AFL Supercoach 2026: Collingwood Magpies 2026 Squad Analysis

Collingwood will be looking to contend once more in 2026 after falling to eventual premiers Brisbane in a preliminary final last year.

The Pies have one of the oldest lists in the competition, but coach Craig McRae believes his side are still capable of climbing the pinnacle with the current playing list.

McRae’s side went through somewhat of a refresh over the off-season, parting ways with several senior players including Brody Mihocek and Tom Mitchell, adding a host of promising youngsters including ex-Swan Jack Buller and Brisbane Lions Academy product Tyan Prindable.

Let’s take a look at the Magpies’ SuperCoach prospects for the upcoming season.

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Predicted Round 1 starting team

FB: Brayden Maynard, Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe

HB: Isaac Quaynor, Reef McInnes, Josh Daicos

C: Patrick Lipinski, Jack Crisp, Steele Sidebottom

HF: Beau McCreery, Tim Membrey, Lachie Schultz

FF: Jamie Elliott, Dan McStay, Jack Buller

FOLL: Darcy Cameron, Nick Daicos, Jordan De Goey

I/C: Dan Houston, Scott Pendlebury, Harry Perryman, Ned Long, Harvey Harrison

Analysis: Despite letting several veterans go over the off-season, Collingwood’s kept the core of its list intact once more. Several stars have been on managed minutes during the pre-season, but that’s hardly surprising given the age demographic.

Mihocek leaves a big void in the front half, with Buller a potential replacement. McInnes will push for selection after overcoming a knee injury, while several younger Pies will be hoping to make their mark on the big stage in 2026, including Charlie West, Harry DeMattia, Harvey Harrison and Will Hayes.

Bobby Hill has been away from the group at stages this pre-season due to personal reasons and is in some doubt for Opening Round.

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Fixtures

Round 1: Adelaide Crows (H)

Round 2: BYE

Round 3: GWS Giants (H)

Round 4: Brisbane Lions (A)

Round 5: Fremantle (H)

Byes: Round 2 & 14

Verdict: Collingwood take on St Kilda in Opening Round, which means they’ve got an early season bye in round two. Their draw opens up a little bit from round 11 onwards, about a month either side of the round 14 bye, which SuperCoach coaches will want to cash in on. It’s a tough start to the year.

LOCK

One name immediately springs to mind – Nick Daicos ($628,400 MID). Daicos is one of the competition’s most prolific players and is integral to Collingwood’s success. In his past three campaigns, the son of a gun has averaged 116+ in each season, making him a reliable captaincy option.

He has been susceptible to a tag before, but his elite tank and willingness to run all day means he can work through them.

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POINT OF DIFFERENCE

Ruck Darcy Cameron ($602,300 RUC) gets better and better every year, which has seen his SuperCoach average incrementally increase every season. Last year he averaged a career-high 111.3 SuperCoach points per game, ranked fifth across the League’s rucks.

He’s durable and with an ownership of under five per cent at the time of writing, could be a nice alternative in the ruck slot. Jordan De Goey ($321,100 MID/FWD) played a recent match simulation as a full-time midfielder, but he’s one that would be almost certain to get a rest at some stage and comes with plenty of risk, but is in 11 per cent of teams.

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CHEAPIES

Collingwood probably has half a dozen players vying for a few of the bench spots, which makes investing in any of their cheapies a little bit fraught with danger. Harvey Harrison ($126,000 FWD) is on the return from a serious injury, as is Reef McInnes ($155,900 DEF). There are several others who could be in the mix, but would need to show us something pretty definitive over the practice matches to be legitimate options.