HARSH DECISION: I want to leave, Collingwood head coach voices out.

Despite their status as reigning premiers, Collingwood are ready to rumble in the coming off-seasons with an eye-watering amount set to open up in the salary cap.

With the expected retirements of several premiership stars before 2026, Craig McRae’s salary cap will subsequently free up in what will be a massive boost financially to help replace their long-held talent.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, Herald Sun journalist Glenn McFarlane took a deep dive into the current list structure at the Magpies, and their plan of attack with the impending departure of their veterans.

“It’s really exciting from a Collingwood perspective; they’ve got a $5 million salary cap saving to come over the next 18 months,” McFarlane said.

“They’ve got nine players over the age of 30, and they’re expecting probably half of that group will be retired within the next 18 months to two years.

“That leaves at least $4.5 – maybe even a bit more – $5 million to come in to be able to spend.”

While the salary cap space to be freed up would allow Collingwood to become one of the most active clubs on the market, the Pies won’t be pushing their long-time servants out the door.

Currently on their list, there are four players who are 33 years or older – Steele Sidebottom, Jeremy Howe and Mason Cox are of the aforementioned age, while a timeless Scott Pendlebury leads the pack of veterans at 36 years of age.

Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Cox are all one-club players, with the former two having won premierships in both 2010 and 2023.

Howe begun his career at Melbourne before joining the Pies, and has played 137 games in the black and white since 2016.