AFL 2021: Collingwood’s worst start since 2017 as focus turns to Nathan Buckley’s job

The most confusing aspect of the Giants’ victory was how such an inexperienced side overpowered the seasoned Magpies. Perhaps it’s time for the boom draftees to step in.

Sam Landsberger

@samlandsberger

7 min read

April 11, 2021 - 12:02PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

GWS stand-in captain Toby Greene torched the Pies. Picture: Getty Images

Collingwood

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These are the words Collingwood supporters were desperate to hear.

“For our faithful, Finlay Macrae is coming through,” coach Nathan Buckley said on Saturday night.

“Reef McInnnes has played two games now, Oli Henry is getting his mojo back (and) Caleb Poulter has been finding a bit of the ball (as a) high back and wing.

“Beau (McReery) looked really good tonight. He brought his strengths to the table and was hard and tough when ball in his area.

“Darcy Cameron, even though he’s not one of our first-year players, has been one of the better-performed players.”

The problem was McReery was the only member of that ‘High Five’ selected in the AFL team.

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Nathan Buckley has flagged personnel changes after another Pies loss. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

The rest took on Geelong’s VFL team in a practice match owned by Patrick Dangerfield, partly because they have had “broken runs” at training recently.

Flip the coin and GWS coach Leon Cameron was also piling praise on Generation Next.

“(Sam Taylor) is an unbelievable defender,” Cameron said.

“I love the way he goes about it. He just does not ever give up.”

Cameron said Taylor’s infinite effort was powering the growth of fellow defenders Isaac Cumming, Lachie Ash and Connor Idun.

Brodie Grundy’s expression said it all

Ash has amassed 52 disposals in two games as a halfback jet who has superbly slipped into Zac Williams’ (Carlton) shoes.

At the other end Bobby Hill has had front row tickets to Toby Greene recapturing his star power through sheer work-rate in an invaluable lesson for the electric forward.

The difference between the Giants and Magpies was all of Cameron’s kids were picked in his AFL side.

“We are an extremely young group at the moment,” Cameron said.

“We haven’t had a team like that since 2015. They’re (kids) clearly going to get great opportunity, and there’ll be another three or four that’ll be playing in the next couple of weeks because they’re putting their hand up.

Jordan De Goey of the Magpies looks dejected after losing

“But you can’t take away the enthusiasm of youth, and we’ve seen that already in a number of clubs this year.”

It is undeniable.

YEAR OF THE TEENAGER?

Unbeaten Sydney – known as the “Young Bloods” – is bursting with teenage talent while Essendon’s spike in performance, albeit blunted by two narrow losses, has been inflated by boom draftees Nik Cox and Archie Perkins.

The Giants’ rebirth was largely forced upon Cameron by an injury list almost as long as the line for a COVID vaccine.

Whereas the unusually-healthy Magpies fielded the fourth-oldest and fourth-most experienced team in the opening rounds this season.

Only flag contenders Geelong, Richmond and West Coast have gone older in 2021.

The birth certificates and ladder position (14th after Round 4) are suddenly misaligned and that can be dangerous territory for any club.

Cameron started the night under pressure and by 10pm it was Buckley who was feeling the heat.

Both clubs are now 1-3 although with contrasting age profiles and outlooks.

Perhaps the most confusing aspect of the Giants’ 30-point victory was how a team containing seven players who have played less than 10 games overpowered the seasoned Magpies.

The Giants kicked the final 3.2 (20) of their shock victory.

“When we encountered some resistance through the middle part of the last quarter we ran out of puff,” Buckley said.

“The last 10 minutes was really disappointing.”

Change is coming for Collingwood. Buckley declared that much.

The question is whether it will be tangible. Will it come at selection or in preparation?

There was no promise it would be ‘Buckley’s Babies’ heading to Perth to take on West Coast in Round 5, although Taylor Adams (knee) will require replacing.

“You can’t be 1-3 and sit on your hands,” he said.

“We think we’ve picked our best sides to get results and we haven’t (got them). So we’ve got to look at changes.

“Whether it’s personnel, system, preparation or stripping it back in some ways, we’ll do that.

“There’s opportunity with us. We’re not locked away. We have got a list to choose from and we’re actually quite fit.”

THE MATCH-UP

THERE was a big, big sound all right, and it was the sound of alarm bells going off in Nathan Buckley’s box.

Brayden Maynard had often dueled with Toby Greene and taken the points in one of football’s fiercest match-ups.

But bouncy backman Isaac Quaynor was given that job … until Greene booted his fifth goal early in the third quarter.

“Isaac’s been playing deeper and Brayden’s been playing up higher this year,” Buckley explained.

“There was a couple of pretty hard-to-defend turnovers in the second quarter. We didn’t put that on ‘Q’, we put that on ‘Team D’.

“But it became clear we needed to make that shift, and we did.”

Greene did not kick a goal after the switch was made although 21-year-old Quaynor remains a shining light as a contested ball-winning defender.

Hurt early, Callan Ward roared into the game. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

POLARISING AND PUZZLING

COLLINGWOOD won the territory battle and looked lost in attack while Darcy Moore’s intercepting aerial brilliance was doused in defence, which was totally out of sync with the first three weeks.

The Magpies were ranked 17th for inside 50m differential (-12), time in forward half differential (-10min, 45sec) and forward-half intercept possession (18.7) leading into this game.

Against the Giants they registered more inside 50s and the ball lived in their forward half for an extra 16 minutes.

But it was all undone by inefficiency. Buckley’s side registered a score from just 28.8 per cent of entries, which was the third-lowest percentage seen this season.

“This was different to other games in that we had more inside 50s and couldn’t score from our insides, and couldn’t defend from the limited ones that GWS got,” Buckley said.

“At one stage it was 12 (GWS) goals from 40 entries. We didn’t defend our D50 as well as we have the first three rounds.”

They also conceded a season-worst 37 points from back-half turnovers against.

It all started at the source.

Buckley said his team was “belted up at contested ball”, which is rare for his hard nosed onball brigade.

GWS stand-in captain Toby Greene torched the Pies. Picture: Getty Images

BEST JOB IN FOOTY

LEON Cameron described Shane Mumford as a “part-time ruckman” after the 34-year-old wandered in for his first game this season.

“It’s a pretty good gig, isn’t it? Comes in, plays a game and then probably has five weeks off,” Cameron said.

Mind you, Mumford earned his keep. The Giants outscored the Magpies from centre bounce by 18 points and also won centre clearances by four.

They are numbers which shouldn’t sit well with Brodie Grundy, despite his improved second half.

Giants ruckman Matthew Flynn needed a spell after mega minutes against Max Gawn last week and so the Giants turned to their ruck coach.

Soon it will be 200cm academy pick Kieren Briggs, who is very close to an AFL debut.

PANDEMIC PILOTING FORM

AUSTRALIA’S locked borders have unlocked some sparkling form.

The latest player to admit he is benefitting from no jet-setting is five-goal hero Toby Greene, who Nick Riewoldt described as a “key forward trapped in a small man’s body”.

Western Bulldog Josh Bruce said recently: “A lot of guys came back in career-best shape because they weren’t trying to run on the cobblestones of Barcelona and the middle of New York”.

Greene’s presence was powerful on a night where he replaced Stephen Coniglio (ankle) as captain, but the Giants have ruled out a permanent switch in leadership.

Dejected Pies Scott Pendlebury and Chris Mayne lead their beaten charges off the MCG. Picture: Getty Images

“Stephen had some challenges last year, but his captaincy up until he got injured was first-class,” Cameron said.

“He’s just had a wretched run of luck, and Toby loves sitting in behind as the vice-captain to Steve Coniglio.

“If those two guys progress to where I think they will progress to our leadership is going to be in good shape.”

Interesting, too, that Cameron referenced Greene as a “one-club player” in his post-game boost. Take note off-season departures Jeremy Cameron, Aidan Corr and Zac Williams?

BUCKS UNDER PRESSURE

Leon Cameron started the night under pressure and by 10pm it was Nathan Buckley who was feeling the heat.

The Collingwood coach entered his 10th season in charge acutely aware that a poor start to the season would attract the spotlight.

It is nothing new.

Four years ago and Buckley’s future was the hottest topic in football and after Saturday night’s fizzer against Greater Western Sydney it was back on the agenda.

This was a game the Magpies simply had to win. They were facing a winless Giants team that was without captain Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Phil Davis, Matt de Boer, Adam Kennedy, Daniel Lloyd, Harry Perryman, Braydon Preuss and Sam Reid.

The Magpies had Jamie Elliott and nobody else absent from their best 22.

The persistence to play old blokes such as Chris Mayne, 32 and Mason Cox, 30, has shown no sight of slowing.

Line-breaker Isaac Quaynor was oddly deployed on Toby Greene and early in the third quarter the stand-in skipper had booted 5.0, which was equal with Collingwood’s 4.6.

Finally, Buckley made the move. Brayden Maynard went to Greene and Quaynor began to repel with a sense of adventure that was sorely missing from the Magpies for most of the night.

But it was too little too late.

The Giants entered this Round 4 clash as the walking wounded and turned into warriors as former captain Callan Ward shook off a sore hand in the first quarter to pick up 25 disposals in the next two.