Collingwood's quintessentially modern coach Craig McRae has leapt to the defence of his club's list strategy in signs that the persistent maligning of such a strategy by the media is getting to the 2023 premiership coach.
Speaking in the aftermath of his side's victory over Port Adelaide - the club's first victory in the month of June - "Fly" put the constant chatter around the Magpies' list build down to the large footprint the club has in the landscape.
"It's probably over examined. You know, I don't recall any other list in the competition being examined as much as ours and judged. But again, we get clicks, so it creates opinions," McRae said.
The victory over the Power was helmed by arguably the club's two most important players, with Nick Daicos and Jordan De Goey heavily influencing proceedings. The latter had his highest-rated match since the 2023 flag triumph, in which he willed his side past a Brisbane side who would go on to start a dynasty the next year.
High-profile free agent Zak Butters, the Power's acting captain, has been linked to a move to the Pies in recent months, although conventional wisdom has the Western Bulldogs in the box seat to land the superstar's signature.
Butters and Daicos appeared very friendly at the opening coin toss, sending tails a-wagging, and no doubt inspiring the line of questioning put to McRae, post-match.
"It's an interesting narrative around where we're at," McRae continued.
"We're working towards being the best version of us. I don't look at the age demographic of our team tonight, but there are a lot of different players that haven't played together.
"Chemistry is important; it's hard to describe it, but there's a lot of talk about it, isn't there?"
One player with whom none of the playing list had any previous chemistry, given it was his debut at the level, is West Australian Sam Swadling, who grew in confidence as the match progressed, and calmly slotted an impressive first major of his career in the process.
Daicos, speaking to broadcaster Fox Footy on the ground after the final siren, said that he'd been lobbying for Swadling's inclusion since Round 0, and had only been more certain of the young man's credentials as his impressive run of VFL form continued.
At the other end of the age scale are Steele Sidebottom and the rested Scott Pendlebury, who was managed, chiefly because of sickness. McRae was under no illusions as to what the narrative would've been, should his side have failed to secure victory under Saturday night lights.
"I did consider that [extra break for] Steele [Sidebottom] and "Pendles" having some thoughts around that. He got quite sick. He's been quite sick for probably about 10 to 14 days, too. It's just that time of year, especially when you've got kids," McRae said.
"He came good late, like he was a chance to play, we were contemplating whether to bring him in late. Thankfully, we won. There would have been a bit of judgment on that, wouldn't there?"
With the Magpies in the running for the services of Butters, Gold Coast Sun Ben King, and, rather shockingly, Brisbane's dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale, and the "players, not [draft] picks" mantra that has followed McRae since its first utterance in 2024 still front of mind for many, criticism of the sustainability of the 'top-up' model being adopted by the club has escalated.
Such criticism, however, does not take into account the side that saluted less than three seasons ago, nor the constant competitiveness (three preliminary finals, at a minimum, in four completed seasons) that has characterised McRae's reign.
The 2023 side contained an ageing, discarded Tom Mitchell, Oleg Markov - a mature-aged SSP signing deemed surplus to requirements at the Gold Coast, Billy Frampton - a man unwanted by both South Australian clubs, and multiple players looked over in multiple drafts. The Pies have form when it comes to identifying needs, and form when it comes to staying around the mark.
