What once was a standout feature, Collingwood has struggled to close out games in 2026.
The Pies were known as the kings of the close finish in Craig McRae's early seasons as coach, but the tables have turned this year.
Collingwood slumped to outside the top 10 after losing to the Western Bulldogs by four points. Despite trailing the majority of the night, they had chances to steal the victory.
The same can be said in games against Fremantle (six-point loss), Hawthorn (draw) and Sydney (six-point loss). Have rivals figured out McRae's strategies?
In 2022, the Pies were 9-3 in games decided by single-digit margins. They were 8-1 in their premiership year. The following season (2024) they were 6-2-1. And last year they went 3-4. But those numbers have dipped even further.
This year, Collingwood is currently 1-1-3, and their poor record in close games puts their season in jeopardy even with the extended top 10 and Wildcard Round.
The Pies' efficiency when the game is on the line has been their trademark, but costly moments, which are unlike Collingwood, have plagued McRae and his men.
Against the Dockers, the defensive lapses in the final term resulted in Jye Amiss and Matthew Johnson kicking go-ahead goals to claim the victory.
An unforced error inside defensive-50 from Billy Frampton led to Johnson swooping on the Pies at Gather Round.
Collingwood produced the perfect evening against the Hawks, and its strategies deserved a win. But in the final play of the game, key forward Dan McStay just had to get the ball over the boundary line. Instead, Tom Barrass intercepted the ball in a mark similar to a primary school 'Jack in the Pack' grab. He pumped it back inside 50, and a sloppy double play from captain Darcy Moore, first a dropped uncontested mark and then a subsequent free-kick against, led to the Pies sharing the points.
Similar to the ladder-leading Swans, who had been beaten comfortably up until the end of the third term. Rushed forward thrusts and a lack of composure resulted in Sydney hanging on. Another one that got away.
Then there was the latest instalment against the undermanned Bulldogs. Collingwood's centre ball-up work was arguably its worst all year, and was on the back foot from the get-go. A final term of 5.5 was a positive for McRae, but once again, its inefficiencies were the determining factor in the result. Darcy Cameron's hack kick forward, with slightly more than a minute remaining on the clock, was emblematic of the Pies' crumbling under pressure.
In previous years, they'd work the ball through by hand until a clearer kick and option emerged. Admittedly, the mark from Bulldogs defender Michael Sellwood shouldn't be understated, as he had his Leo Barry moment. But the Pies have, in the past, avoided those types of situations, giving themselves a chance to win.
McRae, in his post-match address, opted to look at the glass half-full, as is his nature. And the outside noise continues to build on the inevitable cliff that is steaming towards the Pies.
But their game, like their ability to close out matches, has regressed in 2026, exposing the cracks that have emerged in a side searching for answers.
