Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon thinks Collingwood is past the point where they need Daniel Wells on the field to achieve anything.
Wells has been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury, one that the Magpies are calling a long-term ailment.
Collingwood was once known as a side that desperately needed Wells’ class and polish with the football, but Lyon is of the notion Nathan Buckley’s men don’t need to rely on the 33-year-old as much as they potentially did when they recruited him.
“They would love to have him but I think they’ve gone past that where they can’t do anything unless he is out on the field,” he told SEN Breakfast.
SEN Breakfast with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson can be heard Monday-Friday 6-9am, and you can subscribe to the podcast here.
However, Essendon champion Tim Watson believes Wells’ absence will make an impact.
“To me, Daniel Wells is like the icing on the cake,” he said.
“He hasn’t demonstrated that he is the most important player there, but having a look at what he was able to do on Monday, nobody in the game finds players as well as what he does in the front half.
“I think that’s what they were thinking, we can play this bloke in the front half, he will be a real weapon for us. We don’t need to play him in the midfield.”