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Sport Nation
The AFL team that is “most fascinating” to Kane Cornes ahead of 2025
SEN • February 8th, 2025 11:39 am
Kane Cornes has named Collingwood as the team he’s most fascinated by ahead of the 2025 season.
The Magpies finished ninth in 2024 as they couldn’t back up their 2023 premiership, and many find the side hard to pin down in 2025 as a result.
While Cornes admits that Collingwood’s best side looks strong on paper and arguably as good as the team that won it all in 2023, he has questions over the side’s age and durability as a result as they enter 2025 with the highest average age of any list at 26.3 and the most experience with an average of 102.1 games per player.
“Collingwood is the team that is most fascinating to me because you look at their best 22, and I've got it in front of me right now and it looks good,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“The team would tell you we're as strong as we were in 2023, and that’s fine on paper, but you’re all old and you have injury concerns.
“If you can't get on the park, it could unravel in a way that we haven’t seen. It’s the same guys but two guys older.”
While the Magpies added some firepower in the off-season with two-time All-Australian Dan Houston, free agent Harry Perryman and goalkicker Tim Membrey arriving at the AIA Centre, Cornes thinks things could still unravel if some of the side’s senior players again go down with injury.
“I love Houston to half-back, and I don't mind Perryman, but he's not a superstar – he’s just a good honest player, he’s not a star or a noodle mover, but Houston is,” Cornes said.
“But if (Jordan) De Goey isn’t there, if (Scott) Pendlebury continues to have wear on the tyres, if (Brody) Mihocek isn’t there and if (Lachie) Schultz isn’t there … I go, well then 10 Dan Houston's can't fix the level of age that's with this group and the issues with their bodies.
“I'm not saying it's going to unravel, but it could unravel in the most epic way.”
Collingwood begins their 2025 season with an Opening Round clash against GWS at ENGIE Stadium on March 9.
