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Sport Nation
How Collingwood’s list strategy has helped them get back on top
SEN • May 31st, 2025 2:20 pm
Gerard Healy has marvelled at the way Collingwood has built it's list as they cement their spot as premiership favourites.
Much was made during the off-season of Collingwood’s list build having focused on bringing in veterans rather than trying to go through the draft.
This off-season, they brought in the experienced trio of Dan Houston, Harry Perryman and Tim Membrey which has seen their average age rise from 27.5 to 28.5.
This meant that they have strengthened their hold of having the oldest list in the AFL by a fair margin with the next oldest being Brisbane at 26.6 years old as per Wheelo Ratings.
Despite the adage that having an older list is unlikely to succeed, the Magpies are proving to be the exception to the rule.
They now sit on top of the ladder with a 10-2 record which leads Healy to wonder why no one else is taking a similar approach.
“When you think about it, it’s amazing it's taken somebody so long to start to cultivate a group of players post-30,” Healy said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I mean everyone is trying to change their list.”
Healy elaborated further in the show about how Collingwood’s list build has been able to come together.
“I guess the one thing they’ve been able to do is build a depth on their list that very few clubs have got,” Healy added.
“They’ve got some pretty good players out. Some are injured, some are just not getting a game.
"But they have done this year again what they did a couple of years ago prior to going on and winning the premiership, and that is just accumulating a couple of guys on the periphery.
“They haven’t paid a lot for them but they have found a spot for them and they are like Membrey, they are playing really good football.”
Adam Simpson did note that the issue of having an older list may become more prominent towards the end of the season.
“Having an ageing list, it comes with risk,” Simpson said.
“I know, I’ve been through it where you sort of (go) ‘let’s get the band back together, let’s get all the stars back. As much as they are aging, they’re still very good players.
“Where Fly (Craig McRae) has found a way to manage this list and they’ve won the hard way early on in the year.
“Now some of the good players are in form. So yeah, interesting to see how they do manage the back half of the year if they get in front by a fair bit, how they manage their senior players.
Collingwood faces Melbourne next week as part of their King’s Birthday blockbuster on June 9.
