'A lot of grey area': Pies gun relives contentious call

Collingwood veteran Jamie Elliott tries not to think about what might have been if one of last season's most controversial AFL umpiring decisions had not gone against him.

Instead, he prefers to look ahead with a Magpies outfit he believes is "capable of anything" in 2026 despite external queries over the list at coach Craig McRae's disposal.

But the ghosts of last September linger, after Elliott was denied a free-kick at a crucial juncture of Collingwood's heart-breaking preliminary final loss to Brisbane.

The Pies trailed by just 12 points with more than nine minutes left to play when umpires decided not to penalise Lions defender Brandon Starcevich for front-on contact against Elliott when spoiling a mark.

The decision sparked uproar, especially among irate Collingwood fans, while many expert commentators were left stunned.

The AFL never publicly clarified its stance on the incident in the aftermath, leaving the black-and-white army seething over summer.

"It was a big talking point, but it is what it is," Elliott told reporters on Thursday.

"The AFL, there's a lot of grey area in our rules.

"That one didn't go my way, but they (Brisbane) played a fantastic brand of football and made it all the way and ended up winning the premiership.

"It's a credit to them and I try not to think about it, to be honest."

Elliott, who kicked a game-high four goals in the preliminary final, would have had a relatively straightforward shot to put his side within six points.

But Brisbane forced a boundary throw-in and put the result to bed with the next four goals, before thrashing Geelong in the following week's grand final.

"It was pretty flattening that week after. A lot of 'what ifs'," Elliott said.

"But if you live in that space you're not going to get better and we try not to dwell on the past.

"We look to the future, so we're really excited about this year."

Collingwood will again be reliant on some ageing stars like Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe in 2026, and lost five-time leading goal-kicker Brody Mihocek to Melbourne in the trade period.

Howe, captain Darcy Moore and key forward Dan McStay have all had soft-tissue injuries over summer.

And there is also a cloud over Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, who is on personal leave for the second time in 12 months.

But Elliott, who will take on an even greater leadership role in a remodelled forward line, is bullish about the Pies' prospects in 2023 flag-winning coach McRae's fifth year at the helm.

"We're capable of anything," the 33-year-old said.

"You look at the spread of teams and where teams finished, we've experienced it, especially in '21 and '22, where you can finish bottom eight and then you finish top four (the following season).

"We don't really have expectations right now. We'll get to that when we lead into the season, but right now we're looking at getting better every day."

Hill played just 14 games last year due to his personal situation impacting his ability to train.

Even after he returned to the club in the lead-up to finals, the 25-year-old was overlooked for selection.

Collingwood released a statement on January 9 confirming Hill would not return to the club until after the Christmas break, and he was absent from Thursday's team photo session.

"His health and wellbeing is the main thing," Elliott said.

"So as long as he needs to stay away from the club and get his health right.

"We're here to care and support for him, but at the end of the day, football is second."

Collingwood start the new season against St Kilda at the MCG on March 8.