Glass half-empty: Watson's assessment of 'over-reliant' Pies

Collingwood’s season has come to an abrupt end, and Tim Watson isn’t overly sold on their future moving forward.

After a heart-breaking loss to the Western Bulldogs, the Magpies have commenced their reset, today making six list changes ahead of a crucial off-season.

Falling from fourth place in 2025 to a Wildcard position in 2026, the Pies weren’t able to maintain their early form from the year prior.

And with Steele Sidebottom and Scott Pendlebury departing the club, Collingwood appear well positioned to transitioned into a new era.

With that in mind, Watson noted some of the significant positives that the club will revel in over the off-season.

“We’ve been waiting and waiting for Collingwood to play some kids, just youngsters, and they did,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.

“They were forced to this year, and they looked okay. Sam Swadling, Ed Allan, Roan Steele, Ned Long, Charlie West, Will Hayes – I don’t know that there’s an A-lister there.

“They’ve only played a little bit of football, and in the time that Swadling played this season, we became more and more impressed with what he was capable of doing.

“Allan too in the midfield, Hayes has got a bit, West maybe with more time. I don’t know that there’s a superstar there, and as it stands their earliest pick in this draft is number nine.

“They’ve got I think the second-best player in the competition in Nick Daicos – a lot of people think he’s the best player in the competition.

“Dan McStay’s form in the latter stages of the year was good. Beau McCreery, we saw what he can do in the midfield.

“I would think they are going to spend their whole summer trying to get him up and about endurance wise.

“And they’re a great selling point still. They are a massive football club.

“If you go to Collingwood, you are going to have one of the great footballing experiences that you can possibly have week in, week out, because people go and watch them. They get massive crowds to their game.

“Their captain missed an awful lot of footy this year. They missed him, but at the same time they were capable of being able to find others; Billy Frampton came good as a result of that.

“That is the glass half full.”

However, the negatives surrounding the Pies ahead of 2027 could well outweigh the positives.

“The talent depth of their midfield is the glass half empty at the moment, and they got absolutely smashed on Friday night against the Bulldogs,” Watson continued.

“They put time into Bobby Hill and he walked out of the club too, that’s a part of the half empty. We know he won the Norm Smith Medal, so he’s a very talented player.

“Key position depth is still a question mark. They are skinny up front, particularly without Jamie Elliott – he’s coming back off a really serious injury at 33-34 years of age. How much can you expect of him?

“That’s the age profile of the list too. There’s some ageing players there. Jeremy Howe is definitely one of their best back six when he’s playing.

“And then you’ve got the leadership that now is going to leave the football club – you’re talking about Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom. They’re going to miss those guiding hands.

“For me, that is part of what they need to calculate. That’s what they need to overcome.

“I’m more on a glass half-empty with Collingwood, because of the reliance still on Nick Daicos. It is so heavy.

“Can he do this week in, week out for another whole season? And what happens if he goes down with a major injury at some stage? What does that do to their fortunes?”

Listen to Watson’s complete assessment of the Pies on SEN Breakfast below: