Looking ahead

The Footy Bogan opens his account at his new home with a bit of crystal-ball gazing. Just a short post to clear the cobwebs.

The Footy Bogan went out for coffee with a friend this afternoon; the usual catch-up thing.

"What do you think of Collingwood's chances?" he asked.

I hadn't given it much thought, but as soon as he asked the question, I knew what I expected.

Now, it's one thing to have hopes of another premiership, but on the eve of the season opener - tomorrow night's game against Fremantle at Docklands - I'm prepared to take it one game at a time and hope that, against the odds, we can start the year with a win.

Based on very little, here's how I expect the year to play out from a Collingwood perspective: pretty much a repeat of last year; not unlike the Collingwood of the mid Noughties. I expect we will win a few and lose a few. The boys will play a blinder and get the fans' hopes up; and then bring them thudding back to earth the following week with pig swill.

This time, Buckley will have no excuses. He's cleaned out the players he doesn't like or who don't like him. There have been enough years under his stewardship to remove the last traces of any MM influence. This year Buckley gets to do it his way.

As was shown last year, at their best the boys are unbeatable. The problem is their best can be as short as 5 minutes.

I'm hoping we play well. However, I think it apt to take heed of Bette Davis's advice (approximately): strap yourselves in; it could be a bumpy ride.