Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and ruckman Jarrod Witts involved in heated exchange during 29-point loss to Hawthorn
COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley conceded he was at his wit’s end when he ripped into Jarrod Witts during the 29-point loss to Hawthorn.
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COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley conceded he was at his wit’s end when he ripped into Jarrod Witts during the 29-point loss to Hawthorn.
Buckley came to the interchange area late in the third quarter at a time when Hawthorn unleashed a matchwinning three-goal burst, and delivered a withering and animated spray at the 21-year-old ruckman.
HAWKS MAINTAIN DOMINANCE OVER PIES
After the siren both men acknowledged that it was an emotional exchange, but had no problem with outburst.
“It’s an emotional game, but I was fairly calculated in my approach to Wittsy,’’ Buckley said, “and he just happened to be running off at that time, which was bad timing for him’’.
Witts told Fox Footy after the game that Buckley “got stuck into me a little bit. He just wanted me to come out and have a big last effort and will the boys to get over the line.
“I’ll just take it on the chin and move on.’’
Buckley said the blast was “designed as a prickle. It was designed to really challenge him and wake him up in some ways. We’re getting about 85 per cent of what he’s capable of, right now, and there’s gold in that last 15 per cent.
Incident with Wittsy says more about his coach than the player. Still room for challenges to be laid in this game but too overt today.
— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) June 21, 2014Sub-type: comment CAPTION: Incident with Wittsy says more about his coach than the player. Still room for challenges to be laid in this game but too overt today.— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) June 21, 2014
“Wittsy came into the club five years ago now as a young bloke,’’ Buckley said, “and I’ve got great belief in what he’s going to be capable of achieving. And I don’t think he shares that belief at the moment.
“His last quarter was good. He kicked a couple of goals, took a contested mark in the goalsquare, but we want our big fellas to play like big fellas. We want them to play big and tall and tough and have blokes stand up taller around them, and I didn’t think Wittsy was doing that for most of the game, and definitely in that 5-10 minute period leading up to three-quarter time.’’
Buckley felt the last five minutes of the third quarter undermined all of the hard work the Pies had put in to get back in the match from 22 points down late in the first half.
“We can’t afford to give up two or three goals in two minutes,’’ he said.
“We can’t afford to do that against a quality side. We’d worked so hard as a side to be in the game and we need every individual to understand — and we’ve got a lot of young players there — but still understanding that there are moments in a game that you need to seize, and Hawthorn were the side today that seized those moments, and we let them go.’’
Another crucial moment in the third quarter involved a controversial decision by the non-controlling field umpire to penalise Pies skipper Pendlebury for throwing the ball, even though replays suggested it was a legitimate handball.
The umpire made the call from 50 metres away, and the resulting free kick led to a goal from Brad Sewell that made the margin eight points.
“I saw the handball on the replay, so my view wouldn’t be positive towards that particular decision,’’ Buckley said.
“At times I felt like we were up against it in that regard.
“But that’s the game. We didn’t get the rub of the green at all today, but that happens from time to time.’’
Buckley said he felt Collinwgood was “in the contest for a lot of it, although minus 25 in contested possessions hurts, and really that’s just like water dripping on a stone, eventually it told’’.
He was also critical of his team’s slow ball movement in the final term, which he suggested was more of a factor than a lack of run caused by consecutive six-day breaks.
Collingwood should regain the suspended Steele Sidebottom and Tyson Goldsack (knee) for next Sunday night’s match against Carlton.
But Tom Langdon, who was subbed out in the second quarter with concussion after wearing a stray Jack Gunston boot in the mouth, is a chance to miss, while Nick Maxwell (calf) is likely to be unavailable for at least another week.
Originally published as Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and ruckman Jarrod Witts involved in heated exchange during 29-point loss to Hawthorn