Collingwood veteran Steele Sidebottom has lifted the lid on the club’s approach to winning back-to-back flags in 2024.
While everyone knows that Collingwood’s goal is to win successive premierships, Sidebottom says there’s been no talk about that internally as the Magpies instead focus on one simple message - getting back to work.
Sidebottom says that the Pies know that they must improve on their 2023 performance if they’re to go all the way again.
“To be honest, there’s been no talk about back-to-back,” Sidebottom told SEN Whateley.
“For us, it’s just been about getting back to work.
“Our season last year was exceptional, but our best last year is not going to be good enough to win it again this year.
“As I sort of said, we've come back hungry. We need to take the steps again and it starts from January for me.
“But for us just to sort of think that we're going to rock up and roll the same stuff out, it’s not going to work.
“I think Fly (Craig McRae) has been big on driving that since day one. There’s been very strong messaging around getting back to work and taking those steps.”
Entering his 16th AFL season, Sidebottom says he’s still eager to work at his craft and that his teammates also have that fire burning despite climbing the mountain just five months ago.
“We've had guys come back very eager to get better and that's sort of what we do,” Sidebottom said.
“We have guys who I believe (work hard) - and still I do it at 33 - we come here every day and we try and get better.
“I think for me if I can't come here and put 100 per cent of my time and effort into getting better then there's going to be guys taking your spot.”
While he’s now 33, the 309-gamer still says he feels young at heart and that the club’s young guns have breathed life into the older cohort that includes himself, Scott Pendlebury and Jeremy Howe.
“I definitely do (feel young at heart), I feel young,” Sidebottom said.
“There's no doubt that the niggles and the knocks take a little longer to recover from.
“I think I'm the third oldest now, but being around 18 and 19-year-olds… I love my job and I love coming to work every day.
“I'm not up with all the lingo and the slang that they use these days.
“But they definitely keep me young at heart, that's for sure.”
Collingwood begin their quest to win back-to-back flags when they face GWS in Opening Round on Saturday, March 9.
