Matthew Lloyd has some reservations about the form of Collingwood.
The Magpies have won 10 matches in a row which has them sitting third on the ladder with a 14-5 record.
In that run of 10-straight, Craig McRae’s side has won seven matches by seven points or less with five of those coming after they trailed at three-quarter time.
Obviously there is plenty of positivity surrounding their game plan amidst such a strong winning streak, which Lloyd tipped his hat to.
“Their ball movement is fantastic,” he said on Sportsday.
“They can go coast to coast in no time if you don’t defend the ground well.
“You think of guys like Jack Crisp, Josh and Nick Daicos, Isaac Quaynor, they just go.
“I love Jeremy Howe and I love Darcy Moore. They’ve got two brilliant key defenders.
“And it’s a forward line that’s pretty hard to plan for, because they’re just so mobile. They get blokes bobbing up from everywhere.
“They have goalkickers from midfield, half-back, forward, so they’re hard to plan for.”
The last-gasp win over Essendon in Round 19 was the fourth week in a row they came from behind in the final term, prior to Saturday’s victory over Port Adelaide when they led comfortably late in the third.
So, are the wins papering over some cracks?
“I think so, but you’ve won 10 in a row, so a massive tick for where you’ve come from,” Lloyd added.
“You don’t want to be coming from behind all the time because I think it can paper over some cracks.
“Against Essendon last week, they were beaten for two and a half quarters but got out of jail in the end.”
Lloyd is worried for the Pies if they play in a similar manner against Melbourne this Friday night.
“If they dish up that against Melbourne, what I watched live against Essendon, they’ll lose by eight to 10 goals in my opinion,” he said.
“Melbourne, I can’t wait to see in the mood I saw them in on Friday, what they can potentially do to Collingwood.”
One of Collingwood’s big decisions this week comes in the form of their returning ruckman Brodie Grundy.
He played in the VFL last Saturday after a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury, but has this week’s meeting with the Demons come too early?
Mason Cox is the most likely to make way once Grundy is fit, but he was the Magpies’ best when they toppled the reigning premiers in Round 13.
“Mason was best on ground last time they played Melbourne on Queen’s Birthday,” Lloyd said.
“I wonder if they stick with that. He really troubled them forward and in the ruck.
“It’s just whether it’s this week or next week (with Grundy). With Gawn and Jackson, is this the week they do it or give him one more in the seconds?”