The Team:

As usual, Collingwood are looking at having a decent stab at September action, recruiting seasoned players Luke Ball and Darren Jolly. I believe Jolly will make a difference to the side, especially in September - Ball will be handy, but with the hype of trade week, it becomes hard to think of him as the player he IS, not the player is WAS – he’s give 110%, but is still slow and refuses to kick the ball… Collingwood have their hardest fixture they have had in many years, so this will make it more difficult for them to be winning consistently, but it also means to avoid players who go missing in bigger games, such as Leon Davis. As far as Dream Team is concerned, Collingwood are reasonable without being great – they do kick a lot more than many other sides, so this is a big plus, however they do not over-possess the ball like some of the better DT sides, Geelong and St.Kilda.

Who’s Hot?:

Collingwood Magpies Training Session Scott Pendlebury ($454,700): Has apparently been blowing away the coaches with his work effort this pre-season and hasn’t missed a beat. I really like the sound of this – at his age, he should be really hitting his prime.

Darren Jolly ($381,500): Training strongly, and training to be Collingwood’s key ruckman in 2010, with Fraser being trained as a part time forward/ rover. I see a lot of upside in Jolly this year.

Nathan Brown ($161,600): After an average 2009, he has put on stacks of muscle and looks like cementing his spot in the side. He has impressed both the coaches and fans immensely – just be wary that his position of CHB is not ideal for DT purposes.

Ben Reid ($169,200): Has put on some weight and muscle as well as increased his fitness. The coaching staff are hoping he can secure a spot along the half-back line come round one – again, his point scoring wont win you many games though.

Who’s Not?:

Travis Cloke: Has missed a fair bit of training due to a bruised knee he copped towards the end of last year. I think Cloke is one of those players who NEEDS a full pre-season to hit early form, therefore I would be very cautious!

Brad Dick: Still recovering from a shoulder reconstruction and will miss at least two months of the season proper – avoid.

The Bargain:

Paul Medhurst ($289,200): After a breakout season in 2008, concluding with an All-Australian nod, Paul Medhurst’s 2009 was both frustrating and disappointing. This was mainly caused by an ankle injury sustained in round 6 – he went on to miss six games and once he returned in round 13, he failed to come close to regaining his 2008 form. Not only was his form poor, but due to the management of his injury, his minutes per game dropped by 20% from the year prior. He has worked hard over the off season to overcome his injuries, and many reports have suggested he has been successful, despite still training on a modified program. This means that if he is able to begin 2010 in similar fashion to 2008, we could see a significant rise in his scoring, compared to what is expected of him with his lowly starting price of under $300k. Medhurst is a risky one, and could almost fall into the ‘smokey’ category if it wasn’t for the fact we know what he is capable of without a nagging ankle injury. Certainly keep an eye on his pre-season before selecting him, but if he shows no signs of soreness in the joint (and consequently plays well), he should be very strongly considered for your 2010 team!

The Kid:

Steele Sidebottom ($254,600): Steele not only arrived at Collingwood with masses of fanfare, but also arrived in Dream Team land with enough fanfare to know something special was about to happen! Steele’s DT average as a junior was staggering, with him clocking just over 160 points in the 2008 TAC cup Grand Final – not too bad! Unfortunately, for much of 2009, Steele delivered little on his promises due to a lack of opportunity, but also lack of body size to be able to compete with the much larger opposition midfielders. After we were losing faith, Steele pulled out a 25 disposal, 10-tackle game against Adelaide in the Semi final. Through this, Steele confirmed two things – it confirmed to us all that he is capable of replicating his large junior scores at AFL level, but also confirmed to Mick Malthouse that Steele is now a best-22 player. Now, one pre-season later, Steele has bulked up his body and looks set for a big year – I believe we will see a big improvement from Steele this year, and his price tag of $254,600 looks very, very appetizing!

The Premium:

Dane Swan ($523,500): Dane Swan is the premium’s premium. If you played Dream Team in 2009, you know who he is – he is the ‘average’ footballer that no opposition coach wanted to tag, even if he racked up 48-possessions, just like he did in round 10 against Port Adelaide. From rounds 13 – 20, Swan racked up at least 30 disposals in each game – Need I say more? The guy is a DT gun – good enough to get stacks of the ball, not good enough to deserve the tag! However, I worry that with the amount of publicity Swan’s season got towards the end of last year, some coaches will begin to put the clamps on the great man – it was proven in the finals that Swan is definitely able to be stopped via a tag, and on both occasions he was tagged, Collingwood lost (whether this has anything to do with the tag or not is another question entirely…). At this price, you want to be sure he will average at least 110 points, at least for the first number of rounds, and personally, I would be a little skeptical – although this may be dependant on how well Pendles and Didak go from round one (ie. They may be tagged instead). Personally, I would be more inclined to spend my money elsewhere, but in saying that, Swan rarely has a bad match and it’s very likely that I will be proven wrong!

The Smokey:

Simon Buckley ($193,300): Buckley only played one game for Melbourne in 2009 due to ongoing hip and groin injuries. This was especially disappointing after his great break-out season in 2008. Unfortunately, Buckley was delisted at the end of the year, but then picked up by Collingwood in the draft. He played most of his time at Melbourne as a rebounding defender and midfielder, a role that would be likely at Collingwood if he is given his chance. He is a good price for the risk involved – the risk mainly being whether he is best 22 or not – personally I don’t believe he is at the moment, but he does have time to prove otherwise in the NAB cup. I do like the price though – he could effectively be your 6th or 7th defender, and therefore not be relied upon for huge scores. I think if he does play, it could be expected he will average around 70 points – a good investment at under $200k. Now, I know I say it a lot, but watch his pre-season (and we will even do it for you at Footy Tragic!) and see whether he looks like he will play round one. If round one looks likely, you could do much worse around that price range!