Collingwood will be an interesting watch in season 2023.
Coming off a season like none other, which saw them win a record 11 games by under two goals to rise from 17th to a kick away from a grand final berth.
Eyes remain locked on the Magpies to see if it was truly 'luck' as some say.
Last season also saw the debut of Nick Daicos, who has instantly become one of the Pies' key players, while a handful of new recruits in the off-season bring some big changes to the squad.
So with the club heading into an unpredictable season, we cast our own eye across Collingwood and ask five burning questions ahead of their 2023 campaign.
3. Does the honeymoon period continue?
When a club signs a new coach, sometimes in the immediate period and/or first season they overperform.
You don't have to look too far back for evidence, with Essendon flourishing in 2021 in what was Ben Rutten's first season at Tullamarine wher they surprisingly made finals. The following year, they made the bottom four.
This leaves many questioning if Collingwood can achieve what they did in 2022 all over again.
Craig McRae in his first season coached a masterclass, taking his team to a preliminary final and winning the AFLCA Coach of the Year Award.
The circumstances of their performance in 2022 also raise questions if it can be sustained. All those close wins have been deemed 'lucky' by media and opposition supporters and it remains to be seen if they continue to win with the help of said 'luck'.
Their two finals losses were by a combined seven points, so maybe that 'luck' did run out.
McRae constantly expressed in press conferences and interviews that his side practised winning close games constantly, but now with a pre-season to study the Pies, the opposition may have the answer in 2023.
