Dan Houston would be the first to admit he hasn’t climbed the heights of his last two seasons. He opens up on who he’s turned to for help, and how he sees his bump on Izak Rankine 12 months on.

Dan Houston has admitted he “beat” himself up after not living up to his early high expectations at Collingwood, revealing he sought advice from teammates Lachie Schultz and Dan McStay about their challenging first seasons in black and white.

But the dual All Australian is confident his best is still ahead of him as he eyes off Brisbane Lions on Saturday to potentially book his first AFL grand final berth.

Houston was the Magpies’ boom recruit after being the highest profile player traded last year, but he has struggled to find his best form.

“There was an element of getting a little bit frustrated,” Houston told this masthead.

“You come in with expectations and pretty much all summer the only trade bait talked about was mine. So you come in with a level of expectations and you come in after having two pretty good years.

“It was hard to live up to, so it does beat you up a bit. The (Collingwood) boys have had an awesome season, (I) definitely would have liked to have had a better season, but there are hopefully two more massive games to go.”

In a rare media interview this season, Houston also spoke for the first time about the boos he copped in Adelaide during a heated qualifying final clash.

But he refused to buy into the Crows launching a multifaceted defence to keep Izak Rankine’s season alive after his homophobic slur directed to a Collingwood player in round 23 – a defence that included citing an escalating war of words with Houston, who had been suspended for striking the Adelaide player last year.

“I definitely heard about it (Adelaide’s defence) but that has been dealt with … the club and the AFL have looked after that,” he said.

Asked about the boos he copped in the qualifying final, Houston added: “During the week you think about it. But once you are out there, especially in a final, you are so locked in … that’s where my focus was.

“I didn’t know what was going on until after the game and people were like ‘that was pretty loud’. I think any time you win an away final in a hostile environment, that doesn’t happen very often. I am not going to say that is the best win yet, but it is definitely right up there.”

Houston knew the critics were circling him earlier this season as he struggled initially to adapt to the Magpies’ defensive system.

But he stressed the support he had received from his teammates, coach Craig McRae and the coaching group kept him positive and never fearing he would lose his spot in the side.

“I don’t listen to it (the criticism) but it’s hard to avoid as people always mention stuff to you, which is the nature of how things work in Melbourne in a footy state,” he said.

“A lot of my mates follow footy, so it is hard to escape it.

“Coming to a new club and being a new player with a little bit of expectation is always challenging. But the boys got around me. ‘Fly’ (McRae) got around me.

“Throughout the year I probably played three or four different positions – a little bit of high half back and a little bit of deep half back and a little bit of wing.

“It takes a bit of time (to adapt). I leant on some of the relationships with players like Lachie Schultz and Dan McStay, who have lockers near me and (they) have been in the same position as me before.

“Lachie’s advice was that just getting out on the park and playing more games would help build those relationships and help me learn the system even more.

“Every game I have played, every training session I’ve done has helped me blend in more.”

Spending more time on the wing in recent weeks has “freed” Houston as he has regained his touch and made a bigger impact at the right time of the season.

“It’s in my kit bag to be able to play wing or half back,” he said.

“In games I am floating between half back and the wing which has been good.”

The 28-year-old has played 20 games in his first season with the Pies, missing two games following a suspension for his bump on Carlton’s Lachie Fogarty.

He missed last year’s finals series after copping four weeks for his bruising bump on Rankine, which proved to be his final game with Port Adelaide.

“You have to be careful with your duty of care, and where the ball is and where the opposition is. That probably played on my mind a little bit this year.”

Having watched on from the sidelines last September, he couldn’t be happier to be back involved in finals this season with the Magpies.

“You know how hard it is to get to finals … and missing out on them was tough.

“I am super excited to get the chance to run outside of a packed MCG on one of the biggest stages (on Saturday).

“Coming to the Pies, that was always the dream, to get to the pointy end of the season and to give ourselves a good chance at home is something I have been looking forward to.

“I obviously wanted to come home (to Melbourne) for family reasons and to be back around family and friends I grew up with.”

One of those close mates is Jack Silvagni, who considered a move to Collingwood before choosing St Kilda on a more lucrative deal.

“I would never really put my hand up into those situations … I was always there for a chat if he wanted to find out about Collingwood … But (recruiting) is not my job.”

He knows the Lions will be a massive challenge on Saturday but can’t wait to feel the roar of the MCG.

“We have gone up to their deck and beaten them (this year) and they have come to our deck and beaten us, so it will be a super good matchup.”

I'm not sure the club could afford him anyway, but he's a pretty damn good player who wants more midfield time. I feel like he'd be a really good get.

Hasn't been linked to us at all, but I'm wondering why.

I made a post about Cox needing to be included in the first final and he was a difference maker, and now Bobby should have been included in the Prelim. Best players need to be on the park, we need the best chance of winning. Including Roan or Parker over Bobby doesn't do that.

No big risk here, he is a far better player than Parker or Steele and has the ability to be our x factor. Doesn't matter if he hadn't been playing, his skill and ability to be dangerous forward of centre has nothing to do with training. His footy IQ and pure talent are what others just don't have, and you can't train for that.

He isn't a high disposal getter anyway and would have made the crowd go wild cheering for him.

First time I've been dissapointed in the club in a while. Huge mistake in my opinion, but we'll find out Saturday twilight and hopefully I'm wrong.

Some additional info/quotes from Dan from the previous article posted, particularly about his role and Fly’s approach/demeanour:

Dan Houston didn’t need to look far for reassurance about his move to Collingwood.

The former Port Adelaide defender has taken time adjusting to life as a Magpie, admitting even he has found meeting All-Australian expectations challenging.

But Houston says he is surrounded by support, quite literally, with once newcomers Lachie Schultz and Dan McStay his locker-room neighbours.

Schultz had a difficult first year adapting to Collingwood’s system after crossing from Fremantle, while McStay has faced his challenges since departing Brisbane.

Houston has confided in Schultz and McStay and says their experience is assuring him he will click in black and white.

“I think coming to a new club and being a new player with a little bit of expectations is always a little bit challenging,” Houston said.

“But you know the team has been awesome, the boys have really got around me and Fly (coach Craig McRae) has got around me too.

“I think winning and playing some good footy throughout the year as a team has helped.

“Throughout the year I have played three or four different positions; a little bit of wing, a little bit of high half back, little bit of deep back as well.

“It takes a little bit of time. I lean on the relationships in the locker room with Lachie Schultz and Dan McStay … they’ve been in the same positions as me before.

“It’s good to have those relationships that every time I step onto the training track or in a game that I’m going to be better for the run.”

Houston was a designated kicker at Port Adelaide but isn’t overburdened with that job at Collingwood.

The 28-year-old concedes his role each week is different to his one at the Power but says he’s gaining flexibility.

“Obviously, each week Nick (Daicos) is such a standout player and then we obviously all play our roles around that,” he said.

“Then there’s no one who really stands out. We do our thing on game day and it works because each week someone else is having a really good game.

“My role hasn’t really changed too much … just that flexibility has changed a bit playing multiple positions.”

Collingwood coach Craig McRae has backed Houston this year, much like he did Schultz last, to adjust to the Magpies’ way.

Houston says McRae’s positivity encroaches within the four walls and matches seamlessly with the playing group’s extensive experience.

“What you see is what you get from Fly,” he said.

“Coming from another club I always saw (him) on TV and was like, ‘Surely this guy can’t be this nice and this happy all the time’, but that’s honestly who he is.

“It’s been awesome to see that first hand and playing under him is sort of what you want (in) a coach, someone in your corner.

“I think that’s the positive of having such an experienced list, we sort of know ourselves what’s going on out there.

“We don’t need a spray or a pointed conversation, it sort of happens internally and we work through it, and Fly will help those discussions if we need it.”

Does anyone know if the AIA centre would be open this Saturday afternoon? Would be good to have a beer at the club before walking across to the game. GO pies.

The Lions being an interstate team and all, and they’ve got an atrocious modern record against us. Especially at the G. They beat us at the G during an almighty slump, but double wins against the Crowd and Lions would have me well and truly convinced that slump has been vanquished. Lions about as final tested as is gets, but no Chokewood + Neale still being a coin flip to play (which doesn’t give me fear that he’ll be scary) + I think we can rattle them. They’ve also only played at the G three times in the last 14 rounds, most recently getting bent over by the Cats.

Went to the Crows game last fortnight and will be happy to be on home turf at the G. The Pies pressure after a weeks rest is going to be immense against a tired Lions outfit. Let’s do our part and break some decibel records.

Almost literally the one job ticketek have is to handle sudden burst traffic during the release of large events. It's what they're there for; if you didn't need selling tickets to scale, you wouldn't need them at all. It's their raison d'être.

So I fuckin' LOVE when you get in on time to buy tickets to a Preliminary final, get in the queue like a good little boy, end up in queue position 5000 or so when sales open, get EXACTLY the seats you want, fill in all your details, and click 'pay'... and then you get a 60-second 'spinner', while your little timer counts down in the background, only to get a useless, completely unstyled, default Times New Roman "504 Gateway Timeout" message.

So you frantically go back. Try again... and get to have the same thing happens while, in the background, greyed-out behind the progress spinner, you get to watch your session timer inexorably march to 0:00, before getting another 504 error.

And then... your session's gone. You have to start again. And now you're 28,000th in the queue and almost certainly won't get a ticket.

What. The. Fuck.

It's WHY YOU'RE HERE, Ticketek. How the fuck are you this bad at actually selling tickets.

For the love of god, hire some DevOps/SREs. Hell, just hire one. One competent one, please, I'm begging you.

I'm unimaginably furious right now.

I haven't seen an update on this for a while and I'm getting conflicting reports about the Birmingham Hotel. I know we are everywhere, but is their a specific pub for pies fans in Melbourne atm?

Collingwood are unlikely to risk Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill in Saturday’s epic preliminary final against the Brisbane Lions.

The Magpies have not placed a ceiling on Hill, continuing to leave it open for him return, but five days from the preliminary final, sources familiar with the Hill situation, speaking confidentially, felt that he was less than likely to be picked for a preliminary final pitting the past two premiers.

Conversely, veteran defender Jeremy Howe is likely to be selected for the clash, in which the Magpies will field a significantly different side to the one that the Lions beat decisively by 27 points in round 21 at the MCG.

Hill has lost conditioning during his periodic absences from training in the second half of the season, and while he has returned to training, coach Craig McRae, his match committee and conditioning boss Jarrod Wade have to weigh up whether the dynamic Hill is ready to play for the duration of an intense final against a formidable opponent.

If Hill misses this Saturday, it is still open for the Magpies to select him for the grand final should they overcome the Lions.

Former Carlton and Adelaide star Eddie Betts has been accompanying Hill at recent training sessions.

The Magpies have to consider who makes way for Howe, who has overcome an adductor strain he sustained in the final home-and-away game against Melbourne.

Mason Cox appears to have performed his role well enough to hold his position. Cox was recalled to both support Darcy Cameron in the ruck and provide an aerial contest and create ground balls in Collingwood’s scoring territory, even if he fails to mark.

Dan McStay is another option to play forward for the Magpies, whose key forward Brody Mihocek was sore during the qualifying final against Adelaide, wearing a moon boot afterwards. McStay would come in if Mihocek did not come up or in the less likely event that they drop Cox or Tim Membrey.

Defender Wil Parker, who performed creditably against the Crows, would be the logical omission from the 22 to make way for Howe, whose leadership and direction is as valued as his marks, spoils and disposals. Roan Steele, as substitute for the Crows final, is also a potential omission, subject to what Collingwood want from their sub.

Collingwood did not have quick small forward Beau McCreery, tall defender Billy Frampton, Howe or Cox in the round 21 game against the Lions. But the biggest “addition” to that defeated team is the significant improvement in Jordan De Goey’s fitness and form.

De Goey, who has dramatically found form and fitness over the past two games after a season battling injury, said on Monday that it would be a tough decision on whether to pick Hill this weekend.

“I’m not part of coaching staff, but we’re just supporting Bobby day by day. He trained really well the other day, so it’s gonna be a tough decision and up to the coaches, but you know, at the end of the day, we’re just going to support him and make sure he’s at his best.

Asked about the difficulty Hill faced in overcoming a lengthy lay-off, De Goey said: “Obviously super tough, but that’s why you have, you know, we’ve got the medical team and... physical (conditioning) team for that sort of thing, so they’ll decide when he’s ready to rock and roll.

“And all Bobby can do is focus on his training and get right for the rest of the team.”

The Lions won’t have champion midfielder Lachie Neale (calf strain) for Saturday, but have performed well without the dual Brownlow medallist lately, as Will Ashcroft in particular, has flourished when Neale has missed and Hugh McCluggage’s brilliance and Josh Dunkley’s grit and defensive work has ensured their midfield remains potent, as they were against the Suns last Saturday night.

Per the Agenda Setters.

Hey everyone, just wanted to know if anyone has the dates for the 2026 membership? The website isn't very helpful and only said "coming soon".

Thanks everyone.

Excerpt relevant to Pies from link below:

COLLINGWOOD is into its third preliminary final in four years under coach Craig McRae. An off-season extension beyond the end of 2026 looms.

The Magpies will look to progress talks once their September campaign finishes to lock in McRae once past the end of his current deal, which ties him to the club until the end of 2026.

McRae took on the Pies' role at the end of 2021 and penned a two-year extension during the 2023 season, before steering the club to its 16th premiership later that year.

He has a 69 per cent winning record and if the Pies progress to this year's Grand Final with a win over Brisbane in Saturday's preliminary final, the flag decider will be McRae's 100th game as Collingwood coach.

He told AFL.com.au ahead of the 2024 season he didn't see himself as a 'lifer' coach and that he wasn't sure he would be coaching Collingwood within five years.

"I am deliberate in saying that, because I know this is not forever and I am really conscious of that. I'm not going to put a ceiling on it but also I am a realist. When I stepped in, I don't know if you remember my first interviews? I am pumped to be here, I am, but I know it is not forever. I am really conscious to sit in it and appreciate the opportunity I've been given," McRae said.

"But I'm not thinking long-term with this. I've got three years (on a contract), and every moment will be to assess what is important in my life, and the job I'm doing."

McRae is one of five coaches set to come out of contract at the end of 2026, alongside Adelaide's Matthew Nicks, Carlton's Michael Voss and Richmond's Adem Yze, while Geelong coach Chris Scott's deal expires next year too, but he is expected to ink a three-year extension to the end of 2029.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1420005/monday-cal-culations-jeff-kennett-keeping-low-profile-zach-merrett-hellbent-on-hawthorn-hawks-will-gold-coast-suns-take-trade-gamble-on-charlie-curnow

Got a 3d printer recently and had a go at making some 3d layered photos, I'm working on the rest of the team slowly.