Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
Running It Straight: 6pm SN Extra“Spanked”: The damning stats exemplifying Collingwood’s concerns
Jaiden Sciberras • March 17th, 2026 6:26 pm
Many predicted a Collingwood freefall ahead of the 2026 campaign.
And while the club remains in a stable condition, some questionable statistics from their opening contests could prove the source of the club’s concerns.
Despite a concerning -23 in inside 50’s and -15 in contested possessions, the Pies managed to walk away victorious against St Kilda in Opening Round to start the season on a positive note.
However, the difficulties from their first hit out resurfaced against the Crows in Round 1, battered in the contested numbers once more en route to a 14-point loss at the MCG.
Leading the inside 50 count, a Magpies side without Brody Mihocek and the absent Bobby Hill weren’t able to put scores on the board, once again falling short of the 100-point mark – a tally the club hasn’t exceeded since their last contest with the Blues in Round 17, 2025.
1-1 to kick off their campaign is far from a disaster, however, according to Sam Edmund, the warning signs within Collingwood’s game could become a serious issue.
“They are going, but they look like they’re barely going,” Edmund told SEN Sportsday.
“They got the win against St Kilda, but I reckon the Saints’ blunders meant they got away with Opening Round. They were outclassed by Adelaide.
“59 entries for 11 goals on Saturday night against Adelaide, 40 entries for 11 goals in Opening Round. They haven’t kicked more than 90 points in a game since beating the lowly Tigers in Round 20 last year – that’s 10 games ago.
“The eye, I feel, is taking longer to catch up to the reputation of Collingwood, which has traditionally been high octane, wheel and deal, thrills and spills under Craig McRae.
“Now what we’re seeing is almost the exact opposite.”
Former Port Adelaide head coach Ken Hinkley believes that the 2023 premiers have significantly slowed down, fearing where the club would stand if it weren’t for their superstar Nick Daicos.
“They’ve slowed down, and they don’t have the capability in the front half as they once had,” Hinkley said.
“When Bobby Hill and Mihocek were there going, and (Jamie) Elliott was going at his absolute best, they could bring the ball through the ground fast.
“Imagine if Nick Daicos wasn’t playing at an unbelievable level… what might be going on?
“They’re undermanned down back, their tall backs are clearly wounded with (Jeremy) Howe and (Darcy) Moore out of the side, and they are asked to do too much with the group that they’ve got.
“They just don’t have the modern game flair that you’re probably looking for. Maybe that’s just because Nick is the only one that can really light it up through the middle – Nick and Josh (Daicos), and Dan Houston has had a great start to the year, to be fair.
“They just don’t have the forward power at the moment to put a score on the board. Those numbers you just told me, they are very accurate, and that’s what the problem is.
“They can’t get it done, and they got spanked on the weekend in contested possessions, I think the Crows went plus 25 in contested possessions.
“It’s no surprise - I’ve watched them over the first two weeks, and they just look a little bit off the game style of the more damaging teams at the moment.”
The Pies will enjoy a week’s break before hosting the Giants at Marvel Stadium in Round 4.
