Collingwood Coach to Analyse Centre Bounce Positioning After Adelaide Loss
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has pledged to scrutinise the tape on his team's centre ball-up positioning, following a critical third-quarter lapse that allowed Adelaide to seize control and secure a 14-point victory on Saturday night. The premiership mentor acknowledged that the Magpies' key forwards are also underperforming, as the club enters the bye with a 1-1 record in the AFL season.
Daicos Shift and Adelaide's Midfield Dominance
Star midfielder Nick Daicos was instrumental in the first half, amassing 15 disposals, six inside-50s, 387 metres gained, and kicking 1.2 in a blistering second quarter. However, when Daicos moved to the wing at the start of the third term, Adelaide capitalised, kicking the first three goals of the quarter to turn the game in their favour.
"That's just subtle little shifts — they do little deals and stuff, just for certain times of the game," McRae explained. "If you watch every centre bounce, there's lots of deals going on — players starting forward that end up midfielders. We don't want to give too much away, but most opposition do it."
He downplayed the tactical significance, stating, "It was just that one moment. It wasn't a tactical thing. I wouldn't read too much into it." Yet, when pressed on the three goals conceded during Daicos's wing stint, McRae admitted, "OK I need to look at the tape and make sure that we get on top of things."
Centre Bounce and Forward Line Concerns
McRae highlighted ongoing issues with Collingwood's centre bounce setups, noting, "To be honest, our centre bounce stuff. We've put a lot of time into it. We've got more work to do. That's real." He added, "We've got 12 days now to get these things right." Despite the challenges, Daicos finished strongly with 33 disposals and two goals, remaining one of the better performers on the ground.
The Magpies relied heavily on Daicos and small forwards Jamie Elliott, Lachie Schultz, and Roan Steele for scoring, as key forwards Dan McStay, Tim Membrey, and Jack Buller managed just one goal combined against Adelaide. This trio also had minimal impact in Collingwood's opening round win over St Kilda.
"That's reality — we're not getting much out of our keys. That's real. I'm not gonna shy away from that. We've got work to do on that," McRae conceded. "Yeah, I think there's a connection breakdown at times."
Positives and Injury Updates
Despite the defeat, McRae found positives, pointing to former Port Adelaide star Dan Houston's standout performance as a bright spot. He remains hopeful that skipper Darcy Moore, recovering from hamstring awareness, and veteran backman Jeremy Howe, dealing with a calf issue, will return after the bye to bolster Collingwood's undersized defence for their upcoming clash with GWS.
"Darcy, hopefully will be available, not sure, he's had some minor hamstring awareness," McRae said. "And Howey's sort of working towards that too. So time will tell on their progression."
