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Team Analysis 2022 – Collingwood

There are a few new faces at Collingwood and some young guns looking to cement their spot in the best 22.

Here are some players we think are worth looking at for Collingwood.

Take a listen to our latest podcast: Pre-season 2022: Collingwood, Essendon and Fremantle

Patrick Lipinski

We’re really excited about Patrick Lipinski this season.

After being traded to Collingwood, he’ll be gunning for a regular midfield gig in 2021.

We all know the Western Bulldog’s midfield is a tough one to crack, so Lipinski was forced to play on the wing when he got opportunities in the senior side. However, he’s a natural inside midfielder and he will get opportunities in this position at Collingwood.

He could only manage 9 games in 2021, for an AFL Fantasy average of 65. Looking at his stat lines, he went at 8 kicks, 9 handballs, 4 marks and 2 tackles per game.

He found himself on the outer in the later stage of 2021 and didn’t play a game after Round 16. But when he plied his trade in the reserves he put up some good fantasy numbers. He played four games in the VFL for an AFL Fantasy average of 114.5, with his top score of 143 points coming against Geelong in Round 10. In this game, he had 16 kicks, 20 handballs, 6 tackles, and 3 goals.

Despite not locking down a spot at Western Bulldogs, Lipinski has shown some promise at an AFL level in previous years. When he was given midfield opportunities in 2019 (his third season of footy) he managed to average 85.5. This had members of the fantasy community salivating, but he obviously didn’t continue with his scoring prowess from that point onwards due to the lack of opportunity.

By all reports, Craig McRae has been impressed with what he’s seen from Lipinski so far so he should see more midfield time in 2022 and score well In this role.

Caleb Poulter

Poulter was a highly touted draft pick from the 2020 draft crop and had an impressive first season in the AFL system.

Looking at junior numbers, he averaged 105 AFL Fantasy in the SANFL Under 18s from 12 games, with 16 kicks, 9 handballs and 5 tackles per game; he’s always looked a fantasy type.

He forced his way into Collingwood’s senior side in Round 7, after two strong performances in the first two rounds of VFL scoring 80 and 93 points.

Once he was in the senior team, he showed some promising signs.

Early on he only put up mediocre numbers but he was just warming to senior footy. Then in Round 10, he pumped out a giant score of 108. Two weeks later he put up another big score of 105, showing his scoring potential.

From there, big scores were few and far between, but the rigour of senior footy was definitely taking its toll and he was managed late in 2021 after a few niggles. He played his last game in Round 19 and scored 70 points, but did not feature for the rest of the season.

However, the signs for Poulter as an AFL Fantasy scorer were good. He played a couple of roles in 2021, starting off on a half-back flank and had stints on a wing for parts of games. Both of these roles looked fantasy-friendly and well suited to Poulter’s game.

He’s listed as a defender this year, but I would not be surprised if he plays a role on a more permanent wing this season which would be good for his fantasy game. But if he does play as a defender, he has shown he can also score in that position last season.

There’s always the chance of the ‘second-year blues’ with a player like Poulter, but the kid is class and I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues on his upward trajectory this season.

Either way, he’s a good pick long term.

Trent Bianco

Bianco finally debuted last year after a tricky 2020 where he couldn’t push his case for selection as there were no reserves games.

In 2021, he was then burning up the track in the pre-season but he suffered a knee injury which kept him out of the first few months of the year.

He returned from that knee injury via the VFL and put up two big scores of 130 and 98 AFL Fantasy points. These performances earned him a promotion to the senior side in Round 11, and he played all but one game for the remainder of the season.

He scored 71 points on his debut and backed it up the following week scoring 77 points. However, his best performance was against West Coast in Round 20, where he had 12 kicks, 3 handballs, 8 marks and 2 goals for an AFL Fantasy score of 84.

For the season overall, he averaged 61.2 which was good for his first season of senior footy. He played mainly as a forward in 2021 at AFL level but played mostly as a midfielder as a junior (averaging 105 in the NAB League in his draft year). This is where I think Collingwood see him long-term. He may not become a permanent fixture in the guts next season, but we should see his midfield minutes increase in 2022 which means we should see a bump in fantasy scoring.

Whilst I do think he needs a little more development, he comes into his magical third year in the system, so don’t be too surprised if we see an uptick in scoring this year.

Even if it doesn’t happen, he’s still a player I have faith in for the future.

Isaac Quaynor

After officially breaking out from a general footballing perspective last season, this should be the year Isaac Quaynor takes his fantasy game to the next level as well. He’ll be 22 by the start of the season and will look to build his consistency after recording 20 games in 2021.

Scoring three times in the 90s and four times in the 80s, Quaynor only averaged 69.9 AFL Fantasy points across the season. Managing just 13 games across his first two seasons due to injury and selection, stringing together 20 last year is huge, especially considering it was a challenging year all around for the Pies.

A classy ball-user, the Pies will look to use IQ more out of defence in the coming years, and we could see that start as soon as next year, depending on Craig McRae’s gameplan. Quaynor’s ceiling is dependent on how much McRae will want to get the ball in his hands.

Quaynor has a wide range of outcomes given the impending returns of Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe, balanced with the retirement of Chris Mayne and the potential midfield move of Brayden Maynard.

Another stud from the loaded draft class of 2018, I’d be expecting a bare minimum of 80+ from IQ in 2022.

Finlay Macrae

Finlay Macrae had the type of year that gets me incredibly intrigued for a second-year breakout. Whenever we look for a safe (and potentially big) breakout, there must be a multitude of reasons for improvement – not just simply a natural progression.

Macrae has basically every reason for a breakout you could think of.

Let me run you through each one:

First comes role, which I like to split into two main factors when it comes to midfielders: centre bounce attendances (CBAs) – which indicates how much inside midfield time a player is getting – and time on ground (TOG).

Fin-Mac only got his chance in CBAs when Bob Harvey took the reins. Under Buckley, Macrae attended an average of 11.8% of centre bounces from his five games, barely entering the centre square. In his final five games of the season, Macrae had a 46.2% attendance rate – and even still, leaving plenty of room for growth in 2022, with two of his last three games exceeding 67%.

Two sub-affected games and a seasonal 56% TOG average leaves plenty of upside in that category heading into 2022. Another full pre-season should prime Macrae for a heavier minute burden, as should his new-look frame, which features two impressive pythons on either side.

Second, comes fantasy scoring potential when playing the preferred role. The latter part here is crucial. You might write a player off from one putrid game, but context is important. Fin Macrae’s 36-point fantasy outing against the Gold Coast in round 7, for example, came from 0 CBAs and 62% TOG.

During a three-match stretch where Macrae managed over 50% of CBAs from rounds 19-21, he averaged 67 AFL Fantasy points in just 65% TOG – that’s a rate of 0.86 PPM, per DTLive. His numbers in the VFL back this scoring potential up as well. Macrae averaged 26 disposals, three marks, 5 tackles and 94 points in the Magoos.

As a MID-only in 2022, and with underwhelming fantasy numbers next to his name, you may pick up Macrae as a juicy draft steal. Questions remain over the midfield role, considering the arrival of Lipinski and the unknowns of De Goey, but Macrae shouldn’t be slept on as a big breakout candidate.

Trey Ruscoe

After struggling to find his feet at AFL level in his early career, Trey Ruscoe found some success late in 2021 with a move to defence. Playing three games early in the season as a forward with little impact, the 20-year-old returned to the senior side in round 17 after a stint with the Pies VFL team.

His final game in the VFL saw him pile on 118 fantasy points, before recording 20 or more disposals in three of his final five games in the AFL. His best performance came in round 20, where he racked up 22 disposals (19 kicks), nine marks, three tackles, five rebound 50s and, most importantly, 102 AFL Fantasy points.

With a heap of flashier names out there at Collingwood, Ruscoe seems to be going under the radar to fill a role in a backline that managed to give Jack Madgen 18 games last year and loses Chris Mayne heading into 2022.

Ruscoe wears his heart on his sleeve and sports an impressively ratty mullet, which – for me – adds to the appeal. Heading into his third year (third-year breakout?!) with a more defined role, Ruscoe could provide some value as a late draft flyer.

Nick Daicos

Ah yes, Nick Daicos! Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about him. We’re aware he’s an absolute stud who should be high on your draft boards this year, we’ve just already penned plenty of words about him already.

Read all about him on our Nick Daicos draftee analysis profile, and if you want even more draft content – become a member to gain access to our complete 2021 AFL Draftee Fantasy Analysis.

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