Collingwood's soon-to-be introduced pre-game warm-up could be an indicator the club is planning for 2027 despite the current season being well and truly alive.
The Pies will look at returning to the traditional game preparation of scrapping the on-field warm-up to run out just moments before the match starts, which is believed to be introduced in Round 21 against Geelong.
AFL high-performance guru Andrew Russell believes Collingwood's experiment could be a sign the club believes its 2026 premiership chances are shot, and they're beginning to make inroads for next year.
"I was involved at Hawthorn with Clarko for a period of time where we'd get through a season and think 'we can't win it this year, so let's start experimenting for next year'," Russell said on SEN.
"From that point of view, I'm thinking they don't think they can win it, they're starting to plan for next year. And the best way to plan for next year is to not wait for the pre-season.
"Everything you do is start experimenting now on a whole lot of things. Our game. Our preparation. I've been involved where we've changed things in the last third of the season where we know we're not going to be at the pointy end, and guess what, if you start going well, things start improving, and you get into the finals, that's a bonus."
Collingwood is reverting to a historical warm-up, seen in the NRL, and was a part of football folklore up until the 1990s when Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace demanded a change, which filtered through the entire competition.
Staying on warm-ups, Russell, who has spent time at Essendon, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Carlton for over 600 games, has noticed Fremantle's unique preparation in getting players ready.
The Dockers, led by high-performance director Adam Beard, spends 5-7 minutes with the players, producing repeat, high-intensity efforts.
They've have won 10 first quarters in 2026 out of 14, ranking second in the stat behind St Kilda (13), and are sitting a game clear on top of the ladder.
"At the moment, the Fremantle football club, a guy there called Adam Beard runs their program, they are doing probably doing the most dynamic, explosive warm-up that I've seen on ground before game," Russell said.
"Which is really interesting and the players are buying into it. It would be between 5-7 minutes where they are doing repeat efforts, up, back, genuine repeat explosive, dynamic efforts. A lot of players in that period will go into protection mode, and they're thinking, 'I'm just saving my energy here. I've got two hours of dynamic football to play'.
"Adam has got into their heads, and made them believe, this is going to make a difference. And they're on board. And what it shows you is psychology is way more important than physiology in terms of preparing for a game of football."
