With the ingredients plentiful and varied, Forwards Coach Scott Selwood is excited to be the chef ahead of new look in attack for the 2025 edition of the Magpies.

Having added Lachie Schultz and Tim Membrey over the past two off-seasons, as well as exciting youngsters Charlie West and Will Hayes in last year’s draft, it would be reticent for the assistant coach to hide his belief in this season’s group.

That’s before you get to Norm Smith Medallist Bobby Hill, premiership star Jamie Elliott, five-time leading goal-kicker Brody Mihocek, a Dan McStay with a full pre-season under his belt, and excitement machine Beau McCreery.

“I think I’ve got the best line, I mean they’re beautiful people with massive hearts,” Selwood said.

“They love to help others and they love to connect with others.”

And with the suite of players at Selwood’s disposal, comes a range of personalities, playing styles, and levels of experience.

While there’s a level of calmness to the likes of Mihocek, Elliott and Schultz, there’s also a younger group that keep meetings fresh and mean Selwood is constantly evolving

“They’re big on connecting with each other and that’s where they get their energy from, so the important thing for me is to bring them up and make sure I’m educating them the way they like,” he said.

“Meetings can’t be boring - they need to be fun, they need to be different, there generally needs to be a highlights package somewhere in there. If there’s no highlights package, they’re generally pretty disappointed.

“We’ve got our more leader type players that will express more through words and lead and guide. Jamie’s done it for a long time, Lachie Schultz and Dan McStay and ‘Checkers’ (Mihocek) are really buying in, and since Tim Membrey’s come to the Club we’ve been really lucky to have someone that’s got a wealth of knowledge like ‘Skunk’ (Membrey).

“I love coaching the forward line. It’s a totally different area for me to try and engage with the personalities you’ve got. It’s about making sure you reward all the things that aren’t seen.”

Selwood called out Membrey as a key asset to the group in 2025, with the 30-year-old bringing over a decade of experience to his first season in black and white.

He hit the ground running with four goals in the Club’s AAMI Community Series match against Richmond last Wednesday night, finding his flow just as his line coach thought he might.

“Tim has been brilliant for our group, a mature head,” he said.

“You can allow that guy to walk in the door and just embrace him for who he is both on the field and off the field and we’ve got a guy that’s gentle, caring and loving.

“And then you get him on the field where him and Brayden Maynard are trying to belt the hell out of each other.

“You don’t need to touch too much other than just let him go and let him be a part of the Club and as time goes on, I’m sure you guys as fans will support him through that too.”

And when it comes to Bobby Hill, one of three Pies who have been followed throughout The Grind, Selwood’s sentiment is one echoed by many throughout the Club.

“Coaching Bobby Hill is incredible, you feel a sense of energy when you’re around him and watching him walk out, you just never know what he’s going to do and it’s like watching magic sometimes,” he said.

“Connecting everyone together, those middle tier guys are so important for us but Bobby in particular, because he’s got something different.”

The culmination of Collingwood’s pre-season is detailed in episode four of The Grind, which premieres tonight at 7pm on YouTube.