Take the Steps

It was a bold move by the Collingwood hierarchy to green light this behind the scenes doco that charts the business end of the club's 2023 campaign, with a focus on the captain Moore, coach McRae, club legend Pendlebury and young superstar Nick Daicos. The risk was the process could have been intrusive or distracting, or worse, a jinx that would ultimately render the footage unusable.

Notwithstanding, the two seasons under McRae saw a transformation of the club on and off the field. The dreaded Colliwobbles seemed to be a thing of the past as the team conjured all manner of ridiculous Hollywood endings to games that appeared lost. The fans were embraced as the 19th man, and to that end commissioning this film is one of a number of initiatives.

There's plenty of fresh ground level footage across the finals series and candid back of house clips to elicit an unprecedented sense of familiarity with the group - especially the four protagonists. Surreal even. And some humorous moments too, somewhat unexpectedly Moore being the source. Of course it wasn't all plain sailing, and it's apparent just how fine the margin whether Daicos' injured knee would stand in the way of glory.

Yet the film doesn't really push the emotional buttons one might anticipate. Perhaps the missing piece was footage of the fans at the final siren encapsulating how much it meant, how dramatic and how epic the game (and season) was, rather than McRae and co just talking about it. But it's a minor quibble. All in all Take the Steps won't disappoint its captive audience and is worth seeing in a packed cinema with fellow fanatics cheering along. I'd also recommend the movie to would-be elite athletes and coaches of team sports.