Kane Cornes is fearful that a handful of Collingwood veterans have lost their spark after the Pies’ draw with Essendon during the Anzac Day match.
The Pies and Bombers coughed up multiple opportunities in the dying minutes to put their sides in front.
Now, with the Pies sitting 3-3-1 after seven rounds, Cornes is questioning their matured-aged players’ ability to impact the contest when they’re needed most.
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“We’re starting to see, maybe for the first time, that these players are struggling,” Cornes said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
“They’re really good for one week, then they drop off.”
Cornes called out Steele Sidebottom, who has struggled to
“Sidebottom hardly touched the football, seven (disposals) for the game. (Tom) Mitchell subbed out, not the first time he’s had to be managed,” he said.
The Port Adelaide champion is also worried that Pies legend Scott Pendlebury, who is on the eve of game 400, has lost his Rolls Royce style.
“Pendlebury can be good but has also shown a drop off and was caught holding the ball a couple of times. Very un-Pendlebury like,” Cornes said.
“(Jack) Crisp, I’m not sure what happened to him, 11 touches.”
Matthew Lloyd echoed Cornes’ fears, concerned that their inconsistent style will cost them a spot in the top eight.
“The way they started against Port Adelaide, you don’t want to do that against better sides,” Lloyd said.
“And (against) the Bombers, they were down four goals in four minutes.
“They’re just playing patchy football currently.”
That “patchy” football could be the end of their back-to-back flag hopes, unless they rediscover their signature pressure game that tore sides apart in 2023.
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”They were so good last week against Port Adelaide and you go ‘wow they’re back’. But can they sustain that?,” Cornes said.
“The pressure drops off, what have they got after that?
“Can these older player sustain that pressure for such a long season?”
