One down, 22 to go.
The first eight games of the 2021 AFL season didn't just provide us with our initial set of winners and losers, it raised another series of questions.
With each of the league's 18ย clubsย set to do battle again this weekend, we attempted to answer the major issues facing their playingย listsย andย coachesย alike.
Collingwood
How can they produce a winning score?
With an average of just 8.2 goals scored per game across their last 10 consequential matches, it is clear that Collingwood have an issue with splitting the big sticks.
Across this 10-game span, this total of 82 goals was enough to yield them a 50%-win rate, but after producing below this eight-goal benchmark in their season opening loss, the time has come to progress from finger pointing and begin problem solving.
In their Round 1 loss to the Bulldogs last Friday night, the Magpies produced just seven goals from 18 scoring shots. So far this points to a problem with accuracy rather than shot creation. However, when it is mentioned that this septet of goals came from just four pairs of boots, it becomes clearer that too much is left to too few.
The Pies' tall timber within the forward 50 pulled their weight, as Mason Cox and Brody Mihocek evenly split a haul of four goals, but with Josh Thomas, Josh Daicos, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Jamie Elliott, Trey Ruscoe and Jordan De Goey combining for just two more majors, you could forgive Nathan Buckley's hairline for receding.
The re-injection of Steele Sidebottom against the Blues could help net the Magpies some positive results on the scoreboard, but if this previously mentioned group of offensive targets once more fails to fire, it could be more than just his locks that Buckley fears losing.
