Forget the brat pack, Buckley declares finals unity

NATHAN Buckley says his Magpies are locked into a mental "sweet spot" after a series of distractions over the Brat Pack and Harry O'Brien's antics.

NATHAN Buckley says his Magpies are locked into a mental "sweet spot" after a series of mid-season distractions over the Brat Pack and Harry O'Brien's antics.

But the Collingwood coach said none of the club's togetherness and side-by-side harmony would matter if his players did not attack Port Adelaide on Saturday night.

The Pies have had successive seasons derailed by their coaching succession plan and the Travis Cloke contract fiasco. This year, issues including Dane Swan's off-season behaviour, speculation about a split player group and O'Brien walking out on the club have been resolved.

Heater's staying

Collingwood has come together under the Leading Teams philosophy, a factor in the four wins in five games before Sunday's dead rubber loss to North Melbourne.

"There are always things that happen externally that may be perceived as distractions from outside of the football club," Buckley said.

"At various times you are spending more or less time on things that don't contribute or reflect on on-field performance, but we feel we have got a bit of momentum in that regard over the last six to eight weeks.

"We have narrowed our focus. We have been able to explore what our best football looks like, what the best environment looks like, and every side is constantly tinkering to find out what that is.

"We are in a bit of a sweet spot at the moment.

"I can talk about it all I like and we can let you know things are great."

All-Australian squad

 "But we have to go out and put the effort in and have the right focuses and tactics against the opposition, and that's Port Adelaide on Saturday night and that's the challenge," Buckley said.

Swan has mocked calls for him to be sacked following another superb season and, while O'Brien is dealing with personal issues, he is in career-best form.

Alan Didak had to fend off retirement but is committed.

The Pies have abandoned plans to play a VFL practice match against either Carlton or Richmond because those sides did not have enough players available.

It means contenders who miss out on selection this week - including, potentially, Darren Jolly, Didak, Ben Hudson and Clinton Young - will have some type of game simulation training on Friday.

Buckley said an example of the Magpies' togetherness was that the entire squad was continuing to train rather than him choosing a squad and putting the rest out to pasture.

"Not every player gets rewarded for their best efforts, but everyone buys into the fact that it is the team-first mentality that matters more than anything else," he said.