Collingwood has hired Graeme Allan to be an agent of change at the Magpies
COLLINGWOOD has hired new football boss Graeme Allan as a provocative agent of change after three years in football’s wilderness.
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COLLINGWOOD has hired new football boss Graeme Allan as a provocative agent of change after three years in football’s wilderness.
The decision to elevate Allan has angered many given long-time football boss Neil Balme was hired from Geelong only 22 months ago to be Nathan Buckley’s right-hand man.
Some have suggested that for the second time Balme is Collingwood’s scapegoat given he was pushed out of the club to Geelong a decade ago.
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But what has become crystal clear is that Collingwood has tried a safe, secure and nurturing environment for its football department and not seen any results.
Now it will try the opposite tack with Collingwood having deliberately installed Allan as an agitator to shake up every area of that football department.
Collingwood is adamant it hired Allan only to head up its women’s and football teams, but it always planned to elevate him onto its list management committee.
As the Pies crashed out of finals contention he was asked six weeks ago to consider moving back into the football role.
He has promised to shake things up at Collingwood in list management, coaching and high performance and aggressively pursue success in a method removed from Balme’s calm manner.
There is a line of thought within Collingwood that a steady-as-she-goes environment has not produced results.
Balme is being given time to talk with other clubs about his future but has a role as a director of coaching should he wish to stay at Collingwood.
It is the first time since the 1999-2001 transition from Tony Shaw to Mick Malthouse that the Pies have missed the finals for three consecutive years.
Collingwood must still dodge the bullet of potential punishment over Allan’s role in the Lachie Whitfield affair.
Allan’s defence of allegations that he was attempting to subvert a possible drugs test is that he was following through on doctor’s orders to help Whitfield recover from a migraine.
That investigation has been handed back to the AFL by ASADA, with Allan potentially facing a suspension.
Despite Buckley’s suggestion on Monday there is no chance key forward Travis Cloke will remain at the club.
He will push to get to the Bulldogs for minimal trade compensation, with the possibility his $500,000 2017 salary will be scrapped and replaced by a fresh deal at the Dogs.
In a development no one would have foreseen at the start of the year, he will leave but the Pies are about to offer Jesse White another one-year contract.
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It is understood they have told him he is required as part of a forward line to be structured around developing key tall Darcy Moore.
The club is also moving slowly to re-sign free agent Jarrad Blair, who at 26 put together a reasonable 15-goal season.
Originally published as Collingwood has hired Graeme Allan to be an agent of change at the Magpies
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