Former Collingwood captain Mark Williams believes the Magpies have too many holes to play finals in 2017.
On the eve of a career-defining season for Nathan Buckley, who pinned his coaching career to the club’s fortunes in 2017, Williams was anything but bullish about his former club’s prospects.
“The way it looks for me is it’s going to be a tough year again for Collingwood,” he said.
“I think they are going to struggle.”
Highlighting a lack of quality and depth at either end of the ground, the former Port Adelaide premiership coach said the pressure on a star-studded midfield to kick goals could prove crippling.
In 2016 half-forward Alex Fasolo led the club’s goalkicking with 25, one ahead of youngster Darcy Moore on 24. Jesse White (23) and midfield tagger Levi Greenwood (18) rounded out a group that lacked scoring power.
While rating the fact 21-year-old Moore as a prodigious talent, Williams said the fact the club was pinning much of its hope on a player with 26 games experience is a major concern.
“Darcy Moore and Jesse White are one-goal-a-game players and that’s not enough… it’s not going to get them enough (goals).
“It’s great to have an older player that the ball is going to more often so he (Moore) can do his stuff as an addition to it rather than the key post.
“If he’s playing on the likes of Alex Rance, who can really out-muscle and push him around, then it’s going to be tough for him.”
At the other end of the ground the injury prone Ben Reid will partner under-sized former Demon, Lynden Dunn, as pillars of the defence. Lachie Keefe looms as a swingman but hasn’t played senior football since Round 23, 2014.
Williams, who spent the past four years in a development role at Richmond, questioned Collingwood’s focus in the wake of its foray into netball and women’s football.
“They’ve put their hand out to be into the netball and into the women’s football and all of a sudden, where is their focus?” he said.
“It’s pretty hard to put all your resources around it. When it going well its brilliant, but when it’s not people start questioning what’s going on.”
The Pies face a tough start to the year with a season opener against reigning premier Western Bulldogs before a trip north to tackle runner-up Sydney at the SCG in Round 3.