Best 23 in 2025

[ksardog]

I think Billy could be a very good player with some consistency in the role. He has proven that he could play with great efforts against Tom Lynch and Harry Mackay etc. The biggest issue I see is that he has not been permitted to settle in defence. He has often been thrown into the rack and into forward roles due to injury. I feel that if he can play four or five games in a row in defence he could become a very good player for us.

disagree, he is a bit player at best. we need to find or develop another tall key defender fast. Frampton should be better than he is, good kick, mobile but he is just not consistently reliable, too many brain fart moments.
hopefully Reef can adopt that role for the short term and eventually move into the Howe role when we get a decent key back

 

[SchuPie]

No love for Billy Elliot ☹

I could swap Billy E for Schultz...

 

[Jen2310]

PIES' 2025 BEST 23​

FB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Isaac Quaynor
HB: Josh Daicos, Jeremy Howe, Dan Houston
C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Ed Allan
HF: Bobby Hill, Dan McStay, Pat Lipinski
FF: Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Beau McCreery
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Nick Daicos, Jordan De Goey
INT: Lachie Schultz, Jack Crisp, Harry Perryman, Wil Parker, Will Hoskin-Elliott

---

The glaring thing with this side is the lack of height in defence. Craig McRae will surely find a place for Billy Frampton or Charlie Dean, but squeezing them in is tough. The Pies love young Ed Allan and the team needs more young legs in the midfield. Wil Parker added some dare to the backline and the Pies need more of that, which will be bolstered by Dan Houston’s arrival and Josh Daicos playing back there more. When fit, the Magpies midfield is still strong, but getting them fit at their age is the battle. This is a strong team - even recruit Tim Membrey is relegated to back-up status - but everyone needs to be firing.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/collingwood/collingwood-season-2025-preview-josh-barnes-breaks-down-where-the-pies-sit/news-story/7918e86b22202cdc27f31fb4ff2bef74

 

[jadami1973]

I think that Perryman will be a starting winger. Our wings were an issue last season with Josh not reaching the 2023 level and Sidebottom having a bad start to the year.
Ed Allan is an inside mid and showed that against Melbourne. Looked a little lost out on the wing. Mitchell is an obvious omission, at his best he is our centreman. Yes he is under an injury cloud, but having him back would be enormous.

Although Sidebottom had an fantastic end to the year as a tagger, there were times during 2024 that he was showing his age, I doubt he will play as a starter. Schultz is an absolute workhorse and started to get going in our system. I think he will have a big 2025.

Parker is back-up and Lipinski, Hoskin-Elliot and Cox will be squeezed out.



The triple M's ( Mihochek, Mcstay and Membrey) will be out three main tall options with our speedy and classy smalls


I would love to see Reef Hold down a spot down back and Ed Allan emerge as the cover for DeGoey.

 

[Jen2310]

I think that Perryman will be a starting winger. Our wings were an issue last season with Josh not reaching the 2023 level and Sidebottom having a bad start to the year.
Ed Allan is an inside mid and showed that against Melbourne. Looked a little lost out on the wing. Mitchell is an obvious omission, at his best he is our centreman. Yes he is under an injury cloud, but having him back would be enormous.

Although Sidebottom had an fantastic end to the year as a tagger, there were times during 2024 that he was showing his age, I doubt he will play as a starter. Schultz is an absolute workhorse and started to get going in our system. I think he will have a big 2025.

Parker is back-up and Lipinski, Hoskin-Elliot and Cox will be squeezed out.



The triple M's ( Mihochek, Mcstay and Membrey) will be out three main tall options with our speedy and classy smalls


I would love to see Reef Hold down a spot down back and Ed Allan emerge as the cover for DeGoey.

Re: Perryman- not that I’ve seen. Playing more centre bounce with crisp. Lippa and Sidey the wingers
We will see lippa being the preferred winger who rotates forward with crisp

 

[Jelly Bean]

I think that Perryman will be a starting winger. Our wings were an issue last season with Josh not reaching the 2023 level and Sidebottom having a bad start to the year.
Ed Allan is an inside mid and showed that against Melbourne. Looked a little lost out on the wing. Mitchell is an obvious omission, at his best he is our centreman. Yes he is under an injury cloud, but having him back would be enormous.

Although Sidebottom had an fantastic end to the year as a tagger, there were times during 2024 that he was showing his age, I doubt he will play as a starter. Schultz is an absolute workhorse and started to get going in our system. I think he will have a big 2025.

Parker is back-up and Lipinski, Hoskin-Elliot and Cox will be squeezed out.



The triple M's ( Mihochek, Mcstay and Membrey) will be out three main tall options with our speedy and classy smalls


I would love to see Reef Hold down a spot down back and Ed Allan emerge as the cover for DeGoey.

I agree with a lot of this. Especially the Allan point - if Allan plays, it needs to be in the centre square rotation where he is at his best in my view. I am hopeful (yet doubtful) that Schultz does have a 2025 season that can justify the price we paid for him - this is a very important uplift that we need.

I agree with the Triple Ms up forward, and hope we get the double Ms down back (Moore and McInness).

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

PIES' 2025 BEST 23​

FB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Isaac Quaynor
HB: Josh Daicos, Jeremy Howe, Dan Houston
C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Ed Allan
HF: Bobby Hill, Dan McStay, Pat Lipinski
FF: Jamie Elliott, Brody Mihocek, Beau McCreery
FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Nick Daicos, Jordan De Goey
INT: Lachie Schultz, Jack Crisp, Harry Perryman, Wil Parker, Will Hoskin-Elliott

---

The glaring thing with this side is the lack of height in defence. Craig McRae will surely find a place for Billy Frampton or Charlie Dean, but squeezing them in is tough. The Pies love young Ed Allan and the team needs more young legs in the midfield. Wil Parker added some dare to the backline and the Pies need more of that, which will be bolstered by Dan Houston’s arrival and Josh Daicos playing back there more. When fit, the Magpies midfield is still strong, but getting them fit at their age is the battle. This is a strong team - even recruit Tim Membrey is relegated to back-up status - but everyone needs to be firing.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/collingwood/collingwood-season-2025-preview-josh-barnes-breaks-down-where-the-pies-sit/news-story/7918e86b22202cdc27f31fb4ff2bef74

Just to put it out there?

Nathan Murphy - 192
Reef McInnes - 194

John Noble - 180
Dan Houston - 186

If Reef or Frampton play as well as Dan, our backline will be taller than the 2023 one. Just saying

 

[sr36]

I think Billy could be a very good player with some consistency in the role. He has proven that he could play with great efforts against Tom Lynch and Harry Mackay etc. The biggest issue I see is that he has not been permitted to settle in defence. He has often been thrown into the rack and into forward roles due to injury. I feel that if he can play four or five games in a row in defence he could become a very good player for us.

Many are concerned about Howe against one or two teams with a big strong quality second forward. I'm concerned about Frampton against most teams. He needs a big strong full forward to play against - and they have to stay at full forward as Billy gets lost when taken higher up the ground or can't track a more agile full forward.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Reef is the same height as Curnow

Allegedly, according to many here, he’s also quick? (Never seen it myself)

Would be hilarious if he turned out to be the perfect match up for Curnow when we play Carlton

 

[RobJD]

Reef is the same height as Curnow

Allegedly, according to many here, he’s also quick? (Never seen it myself)

Would be hilarious if he turned out to be the perfect match up for Curnow when we play Carlton

The issue with Curnow isn't his height, it's that his arms are so long that he can scratch his ankles without bending.

 

[Jelly Bean]

The Blues are the only team now where I'd look at Howe as our second tall and think: I don't like that match up.

I think there are a few teams that have two genuine key forward threats, but more than that I think a few teams will have three genuine arial targets that need to be covered by key-defender-capable players. Even where there are just two, I'd rather have Howe playing as a somewhat more freely moving interceptor with a Reef/Dean/Moore/Frampton being more accountable.

Adelaide: Thilthorpe, Walker, Fogarty.
Essendon: Caddy, Wright, Langford.
Freo: Amiss, Traecy, Jackson.
Geel: Cameron, Neale.
GWS: Hogan, Cadman, Stringer.
Haw: Lewis, Dear, Sicily maybe.
Port: Georgiadis, Lukosius, Marshall.
Syd: Amarti, McDonald, Maclean.
WC: Allen, Waterman.
WB: Naughton, JUH, Darcy.

 

[Finnishpie]

The issue with Curnow isn't his height, it's that his arms are so long that he can scratch his ankles without bending.

He's definitely got a touch of the simian to him.....

 

[cfc19902010]

The issue with Curnow isn't his height, it's that his arms are so long that he can scratch his ankles without bending.

And he gets lots of frees

 

[Fruit]

I think there are a few teams that have two genuine key forward threats, but more than that I think a few teams will have three genuine arial targets that need to be covered by key-defender-capable players. Even where there are just two, I'd rather have Howe playing as a somewhat more freely moving interceptor with a Reef/Dean/Moore/Frampton being more accountable.

Adelaide: Thilthorpe, Walker, Fogarty.
Essendon: Caddy, Wright, Langford.
Freo: Amiss, Traecy, Jackson.
Geel: Cameron, Neale.
GWS: Hogan, Cadman, Stringer.
Haw: Lewis, Dear, Sicily maybe.
Port: Georgiadis, Lukosius, Marshall.
Syd: Amarti, McDonald, Maclean.
WC: Allen, Waterman.
WB: Naughton, JUH, Darcy.

Looking at that list reminded me that Jezza Cameron has a habit of killing us. He’s an unusual match up. I wonder if Reef could be a good match up for him and different to the types of players we’ve matched up on him before.

 

[Jen2310]

Looking at that list reminded me that Jezza Cameron has a habit of killing us. He’s an unusual match up. I wonder if Reef could be a good match up for him and different to the types of players we’ve matched up on him before.

Worth a try, we have tried everyone else and nobody can go with him.

 

[Robroy22]

Worth a try, we have tried everyone else and nobody can go with him.

It's because he has an enormous aerobic capacity for a key forward, so he isolates opponents, then takes them upfield and beats them on the way back. Jezza is a fascinating blend of speed, endurance (gut running) and crumbing (he's actually very good below his knees) so he gets lots of his goals from his running patterns. He's not a stay at home forward that we can isolate and intercept mark on.

Reef....hasn't had the tank in the past, has he got it now? He's got JC speed but Jezza has him for size and reach. Best way to play JC is to let him run up to the wings but then buffet him all the way back...its a team defence against him (mids have to get involved).

I still don't think we've got anyone that can go with Jezza, (maybe the new lad Cochrane might be athletic enough? in a few years!)

 

[JLC]

For Cameron I would be going with Maynard.

Not having to worry about Tom Hawkins is a huge bonus.

We just need to make sure with Geelong we beat them out of the middle.

 

[sr36]

It's because he has an enormous aerobic capacity for a key forward, so he isolates opponents, then takes them upfield and beats them on the way back. Jezza is a fascinating blend of speed, endurance (gut running) and crumbing (he's actually very good below his knees) so he gets lots of his goals from his running patterns. He's not a stay at home forward that we can isolate and intercept mark on.

Reef....hasn't had the tank in the past, has he got it now? He's got JC speed but Jezza has him for size and reach. Best way to play JC is to let him run up to the wings but then buffet him all the way back...its a team defence against him (mids have to get involved).

I still don't think we've got anyone that can go with Jezza, (maybe the new lad Cochrane might be athletic enough? in a few years!)

Over the years, too many teams have played traditional KPDs on him and he slices them to bits with his elusiveness and flanker skills. You're better off playing a general defender on him.

 

[MoreMoore]

At some point, I'd like to see our top six as
(depending on retirements / form)

1 Opener 1
2 Konstas
3
4 Green (or at 5)
5
6 Webster

Webster looked sound enough to open
Could be the next Matty Hayden