Collingwood is in the midst of a full-scale review, searching for answers after yet another disappointing season of missing the finals.
The Pies have had high expectations placed on them since Nathan Buckley took over from Mick Malthouse in 2012, but have declined every year since and now find themselves in AFL purgatory. Buckley has copped the lion’s share of the blame.
What has been ignored is list manager Derek Hine’s poor drafting over that period. Known for being one of the best recruiters in the league, Hine has failed to deliver in recent times and must take some of the onus for Collingwood’s shortcomings.
We have re-visited Collingwood’s draft selections during Buckley’s tenure, showing which players the club drafted versus which players the Pies could have and should have selected on draft day.
2011
Who they drafted: Jackson Paine (pick 50), Corey Gault (pick 65), Jarrod Witts (pick 67)
Who they could have drafted: Lachie Neale, Jarrod Witts, Corey Gault
You cannot fault Hines here, as the Magpies were always going to be scraping the barrel with their first pick in the 50s. GWS occupied 11 of the first 14 picks, with two future Pies, Taylor Adams and Will Hoskin-Elliott, taken with those selections. Collingwood also traded pick 25 to GWS for the draft rights to Jamie Elliott, which is a massive tick.
Gault was worth the punt, as they were targeting key position prospects and Witts was taken as Darren Jolly’s successor in the ruck, which also makes sense. Neale was still on the board though and would have been a brilliant pick-up.
While the Pies' deep midfield stocks are well documented, taking him could have relieved them of trading draft picks for players like Levi Greenwood and even Adam Treloar down the track. Leon Davis and Leigh Brown called it quits this off-season.
2012
Who they drafted: Brodie Grundy (pick 18), Ben Kennedy (pick 19), Tim Broomhead (pick 20), Jackson Ramsay (pick 38), Clinton Young (free agent, pick 64)
Who they could have drafted: Brodie Grundy, Tim Membrey, Rory Atkins, Mason Wood, Kaiden Brand
Grundy is a star and should have gone in the first three picks, so no problems there. The Pies also traded Sharrod Wellingham and Chris Dawes this off-season, while Chris Tarrant called an end to his career. Ramsay could have been a value pick at number 38, but an ACL injury haltered his progress.
Membrey and Wood would have provided the Pies with solid decoy options to play alongside Travis Cloke, who was still an elite forward. A key reason for his demise was having no support and getting clamped by opposition’s zone defenses. Membrey could have also played as a second ruck, a role Collingwood has never gotten true value out of since Leigh Brown’s days. Instead, the Pies signed Quinten Lynch during the free agency period.
Brand is developing into a solid key defender for the Hawks, which is a position Collingwood lacks depth in. The Pies thought they were still in contention for a flag, so topped up with Young, but Atkins is eight years younger and would’ve made more sense long term. All things considered, this wasn’t the strongest draft.
2013
Who they drafted: Matthew Scharenberg (pick 6), Nathan Freeman (pick 10), Tom Langdon (pick 65), Jonathon Marsh (pick 77)
Who they could have drafted: Patrick Cripps, Ben Brown, Tom Langdon, Jonathon Marsh
This is known as a cursed draft for Collingwood fans, due to the constant injuries sustained by early selections Scharenberg and Freeman. Cripps, who was selected with pick No.13, could have paved the way for the Pies to move Dane Swan into a permanent forward role and became the new face of the franchise. Imagine their size inside with Cripps and Scott Pendlebury running the midfield.
Brown could have been the answer for Collingwood up forward, and at this stage it was becoming clear that Cloke’s best days were behind him. Brown is also a dead eye set shot for goal, a skill that the Pies have vastly struggled with in recent times. Instead, the Pies landed Jesse White in a trade with Sydney for pick 44.
Langdon and Marsh were both profitable late selections, the latter unfortunately retiring at the end of 2016 to return to his home state Western Australia. Heath Shaw was traded to GWS for Taylor Adams this off-season and Dale Thomas signed with Malthouse’s Blues. Alan Didak, Ben Johnson, Andrew Krakeour and Darren Jolly all hung up the boots at the end of the season.
2014
Who they drafted: Jordan De Goey (pick 5), Darcy Moore (pick 9), Levi Greenwood (traded for pick 25), Brayden Maynard (pick 30), Matthew Goodyear (pick 48)
Who they could have drafted: Darcy Moore, Jake Lever, Daniel Howe, Caleb Daniel, Dan Butler
A new era had well and truly begun at Collingwood, as Dayne Beams and Hetiter Lumumba were traded for Jack Crisp, Travis Varcoe and draft picks. Premiership captain Nick Maxwell called an end to his career and Scott Pendlebury was appointed the club's new captain.
Moore was a great pick for Collingwood and is their most promising, key position player. De Goey has not necessarily been a failure, but the Pies have a plethora of medium sized midfielders/forwards and could have selected the more versatile Lever, who they are currently trying to poach from Adelaide.
Another one of the Pies’ biggest weaknesses is their lack of foot skills. Daniel Howe provides polish across half back and is that great user of the footy they glaringly lack, while Caleb Daniel is a line-breaking spark plug who is also great user of the ball. Butler has had a breakout season for Richmond this year and is one of the best pressure forwards in the competition, another area Collingwood has dropped off in.
2015
Who they drafted: Brayden Sier (pick 32), Tom Phillips (pick 58), Rupert Wills (pick 63), Ben Crocker (pick 65)
Who they could have drafted: Marcus Adams, Sam Menegola, Tom Phillips, Nathan Broad
The fabled draft where the Collingwood critically gave their first round pick to GWS for Treloar. Paul Seedsman and Kennedy departed the Magpies’ nest this off season and in came Jeremy Howe and James Aish. Meanwhile, Lachie Keefe and Josh Thomas were handed two-year bans for testing positive to a banned substance.
Sier has failed to register a game for the Pies and looks like one of Hines’ all-time draft busts at pick 32. Marcus Adams, like Lever in 2014, could have installed the Pies with more versatility in their backline and still has plenty of footy ahead of him at just 24-years of age. The Pies should have started hunting young, key position products, instead of chasing more midfielders.
Menegola has been a great find for Geelong, who plucked him from the WAFL after winning the premiership with Subiaco and finishing third in the Sandover Medal in 2015, despite missing the first 10 rounds due to an ankle injury.
He has now cemented himself in a top four team’s best 22 and could finish high up the leader board in Geelong's best and fairest count. Phillips was a steal at pick 58 and will be a great player one day, with elite endurance and a fierceness in the contest. Broad is a solid shut-down defender with good leg speed, something Collingwood has lacked since the days of Shaw and Lumumba.
2016
Who they drafted: Sam McLarty (pick 30), Callum Brown (pick 35), Kayle Kirby (pick 50), Josh Daicos (pick 57)
Who they could have drafted: Luke Ryan, Sean Darcy, Kayle Kirby, Callum Brown
Collingwood waved goodbye to Cloke, Marsh, Witts, Nathan Brown and Jack Frost as their key position stocks became depleted. Fan favourites Swan and Alan Toovey retired. Hoskin-Elliott, Daniel Wells and Chris Mayne arrived at the Holden Center.
This draft is still very raw and if Hine had his time over, he would probably stick to his guns and take the highly rated father-son duo of Brown and Daicos, who we have not seen much of in their first season. The club was again disadvantaged from the Treloar trade, not holding a draft pick until the 30s, but Kirby seems like a good find, who leads the VFL in goals kicked this season but is yet to play in the seniors. McLarty makes sense, as the Pies search for a key forward to play alongside Moore. Ryan and Darcy have had impressive debut seasons and are important cornerstones for Fremantle’s future.
There you have it, all of Collingwood’s drafts recalled since Nathan Buckley took over as coach. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing, as injuries, opportunities, environment and a number of other factors can alter a player’s development. It raises the nature v nurture argument. Finally, here is what Collingwood’s best 22 might have looked like in 2017 if it was re-drafted with the above selections.
