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The uncanny similarities between Melbourne of 2025 and Collingwood of 2021
Luke Mathews • July 31st, 2025 10:40 am
It’s been a rocky 18 months for the Melbourne Football Club.
The club has gone from being well and truly in contention and finishing inside the top four to now succumbing to back-to-back bottom-six finishes.
The problems haven’t just occurred on the field, with troubles at board level, PR blunders and a disastrous trade period.
It came to a head on the weekend with the side 46 points up against St Kilda at three-quarter time. They capitulated to concede the final nine goals and lose the unlosable game.
It’s left fans raging, and the club has promised to make changes at the end of the season, with many feeling that coach Simon Goodwin’s time is up.
Whilst it might seem like the club is at rock bottom at the moment, history tells us that things can turn very quickly.
Collingwood found themselves in the same position at the end of 2021, and the similarities between the two sides are almost uncanny.
Board troubles and PR problems
It was a difficult off-season for the Melbourne Football Club’s board.
President Kate Roffey's reign came to an end after a train-wreck interview on SEN where she declared she hadn’t spoken directly to Christian Petracca despite the superstar appearing to be unsettled.
The club was left to mop up the mess, and it was decided that it would be best that Roffey step down and club legend Brad Green take charge before Steve Smith takes over at season’s end.
At the beginning of 2021, Collingwood were in a similar predicament.
The club commissioned the ‘Do Better’ report, which found systemic racism and was leaked to the Herald Sun.
President Eddie McGuire said it was a ‘proud’ day for the football club, which raised a few eyebrows, and he then resigned earlier than expected.
It left a big hole on the Collingwood board, with Jeff Browne making it clear that he would like to be President even if it meant forcing an EGM.
The feud between Browne and the board was resolved at the club’s December AGM and the former Channel Nine boss took charge at the end of 2021.
Trade period from hell
When reports came out that Melbourne champion Christian Petracca wanted to be traded, it caught everyone by surprise.
The Norm Smith Medallist was disgruntled with the club’s handling of his severe injuries on King’s Birthday and was unhappy with some of the leadership and direction at the club.
Clubs enquired about his services, but ultimately, Melbourne were never trading him.
It followed Melbourne putting four-time best and fairest winner Clayton Oliver on the trade table at the end of 2023 after off-field issues.
The club did the same thing at the end of 2024, and it was reported that Oliver even cleaned out his locker and was set to head to Geelong before the deal fell through.
The 2024 trade period was almost as bad as Collingwood’s in 2020.
It was well known that the club’s salary was bursting at the seams, and a sixth-place finish was enough for the club to finally act.
They moved rising star winner Jaidyn Stephenson to North Melbourne for two second-round picks, as well as trading Tom Phillips to Hawthorn.
The controversial move was trading Adam Treloar to the Western Bulldogs, with the club saying senior players didn’t want to play with him and he wouldn’t be able to cope with his partner in Queensland.
Collingwood list manager Ned Guy said the fire sale was done to get back into the first round of the draft, which left fans furious and everyone saw right through.
No first-round pick
All the talk leading into the 2024 draft was that this was another super draft in the making.
Clubs were scrambling to find ways to get into the first round and get their hands on multiple young guns.
Melbourne did just that with the club trading away their future first-round pick in exchange for Essendon’s pick nine, which they didn’t need.
The club selected Xavier Lindsay with the pick, who looks promising, however, it now means they’ll have nothing to show for their 13th-place finish at season's end.
Collingwood did the same thing at the end of 2020.
With Nick Daicos touted as the next big superstar, the club chose to trade away their 2021 first-round pick.
Ultimately, Collingwood gave up the pick to GWS in exchange for Pick 24 and Pick 30.
After another couple of pick swaps, Collingwood ended up with Caleb Poulter and Liam McMahon, who were both delisted after just two seasons.
The Pies would finish 17th, which handed the Giants Pick 2, which they used on potentially generational midfielder Finn Callaghan.
Nightmare of a season
Although things weren’t looking good, hopes were still high for the 2025 season.
Those hopes were quickly dashed for Melbourne supporters with the club losing their first five games.
A number of their key players have been well down on form, and their efficiency going inside 50 is proving to be a problem once again.
Spirits did improve when they beat the reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba, however, it proved to be a one-off with them unable to generate any momentum thereafter.
Heading into 2021, Collingwood still had high hopes despite all the off-field troubles and outside noise.
The season couldn’t have started any worse with six losses from their first seven games, and it looked like Nathan Buckley’s time was coming to an end.
The club made the call just before the mid-season bye, and the Pies won an emotion-charged game at the SCG on Queen’s Birthday against the ladder-leading Demons.
Their form hardly improved in the second half of the year, and the side slipped to 17th on the ladder - the lowest finish in the club’s history (apart from the 1999 wooden spoon in a 16-team competition).
What’s next?
Collingwood chose to bring in Craig McRae, and it proved to be an inspired move.
The side rose to fourth in his first season with plenty of come-from-behind wins helping power the Pies up the ladder.
In his second season, the club won their 16th premiership, which seemed unthinkable two years earlier. They are right in the hunt to win it again in 2025.
For Melbourne, it will be hard to move on from a coach in Goodwin that delivered their first premiership in 57 years.
Although it might feel like they are at rock bottom, there are still 16 premiership players on their list, with plenty of them still in their prime.
It is said in football that it is never as bad as it seems, and Melbourne might be living that right now.
