Collingwood were one of the busiest teams in the off-season, trading for Tom Mitchell, Bobby Hill and Billy Frampton while luring Dan McStay to the club as a free agent.
Having finished in the top four last season, the Magpies looked to top up with ready-made experience and will hope the quartet can all have an immediate impact at senior level.
After watching the club train this pre-season, David King says he expects all four of the club’s recruits to be named in Craig McRae’s Round 1 side.
“With what the Pies have done this off-season, I think Billy Frampton has got a significant role he can play at Collingwood as that big-bodied defender. That allows Darcy Moore to play up the field as more of an interceptor,” King told SEN Breakfast.
“They’ve gone and got Bobby Hill, who they desperately need, they need that harassing small forward down there, I know (Jack) Ginnivan had a fantastic year hitting the scoreboard, but is he that harassment machine? I’m not sure he is.
“Tom Mitchell – we’ve talked a lot about Dan McStay – but Tom Mitchell will correct their clearance woes, which has been a huge concern for them.
“They had to play slingshot footy for the back half of last year which was really attractive and really aggressive, but I think all four of their acquisitions play Round 1, I don’t know if you can say that for every team that attracts talent.”
Kane Cornes’ only query on Collingwood’s off-season was the recruitment of Frampton, who he is yet to be convinced by after the tall played just 24 games with the Power and Crows across eight seasons.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m not convinced on Frampton,” Cornes said.
“That’s because he’s been in the system for seven-eight years with two clubs, and if you can’t get a game at Adelaide full-time and you couldn’t get a game at Port Adelaide, why would he be any different at Collingwood? That’d be my query.
“I’ve seen him play an excellent handful of games, maybe one, two or three really good games and then all of a sudden three weeks later he’s out of the side.
“There’s something clubs are seeing – and perhaps that’s because he hasn’t had a solid position, he’s been forward, he’s been back, he’s been ruck – so I don’t think he’ll have an impact.”
Despite the Frampton concern, Cornes is bullish on what Mitchell allows the Magpies to do as the club enters 2023 “really stable” in all facets.
“But what Mitchell does coming in means (Scott) Pendlebury goes to half-back, which I kind of like,” Cornes said.
“The stableness of Pendlebury at half-back, he’ll be challenged athletically when he plays on some of those really good high-half forward athletes at his age. But his ball use, his leadership, his calmness across half back, we’ve seen it and it’ll be good.
“I just think they’re so rock solid Collingwood, if you’re looking not just at the playing group but the off-field, the coaching, the game plan is now embedded … I just think the whole footy club just feels really stable to me.
“Not dissimilar to how Geelong are stable on-field, but also really stable off-field.”
Collingwood open their 2023 campaign with a Round 1 clash against Geelong at the MCG on Friday, March 17.