Nick Daicos and Jordan De Goey called out as Collingwood efforts exposed in AFL loss

AFL legends Garry Lyon and Nathan Buckley have slammed the lack of effort from Collingwood players in their opening-round loss to GWS on Saturday night. The Magpies fell by 32 points and trailed by as many as 52 points in the final quarter, as they struggled to break up the Giants' high-speed transitional play.

Following the match Collingwood was criticised for its overly aggressive defensive approach that saw Giants goal threats left wide open forward of the ball. But it was the poor tracking and efforts in defence that drew the criticism from the AFL greats. Namely, Jordan De Goey and Nick Daicos were called out for ball-watching, with a particular moment in the third term used as an example.

The duo failed to track back after losing possession in the Pies forward 50. The ball ended up travelling the length of the field and landing in the hands of Giants midfielder Josh Kelly, who took an uncontested mark for a set shot at goal. To make matters worse, both players were within metres of Kelly when the ball was turned over but didn't look at him or track him, which largely cost their side a goal.

"You see De Goey and Daicos. Not once have they turned their head, not once did they turn their head to look at Josh Kelly - (they) still haven’t looked at him. Bang (he takes the mark). Third quarter, all over," Lyon said.

But Lyon said the pair were not the only culprits of being lazy, highlighting a lack of a chase by star forward Jamie Elliott. "Look at Jamie Elliott here, look at the chase — or the non-chase. (He) doesn’t want to get involved," said Lyon. The former Demons captain also highlighted skipper Darcy Moore's lack of focus and effort at times during the game.

GWS exploit Collingwood's aggression

The Pies' aggressive slingshot strategy in defence helped them secure the flag last year but it left their defence short on Saturday, with GWS hungry to avenge its one-point preliminary final loss. But Buckley believes Saturday's loss had nothing to do with the slingshot strategy and everything to do with the disparity between the club's efforts.

"What I witnessed was a team (Collingwood) that, the system was great and they were in the right position early, but the willingness to work when the game moved was not as great as their opposition," Buckley said.

Craig McRae says Pies are anything but complacent

After winning their first flag in more than a decade last year, McRae says Collingwood are anything but complacent. The Pies coach believes the narrow win over the Lions to clinch the premiership will inspire the side into the future.

Collingwood's premiership win saw them join Essendon and Carlton on 16 VFL/AFL flags after their thrilling four-point victory over the Brisbane Lions. The Pies have not won back-to-back flags since 1935-36 but did come close in 2011, winning the minor premiership before losing to Geelong on grand final day.

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"There's lots of stuff within the premiership that 'why would you let go' because we're going to need it again," McRae said. "We're going to need it for this next journey; there's things around connection, around the spirit, all these things that you want to carry with you. Cutting the cord is one thing, but bringing certain things that are required to bring with you is really important."

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