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CTV > Watch Mick Malthouse's Friday press conference
COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse believes the Magpies' preparation for last year's retirements of three prolific players will leave the side in good stead this season.
With Nathan Buckley, James Clement and Paul Licuria all hanging up the boots together, the Pies lost a host of experience in the one swoop at the end of 2007.
But Malthouse believes his plan of "playing the kids" in the past few years will pay dividends this season, with a number of youngsters ready to take on key roles in the side.
"Jimmy along with Buckley and Licuria leave the side short of games," he said on Wednesday.
"It's inevitable in football and life that things change and don't always continue right through.
"What you do is prepare your side for the inevitability that players will move. We stocked up our back stocks two years ago with [Nathan] Brown and three years ago with [Jack] Anthony, and we've introduced Chris Dawes as a key back.
"We train them up and they're not going to be Jim Clement, but Jim Clement at the same age wasn't the same Jim Clement that you saw as a 30-year-old. In fact, Fremantle were very quick to clear him to Collingwood.
"We've got to be mindful that things do change and that's one of the challenges as a coaching unit; to introduce young players to every line."
The Magpies, who debuted nine players last season, are a chance to blood a trio of youngsters in the opening round, given the depleted backline with Clement retired and Simon Prestigiacomo injured.
Malthouse said he would not shy away from taking a similar path this year with his young talent, and is prepared to continue to give such players regular senior opportunities.
"We're not going to get Jimmy back; we're going to supplement our backline with new players going through because they're the future of our organisation," he said.
"Our programming won't be any different from round one to round 22. We'll still be doing what we did last year, which was blood players, give them the opportunity, those that hold up stay in and those that don't go back for re-education before they come back into the system."
Having said that, Malthouse conceded the Magpies will be tested this Saturday when they come up against the potent Fremantle attacking structure.
"[Matthew] Pavlich is just a champion. He in any side is going to be dangerous," he said.
"[Jeff] Farmer has always been pretty handy around the goals, I've had a good day and I don't want to spoil the day by looking at his averages against us.
"I think it's pretty high, so we've got to have a look at that as well, and [Chris] Tarrant of course is a goal-kicker, and [Ryan] Murphy if they play him is a goal-kicker.
"Fremantle is being touted as a premiership threat, and probably rightfully so."
Malthouse might be on the verge of his 25th season as a senior coach, but it's a personal milestone he isn't considering terribly significant.
"It's just another year," he said with a laugh.
"They're all as equally important."
