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SEN Breakfast

What does the future look like for Collingwood? (9.06.26)

08 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What are Craig McRae's thoughts on impatience in recruiting?

0.031 - 5.156 Tim

Craig McRae, he made no bones about the fact that... I want you to ask him where you think Collingwood are at.

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5.797 - 23.955 Craig McRae

How active are you to improve your lists at the end of the season? I'm impatient. I'm impatient to get the right people in our environment and also try to get our list to a state where we can compete. That's exactly what our intentions are and we'll work to whatever that looks like.

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24.195 - 25.296 Tim

Locking you all part of that?

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25.276 - 43.043 Craig McRae

Well, you'd like to think any free agent that hasn't signed, we've got some sights on. And some, you feel like a little bit more deeper in the market than others. But again, there's a lot of out of your control. But days like today, if you're watching at home, you're a free agent, like Anzac Day and these days, I'm sure there's an attraction to that.

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Chapter 2: How does Collingwood plan to improve their list this season?

43.063 - 49.813 Gary

So based on what you've said about locking now, you would say, would you not, that then he would be an unbelievable recruit for Collingwood?

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50.735 - 52.397 Tim

I wouldn't go there if I was locking now.

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53.373 - 66.225 Gary

No, but would he be a great recruit for Collingwood? I'm not saying whether you'd go there for Lachie Neal, but would you say that that would be a major coup based upon what you still see him producing now if he got to Collingwood?

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66.245 - 82.3 Tim

Lachie Neal would be a great pickup for anyone, but then you've got to look at your list demographic and where you are as a footy club. And you're adding a 33-year-old to a team who's the oldest team in the competition. So I don't reckon that's a good move for Lachie Neal and for Collingwood. It makes Collingwood better, but what are Collingwood doing?

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82.28 - 99.327 Gary

But at Lockie Neal's stage of his career, do you think he's after another flag? He might get another flag this year. After this year, do you think he's after more flags, more brown lows, or do you think what might be more comfortable for him is a longer-term deal on a lot of money? Yeah, that's a great question.

99.307 - 122.038 Tim

So Lockie's entitled to make that decision and put the priority on whatever he wants. And if the Collingwood Footy Club come up with the biggest check and Lockie's about maximising money, then go. Good luck to him. I don't know. I'm not inside Lockie Neal's mind. But my question to you is, what are Collingwood doing with their list? Well, that is an interesting question.

122.058 - 143.735 Tim

Where do you think they're at as a footy club? So in Fly's mind, they're going, no, no, I'm impatient. I want to get going again. I look at it and go, I think they're a way away because Pendles ain't going to be there much longer. Side bottom. Jeremy might not be there. Darcy Moore is struggling with injury to get out there and play. And you know that Tasmania are coming in.

143.755 - 154.412 Tim

So if you're going to rebuild via the draft, you've only got one more year to have a crack at that. And they haven't got the greatest under 22 kids in the competition. So where is it at, Colin?

154.472 - 171.618 Gary

He's still selling optimism, though, isn't he? Of course he is. The way that he responded to your question, Lance, You couldn't sense, you couldn't smell any type of giving up at this stage. You're not believing that we're still going to be around there in September.

Chapter 3: What impact would Lachie Neal have if he joined Collingwood?

192.029 - 209.416 Tim

And communicate that. Great to have you with us on this Tuesday morning. Lots to talk about, a lot of passion and emotion out there. So I've asked you to find out where Collingwood are going with their list. I've only given you one ad break. So what have you got for us?

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209.576 - 220.993 Gary

Well, I've got the fact that they are... As we know, they've been trying to do what other teams have done successfully, like Geelong, and that is never bottom out, just keep topping up.

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221.013 - 236.034 Gary

And at the moment, though, they've got some big decisions to make about how many players they decide that they don't want to go forward with because of their contracts and whether or not Penelope plays another year, Sidebottom plays another year, Membry plays another year. So what have you decided? Well, what I've decided is that they don't have a lot of options.

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236.054 - 255.745 Gary

So they've got trade options or they've got draft options. So at the draft, they've got eight, as it stands now, they'll probably have pick eight and 26. So they're going to have a first and a second round. They don't have a third round pick. That doesn't give them a lot of collateral to be able to do deals out there. Right. They can sign uncontracted players.

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256.307 - 265.212 Gary

They can try and get players that are obviously like a Lockie Neal, restricted, unrestricted agents. So they don't have a lot of options.

Chapter 4: What are the challenges facing Collingwood's aging roster?

265.272 - 285.677 Gary

Like it's – they've – They're at a point now where... And I reckon they've done a magnificent job with what they've had. But they do not and they have not. And they're going to pay the price for this. They've got an unbelievable talent in Father, Son with Nick Dacos and also Josh Dacos. So they did really well there. But if you go through their kids...

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286.163 - 307.162 Gary

Like, I think some of them are going to be players, but they're not going to be super talent. They're not going to be another Pendlebury. They're not... They don't have another Nick Dacos. They don't have another elite talented kid there. You've got Ed Allen and Oscar Steen and Harry Harrison and Angus Anderson and Ned Long and Will... Like... They might all be good kids.

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307.463 - 326.175 Gary

And the problem is I don't think they haven't had a lot of exposure with those kids because they've actually played other players that they've actually recruited from teams that have played more football than what those kids have. So maybe those kids have got a little bit more to give than what we're seeing. You didn't pick them to finish in the top eight at the beginning of this year.

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326.375 - 339.846 Gary

Collingwood. No, I didn't. Yeah, I had them in the top eight. Well, sorry, I didn't have them in the top. So I thought, and I think a lot of people out there thought that this was going to be the year where they drifted back into the pack. Yeah. They've been really competitive in a lot of games, but-

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339.826 - 347.477 Gary

It's about them seizing the opportunity to build and become another premiership contender, and right now they seem a mile away from that.

348.098 - 367.284 Tim

Well, someone says I'm a twit, which is fair enough. That's probably a generous thing. It's the debate about Collingwood, so don't take it personally. defend your club, defend your list. I think it's great. But I'm looking for some clear instruction as to – not me looking for it. I couldn't care less what they do.

367.325 - 371.911 Tim

But I'm wondering about the clear instruction about what they do in terms of a list build.

372.071 - 389.2 Gary

Yeah. I don't think it's – it's no secret what they've been trying to do. And I think they've done it really well. But there's always going to be a tipping point at some stage where players come to the edge of the cliff and you're going to lose a lot, a lot of talent that has been – the backbone of their team.

389.441 - 399.499 Tim

No, they're an admirable football club because they contend. There's no question about that. I just think this is a fascinating time for Justin Lepic and the rest of the footy club.

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