Assuming for a moment that Lester is a member of the Magpie Army (and why wouldn’t he be?), he would enter season 2010 pleased with what he’s seeing.

In the football department, the club has devised and implemented an innovative strategic management plan that will see two of the game’s greatest minds, Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley, guide the team deep into this decade.

On the field, the club has identified areas to be bolstered and recruited accordingly, with ready-made prime-movers Luke Ball and Darren Jolly instantly improving our best 22, which continues to naturally develop via the continued emergence of our talented next generation of stars and leaders.

An already potent midfield mix now has the additional depth and ball-winning capacity needed to compete when the action is hottest and the stakes at their highest.

Our defence, ranked second in 2009, remains settled, flexible and well-stocked with run and rebound. Led by emerging skipper Nick Maxwell, there will be healthy competition for starting spots and the depth to accommodate week-to-week match-ups against the most potent attacks in the competition.

Speaking of attack, it is the zone of most potential improvement in 2010. The recruitment of Darren Jolly has not only bolstered our on-ball brigade, but will also provide flexibility up front, releasing a big man (be it Fraser, Wood or Jolly himself) to push forward as necessary without weakening our midfield core.

With Travis Cloke and Jack Anthony as permanent focal points, surrounded by match-winners such as Alan Didak, Paul Medhurst, Brad Dick, Leon Davis and Dale Thomas, the cornerstones for success are in place.

The same can be said for BLACK AND WHITE, which continues to develop at a rapid rate.

Now into our fourth season, we welcome four new Committee members who have already added new perspectives and fresh enthusiasm to our group.

Off-season discussions with club CEO Gary Pert and his team have been extremely positive and productive – BLACK AND WHITE is achieving its aim of becoming an extremely important coterie group within the Collingwood Football Club family.

BLACK AND WHITE is viewed as one of the most important and influential corporate groups at the club and 2010 will further tighten the connection between coterie and club.

This year’s value proposition is our best yet. We’ve added a fourth match-day function – a stylish season launch at one of Melbourne’s finest venues, upstairs at ‘The Stokehouse’, as well as adding a second player sponsorship.

Not only will we continue to support captain Nick Maxwell (we all knew he was a natural leader long ago – the rest of the football world is finally catching up), we have also extended our support to another character of the highest calibre – Harry O’Brien.

Welcome Harry – we’re delighted to have you on board with us, and look forward to supporting you as we have done Nick. Best of luck to you both for the season ahead.