Day/Night – Discussion and Call of the Picks
It’s that time of year again, fellow Magpies. That time when the disappointment of an underwhelming year can be put behind as the eternal light of hope begins to shine again. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2013 National Draft. On this day (if not this exact date) 12 months ago we went in with…
Adding the Icing: Final Pre-Draft Thoughts
With the draft only a couple of sleeps away, I felt compelled to get a brief piece up on the blog after what has admittedly been a quiet week content wise. I apologise for the lack of new material, but the world away from the PC – and Collingwood for that matter – demanded more…
On Plateaus, Ceilings and the Honourable Decline
We’ve spoken at length this off-season about those who have departed and those who have arrived, but it’s time that we turned our attention to those who have already chalked up a few years at the club, to those who appear to be treading water or, with all due respect, those who may be on…
Wants and Needs: A View to the National Draft
Since the end of the trade period and after the first list lodgement, we have officially welcomed three new faces to our club, whilst also patting the backs of Sam Dwyer and Adam Oxley as they were elevated to the senior list. Today, after a few weeks of speculation, the club also signed delisted free…
Rookies on the Rise
Over the last decade our club has enjoyed quite a good return from our rookie list – six premiership players don’t lie – but in recent years the success has dried up somewhat. After a couple of unsuccessful rookie crops, admittedly in shallow talent pools, our recruitment department took a new direction last year by…