I'll just respond to this part of your post, as my response will sum everything up.
Collingwood have clearly gone for versatility in their playing list, which is absolutely crucial in today's day and age.
Our ruck stocks looked pretty good at the start of 2022, but when Grundy (who I thought was our most valuable player) went down, we went pretty well without him.
Our midfield is as deep as anyone's, with the luxury of many of these players able to play alternate roles:
Crisp (can go back)
Pendlebury (can play anywhere)
Sidebottom (can go forward but also control half back)
De Goey (forward)
Elliott (played some midfield minutes in 2022 and likely to increase in 2023)
Lipinski (forward)
Jaicos (forward)
Naicos (expect he'll play more midfield minutes in 2023, can clearly play half-back though expect he'll be more dangerous at half-forward into the future)
Tom Mitchell (primarily midfield)
Adams (primarily midfield)
Maynard (possibly more midfield minutes, particularly if playing a shutdown role)
Also expect mature ager Joe Richards to be a starting mid rotating through half forward.
This versatility is exactly what you require in today's day and age. 12 options rotating through the midfield, and that's before we consider any of our 2nd/3rd year players such as McInnes, Macrae and Carmichael developing into best 22 players.
Forward - McStay is no Wayne Carey but he was targeted to straighten us up. Unpredictable forward line worked well in 2022 - why do we need 2 players kicking 50 goals when we have the following more than capable of contributing 20 plus goals each - Ginnivan (40 goals in 2022 in his second season), Mihocek (41 goals in 2022), De Goey, Elliott, Jaicos, McStay, Cameron, Johnson, Hosken-Elliott, Naicos (depending on back/fwd/mid mix), Hill (depending on game time) and possibly Sidebottom (depending on how much time forward).
