Tough start but Collingwood favourite for AFL Premiership

New coach

Nathan Buckley has had a challenging start with Collingwood as pre-season injuries and patchy form in the NAB Cup have

hampered preparations for the Round 1 game against Hawthorn on March 30.

The Magpies mentor has had the chance

to run the rule over a number of his squad after Andrew Krakouer and Brent Macaffer were hit by serious knee injuries and a

number of key players have been suffering from minor ailments.

The depth of the squad has been said to be one

of Collingwood’s strengths in the last two seasons but Buckley admitted his team got a harsh reality check in the 77-

point NAB Cup defeat against Adelaide.

“It just shows at this early stage of the season how much we rely on

our best 22 compared to other sides,” he said after the loss to the Crows on Friday night.

Football and

coaching strategist Rodney Eade is also in his first season at Collingwood and believes there is plenty of improvement in

the Magpies. The bookmakers agree, making Collingwood favourite to go one better than last season when they lost in the

Grand Final to Geelong.

Eade points to the youth in the squad: “The age demographic for most of the club

‘s best players is they are 26 or younger,” he said. “Just take a look at the likes of (Ben) Reid, (Travis) Cloke,

(Scott) Pendlebury, (Dale) Thomas, (Harry) O’Brien, and (Heath) Shaw.

“They are all 26 and under, so there is

still a lot of improvement in them.”

UK-based online bookmaker

bet365 go 3.75 for Collingwood to repeat its 2010 Grand Final victory ahead of Round 1 opponents Hawthorne and reigning

champions Geelong in the outright betting market.

Bet365 accepts Australian customers

who can get $400 free bets when signing up for a new account.

bet365

AFL Grand Final odds:
3.75 Collingwood
4.25 Hawthorn
5.00 Geelong
8.00 Carlton
13.00 West Coast
17.00 Fremantle
21.00 St Kilda
26.00 Sydney
29.00 Essendon
51.00 and more the others
Prices correct at 04:45 AEDT, March 14