Collingwood’s boom recruit Dan Houston already has teammates licking their lips at the prospect of dining out on his silver service throughout the AFL season.
High-profile trade acquisition Houston starred on his Magpies debut, being arguably best afield in the 91-point round-one thrashing of his former club Port Adelaide.
The two-time All-Australian had 27 disposals, 10 intercept possessions, six score involvements and five inside-50s in a tremendous display.
It set a high bar ahead of Collingwood’s round-two clash with the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night.
“We knew what he was going to bring and he definitely brought that,” Magpies forward Brody Mihocek told AAP.
“He’s an awesome competitor and he’s one of the best kicks in our team.
“You know when he’s got the ball that something good is going to happen.
“He’s going to have a great time being in this system.”
Mihocek said a revamped forward line would relish Houston’s laser-like delivery as they seek to fire Collingwood back into premiership contention.
“I know to hit up to him because he’ll lace you out,” Mihocek said.
“Having him coming off half-back is going to be special for us. He’s going to play that role really well.”
Marking targets Mihocek, Dan McStay and Tim Membrey combined for 10 of Collingwood’s 17 goals against Port Adelaide and loom as serious threats against the Bulldogs.
Off-season recruit Membrey kicked four, taking his tally to five in two games for the Magpies since he was delisted by St Kilda at the end of last season.
“We all want to be dangerous and do our part week in and week out, which we may not, but we’re happy for anyone to kick the goals,” Mihocek said.
“It is fun and Membrey has fitted in well, and he’s just a good bloke to have down there, which is the main thing.
“We like to preach ‘best shot’ and I know my eyes light up a bit when I get out, so I could be a bit better with that, but we like getting others involved.”
The Bulldogs will celebrate 100 years in the AFL/VFL with a marquee home fixture against Collingwood, which is expected to draw upwards of 70,000 fans.
But the Magpies are more than happy to rain on their parade.
And Craig McRae’s men are full of confidence after the record-setting win over Port Adelaide, in which they posted the largest score and winning margin of the premiership coach’s four seasons in charge.
“We love the big games and so do the fans, so we’re looking forward to it,” Mihocek said.
“The Bulldogs are always going to be tough and they’re always fit, so we can expect that from them.
“It’s going to be a tough contest but if we can bring what we brought against Port then it’s going to go in our favour.”