Nathan Buckley flags Magpies must address workrate issue as inconsistency continues

COLLINGWOOD must address a work-rate problem that threatens to trap Nathan Buckley’s men in the mid-part of the AFL ladder.

COLLINGWOOD must address a work-rate problem that threatens to trap Nathan Buckley’s men in the mid-part of the AFL ladder.

The Pies’ inconsistent season continued last night when they fell to Sydney by 47 points in a match marred by a racist slur directed at Swans champion Adam Goodes.

The effort was a disappointment for Buckley only a week after the Pies notched their best win of the season defeating heavyweight Geelong.

The Collingwood coach said the Swans were prepared to run much harder to each end of the ground than his team did last night.

McGuire apologises to Goodes

"We definitely got outworked by a side with a bit to prove," Buckley said.

"We wanted to back up our performance from last week, we were just unable to do that.

Swans monster Magpies

"They ran harder back to protect their defence and they ran harder forward.

"We just didn’t work hard enough, we were caught in the middle."

Adam Goodes

The loss leaves the Pies in danger of falling outside the top eight this round, with the club boasting one of the longest injury lists in the AFL.

Buckley said the work-rate problem for the Pies was part mental, part physical.

"No doubt we looked like we lacked some pep tonight," he said.

"We just looked that half a step off where we needed to be.

"Part of that is psychological. We set ourselves to came out to reinforce the performance of last week, but we have been a little bit up and down.

Nick Maxwell

"Round 3 versus Hawthorn (was a loss), then OK against Richmond, then poor against Essendon, then OK against St Kilda, then poor against Freo, then OK against Geelong, now poor again.

"We’ve gone win-loss, win-loss since Round 3 basically. We need to be better than that."