Collingwood suffered a tumultuous 2021 season to say the least.
The fallout from the disastrous 2020 trade period seeing a number of key players leave and be traded, to the distractions of the Do Better report and the resignation of head coach Nathan Buckley led to a season that Magpie fans would rather forget and move on from.
The Pies finished a disappointing 17th on the ladder last year with only six wins to show for it, but since the appointment of head coach Craig McRae, things are looking more positive for the Magpies community heading into the 2022 season.
A change of coaching with McRae, as well as Justin Leppitsch and Brendon Bolton joining the coaching staff, and a change in culture to go along with the arrival of young star Nick Daicos and talented midfielder Patrick Lipinski, has breathed much-needed life into the club following their disastrous 2021 campaign.
With a young list that is eager to impress the Magpies faithful, Collingwood will be an interesting side to observe in 2022 to see how they fare against the rest of the competition.
A big Melbourne club with a big Melbourne fan base comes with lots of pressure and expectation, so let's dive into Collingwood's 2022 season preview.
Off-Season Moves
Ins: Nick Daicos, Patrick Lipinski [Western Bulldogs], Nathan Kreuger [Geelong Cats], Charlie Dean, Arlo Draper, Harvey Harrison, Cooper Murley
Outs: Levi Greenwood [retired], Max Lynch [Hawthorn Hawks], Chris Mayne [retired], Jay Rantall [delisted], Brayden Sier [delisted], Josh Thomas [retired]
Last Season
After a trade period that saw Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson and Tom Phillips shown the door to the Holden Centre, it was expected that Collingwood would take a dive in 2021 compared to their impressive 2018 and 2019 campaigns and a finals win in 2020.
Although expectations were lowered heading into the 2021 season, not many would've expected Collingwood to do as poorly as they did, finishing 17th on the ladder with only six wins.
The Magpies' season never really got going, with the side losing six of their first seven games to mount heavy pressure on coach Nathan Buckley.
From there it didn't get much better, with the resignation of Buckley halfway through the season, and the Pies failing to bring themselves out of the bottom four for the rest of the season.
There were some standout moments from the Pies' 2021 season however, including a win against eventual premiers Melbourne in the Queens Birthday clash, and also wins against Richmond and West Coast, which gave Pies supporters glimmers of hope for the future.
