Former AFL recruiter Matt Rendell has suggested numerous on-field positional changes for Collingwood players, while also tipping the club for a quick rebound to the top eight.
The Pies missed the finals for the first time in three years in 2020, their poor form to start the season culminating in the sacking of coach Nathan Buckley.
It followed a tough AFL trade period for the club last year, after they offloaded numerous stars including Adam Treloar due to salary cap issues.
However, the appointment of new coach Craig McRae has been widely lauded by the AFL community and the Pies have some hope for next season with the emergence of several talented kids.
Rendell believes McRae should consider numerous moves in his first year at the helm, starting with key backman Darcy Moore.
“Their forward line was going to look light, but this is a big change, I’m playing Moore as a key forward,” he told AFL Trade Radio’s The Late Trade.
“I’m playing him in the ruck with (Brodie) Grundy, that’s a one-two punch that not many clubs can get close to.
“If he played in the ruck permanently, I think he’d win the Brownlow Medal. I don’t think anyone can keep up with him, and he’d take marks and kick goals. But (they’ve) got Grundy there.”
The veteran recruiter also threw up potential changes for defender Jack Crisp and midfielder Taylor Adams.
“In the midfield, I’m going to put (Jack) Crisp. Take him out of defence, he did play a bit of midfield, and put him in with (Jordan) De Goey,” Rendell said.
“(Scott) Pendlebury doesn’t need to be there anymore, but that gives you real dash in there, Crisp and De Goey.”
“Here’s the other change, I’m playing (Taylor) Adams more as a forward. He butchers the ball too much through the middle of the ground, but what he can do is apply a massive amount of pressure in the forward line.
“He makes a few too many errors for my liking with ball in hand, but they’ve got some really good depth.
With these changes and the youth on their list, Rendell is predicting the Pies will quickly become a finals side again.
“(They have) great depth, I reckon they’ve got out of jail a little bit with the players they’ve picked last year and a few the year before,” he said.
“I think this is a really quick rebound. I’m going to pick them to make the eight next year, I think the way they play is going to be really quick.”
The Pies have recently secured Brendon Bolton and Justin Leppitsch to add experience to McRae’s coaching panel.