Collingwood's problem after Saturday's loss to Adelaide is not where they are strong; it is where they are weakest. A defensive system that restricted the minor premiers to 13 goals should be the foundation of a winning team. Instead, it highlights something far more troubling for coach Craig McRae: the Magpies cannot score.
Dan McStay, Tim Membrey and Jack Buller kicked just one goal between them against Adelaide after struggling in Collingwood's opening round win over St Kilda. McRae did not shy away from the reality. "That's reality," he said. "We're not getting much out of our keys."
Losing the same number of games while kicking 11 goals exposes a structural imbalance. Last week, that score was enough. This week, it cost them 14 points. The pattern is clear. Collingwood leaned on the midfield and smalls Jamie Elliott, Lachie Schultz and Roan Steele to kick goals in an absence of quality from their key forwards. Relying on small forwards to carry a team is the opposite of building for sustained success.
The immediate context makes this worse. Collingwood lost veteran Brody Mihocek over the off-season and are managing without Bobby Hill, who has not returned. Following the off-season departures of Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox, the forward line went from settled to inexperienced almost overnight. Buller is only two games into his career at the club, having arrived as a competitor and role player. He has taken two marks and kicked zero goals. McStay was a useful player in 2023 and 2024; now he is not. Membrey was never a genuine target, yet on Saturday he barely touched the ball for three quarters.
In the reserves, the club has Charlie West (one senior game) and emerging ruckman Oscar Steene (yet to debut). The alternatives are thin. That inexperience buys McStay time, but only if his form improves. If it does not, patience will erode.
The deeper problem is one of institutional discipline and planning. Collingwood, alongside West Coast, is the wealthiest AFL club. Yet Collingwood take a 1-1 record into the bye after entering the season without appointing a new head of development following Josh Fraser's move to Carlton. The role was carved up and loaded onto line coaches already stretched. Previously, the club went a whole season without replacing its general manager of football. These are not tactical oversights; they reveal something about how Collingwood is managing its list development at a critical moment.
The club needs to invest time and effort into young players from late picks or state leagues. Ed Allan and Harry De Mattia are first-round selections who have yet to perform to the potential they showed at underage level. The late-draft focus that built Collingwood's premiership foundation is no longer producing elite talent in the forward line.
McRae has suggested throwing Jeremy Howe forward when he returns from injury, restructuring around medium-sized marking targets rather than traditional talls. Gold Coast's Ben King is available as a free agent; the week keeps making that option more compelling. Yet these are short-term solutions to a long-term structural problem.
A good defensive system keeps you in the game. It does not win you the game. Collingwood is discovering what every successful team knows: offence wins matches, and the Magpies' attack is not fit for purpose.