Collingwood are fast approaching a dangerous crossroads in their season. Unless the Magpies urgently repair the growing cracks in their forward line, they risk watching their finals hopes slowly unravel.
For a side expected to be among the AFL’s genuine contenders, their offensive struggles are becoming more than a passing concern. They are becoming the kind of flaw that can define, and ultimately destroy, a season.
The warning signs have been there for weeks.
Too often this year, Collingwood have controlled possession, won enough of the football around the contest, and generated promising inside 50 opportunities, only to waste them through poor connection, inefficient ball use, and a lack of cohesion in attack. Their midfield continues to work hard enough to keep them in games, but the finishing touch inside forward 50 has become inconsistent, predictable, and at times alarmingly ineffective.
This is not simply a matter of poor kicking accuracy or a temporary dip in confidence. The deeper issue lies in the structure of the forward line itself.
At their best, Collingwood’s attack is built on chaos, movement, pressure, and unpredictability. Their small forwards swarm at ground level, their tall targets create contests, and their ball movement gives defenders little time to settle. But lately, that identity has faded. Forward entries have become high, rushed, and too easy to defend. Opposition backlines are intercepting too comfortably, reading the play too easily, and launching rebounds with little resistance.
The absence of a fully fit Bobby Hill has only intensified the spotlight on these problems.
Hill is not just another small forward in this Collingwood side. He is one of the club’s most dangerous attacking weapons. His pace changes games. His pressure forces turnovers. His ability to manufacture goals from scraps makes him uniquely valuable in tight contests. When Hill is in rhythm, he gives Collingwood an unpredictability that unsettles even the strongest defences.
That is exactly why the temptation to rush him back must be resisted.
There is understandable pressure on Collingwood to get Bobby Hill back into the senior side as soon as possible, particularly while the forward line continues to misfire. But expecting an underdone Hill to suddenly become the fix for all their attacking problems is not just unfair, it is strategically reckless.
A player returning before reaching peak fitness is rarely able to perform at full intensity, especially in a role as physically demanding as Hill’s. His game relies on explosive speed, repeat sprint efforts, relentless forward pressure, and instinctive agility. If he comes back underprepared, those strengths are compromised immediately. Worse still, bringing him back too early creates the risk of aggravating injury or prolonging his recovery.
Collingwood cannot afford to sacrifice Hill’s long-term fitness due to short-term desperation.
More importantly, the Magpies need to confront an uncomfortable truth: Bobby Hill alone cannot solve a forward line that is structurally malfunctioning.
The problems run deeper than one missing star.
The tall forward mix has lacked consistency all season. At times, the key targets have failed to provide reliable contests or impose themselves physically. There has been too much disconnect between midfield supply and forward movement, leaving leading lanes clogged and delivery options limited. The chemistry between the smalls and talls, once a hallmark of Collingwood’s attacking fluency, has looked fragmented.
There is also the issue of predictability.
Opposition teams have adapted to Collingwood’s preferred attacking patterns. The fast overlap handball chains and quick surges through the corridor that once caught clubs off guard are now better understood and more effectively shut down. Defenders are setting up earlier, cutting off space, and forcing Collingwood wide into less dangerous areas. When the Magpies are denied their preferred tempo, they have too often looked short on alternative methods to score.
That falls squarely on the coaching group.
Craig McRae has built enormous goodwill through his leadership and the culture he has established at the club, but this is a moment that demands bold tactical adjustment. Collingwood cannot simply hope form returns on its own. They need innovation. That may mean changing the mix inside 50, rotating different players through attacking roles, or simplifying their delivery strategy to create cleaner one-on-one opportunities.
Selection pressure must also increase.
If certain forwards are not contributing enough scoreboard impact or defensive pressure, difficult decisions have to be made. Reputation cannot protect players when the team’s season is on the line. Sometimes the quickest way to spark a stagnant forward line is to inject fresh energy and force accountability.
The broader concern is timing.
The AFL ladder is brutally unforgiving, and a month of poor scoring form can quickly turn a top-four hopeful into a side scrambling just to remain in finals contention. Collingwood are operating in a season where the margins between success and failure are razor-thin. Drop two or three winnable games because of poor conversion and suddenly the entire complexion of the year changes.
That is why this moment matters so much.
There is still enough talent on Collingwood’s list to turn this around. Their midfield remains strong enough to generate opportunities. Their defensive system is still capable of keeping them competitive. But unless the forward line begins functioning with greater clarity, purpose, and efficiency, none of that will matter when the pressure of late-season football arrives.
Bobby Hill should absolutely be part of the solution, but only when he is fully ready.
If he returns fit, sharp, and properly conditioned, he can help restore some of the spark Collingwood are missing. He can lift pressure levels, create scoring chances, and reconnect the forward unit with his trademark energy. But if he is rushed back before he is physically prepared, the Magpies risk turning one problem into two.
Desperation is not strategy.
Collingwood’s season does not need a rushed saviour. It needs calm decision-making, structural fixes, and a forward line that rediscovers its identity before the damage becomes irreversible.
Because if the Magpies keep waiting for one player to rescue them, they may find that by the time Bobby Hill is truly ready, finals are already slipping out of reach.
You can find more from Dave on his own substack, It’s a Dave Thing.
