“No one’s safe,” says seasoned Magpie, indicating that spots in Collingwood’s title-defending team are up for grabs.
Strong defender Jack Crisp asserts that “no one’s safe for spots” in Collingwood’s team this season as they defend their premiership.
The Magpies are in excellent form heading into the preseason as they get ready to defend their magnificent 2023 title, having defeated Brisbane late in September.
But while the devoted fans of the team are still basking in the glory of winning the premiership last year, the players are concentrated on coming back even stronger in ’24.
Crisp, who has participated in an astounding 214 straight AFL games, disclosed the methods he uses to stay in peak playing condition.
“You wanna get better [and] play at the top of your game for so long, so you’re tipping into your craft [and] your mechanics, and then obviously making sure you’re doing a lot on the recovery side of things,” Crisp said to 9News on Saturday.
“I always feel like I need more (recovery), whether it’s ice baths, or saunas, or going to the beach, or some cryotherapy, [which] I do a fair bit of.”
This off-season, Collingwood’s recruiting brains trust added Harry DeMattia and Tew Jiath, draftees, and former Fremantle forward Lachie Schultz to their roster.
But even as the team added players, Crisp extolled the virtues of Finn Macrae, a midfielder who was already a Pie.
About the 12-game onballer, Crisp remarked, “He’s definitely increased his running capacity and his strength and size, so he’s become really strong around the inside midfield, and it puts a lot of pressure on the older guys.”
Macrae, the younger brother of Western Bulldogs veteran Jack, was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Pies. However, his contract expires this year, and he has never participated in more than nine senior games in a season.
Crisp declared that no premiership Pie’s place in this year’s side is secure, despite retaining the formidable squad that beat the Demons, Giants and Lions en route to its 16th piece of silverware.
“There’s no one safe for spots,” Crisp added. “The competition’s really high, which is probably what’s driving our standards at the moment.”
Oleg Markov, the 2023 SSP sensation, echoed that sentiment on Saturday.
“I don’t think I’ve cemented my spot (in the team) just quite yet and even if you think I have, I’m gonna refuse to believe that,” Markov said. “I think my mentality last year worked.”
Markov was acquired by the Pies prior to what turned out to be a successful ’23 campaign, having previously spent a portion of the previous preseason with Carlton, the team’s bitter rivals.
On March 9, Collingwood will play GWS in the AFL’s Opening Round after battling it out in preseason practice matches against North Melbourne and Richmond.
