With eight goals in his sides’ five-point loss to Werribee on the weekend, Collingwood’s rookie listed forward Brent Macaffer must surely be nearing senior selection.
 
Although the 20-year-old requires a promotion from the rookie list in order to play a senior game, the club has opted to place a Sean Rusling on the long-term injury list, leaving the door ajar for a promotion of one of its three remaining rookies to the senior list.
 
With Sharrod Wellingham already on the senior list, Kevin Dyas in the grandstands with a hamstring injury and the versatile Luke Casey-Leigh a work in progress in his first season, Macaffer looms as the man most likely to appear in the big league before the season is over.
 
He did his chances no harm at all in booting eight majors, including the side’s first seven of the afternoon, against the Tigers on Saturday, his haul bringing his tally for the season to 30.
 
Although the Magpies fell short by five-points at Princes Park, Macaffer believes that his side showed plenty of promise, and has plenty to build on, stating that the team is now capable of producing consistent results.
 
“Yeah, we came home hard, and knew that if we were to keep working hard and applying our pressure, and if everyone was playing their role, then we’d be a chance. So in that last quarter I suppose that we were unlucky to go down by less than a kick.”
 
“I suppose that it took a while earlier on in the year for the boys to gel a bit, and get used to it, with a lot of younger boys in the team, but we’ve been together for nearly a year now and everyone’s sticking together, so it’s good.”
 
Having led the goalkicking in the TAC Cup under-18s in 2006 with 70.40, and in doing so averaging nearly five goals a game, the 187cm Gippsland prospect is not unaccustomed to creating headlines for his work in front of the big sticks, but accredits his teammates’ delivery as a key reason behind his excellent form.
 
“I’ve got a couple this year, but I’m just lucky to be here with Collingwood, they’re a great bunch of blokes, and I’m getting some good delivery from the boys in the midfield so that certainly helps.”
 
“I suppose that I can just put it down to things such as work rate and effort, by both me and the whole team, and it has shown in our performance in the past couple of weeks when we’ve had a few wins and we were unlucky again today to miss out.”
 
On the subject of a promotion to the senior ranks, Macaffer stresses the need to consistently produce results if he is to catch the eyes of his coaches.
 
“I’d love to, the aim was at the start of the year to just get a few games with the AFL, but I just need to keep playing some consistent footy, and make sure my work rate’s good every week, and if that comes along, that’d be great.”
 
“Mick just told me during the week to just keep my head up and to get back to playing some good footy and you’ll never know what might happen.”
 
Macaffer highlights the need to attain a greater level of endurance as one of the keys to further success in the future.
 
“I think I’ll need to work on having a big pre-season, and obviously that’ll help me produce some longer leads up the ground from half forward or something like that but I just need to get the tank up and hopefully that’ll become a part of my game also.”
 
“Obviously the aim is to get onto the senior list, and then play a few games, so I suppose I’ve got to keep working at it down here. Hopefully, when they think I’m right to go, I’ll get my chance.”
 
If consistency and accuracy count for anything, that chance should come sooner rather than later.