For the best part of the past two seasons, Collingwood have defiantly stared down Father Time.

But if the lessons of their premiership exit are not heeded, he will soon be tapping them on the shoulder. A fall awaits.

Brody Mihocek, Steele Sidebottom and Brayden Maynard after the Pies’ preliminary final loss.Credit: AFL Photos

This is not an overreaction to a finals loss against a high-quality rival. Collingwood went for a “players over picks philosophy” at the end of last season – but it has fallen short of delivering them a 17th premiership.

For the first four months of this campaign, it worked – 10 points clear atop the ladder as recently as round 17, but as their rivals worked through their gears in the charge to the line, the ageing Magpies coughed and spluttered with three wins from their last nine games – seven of them against other finalists.

Adelaide, in the first leg of the minor premier’s straight-sets exit, is the only top-eight side they have beaten since the end of May.

Even with a rails run to the grand final, the Magpies could not find a way through against a banged-up opponent on the road for the second time in September. Their rivals have not only hauled in Collingwood, they’ve put a gap on them.

Some will point to the controversial non-free denied to Jamie Elliott in the final term, but the 29-point margin flattered the Pies, who were beaten in every department. Aside from their six-goal burst in the second term, when Dayne Zorko gifted them three and a double 50-metre penalty handed them another, they managed just five goals in the other three........

© Brisbane Times