Defence takes to the sky for Pies

COLLINGWOOD defensive coach Justin Longmuir believes Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe can provide an awesome aerial intercept team in the backline this year.

And in a flawless pre-season campaign, injury-prone defender Matt Scharenberg is being schooled to tackle some of the league’s taller forwards.

Longmuir has crossed from West Coast to work with Collingwood’s back six and its defensive patterns.

It’s understood Moore has been held back after a kick to the achilles that restricted him from full training or match simulation.

He is ramping up his workload and is set to team with Howe, Scharenberg and Lynden Dunn as the battery of Collingwood defensive talls.

Richmond’s Alex Rance and West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern have changed the game with their intercept marking in recent seasons.

Though Longmuir was an assistant coach with McGovern at West Coast, he said it was not quite as simple as a licence to fly at everything.

“Darcy has missed a lot of training but the beauty of our backline is we are trying a few different players down there and they are eating up the work,” Longmuir said.

“He has missed some training, but it is his ability to read the footy that holds him in good stead as a back.

“We need him to get out there a bit more so we can work on that cohesiveness.

“The thing that gets lost with all intercept markers like Rance and McGovern is they do it from strong defensive positioning.

“It’s not just playing oneon-one, they have a strong defensive mindset then they read the play accordingly.”

Longmuir says Howe, who has just signed a new threeyear deal after finishing fourth in the best-and-fairest, is the full package.

“There isn’t much he can’t do. He is adding a string to his bow as being a good leader and that’s impressed me most about him.”

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