Nathan Buckley says Collingwood players have all to play for

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley declared today the most important game for the 44 players who will take to the MCG.

Adam Oxley

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley, donning the philosopher's cap, declared today the most important game for the 44 players who will take to the MCG.

Buckley was speaking about opportunities for Collingwood players - young and old - and the besieged Demons.

It wasn't a reference to the Demons' 1-9 win-loss ratio or the fact another heavy loss would further loosen Mark Neeld's hold on the Melbourne coaching job.

But with all that in mind, Buckley spoke a universal football truth.

"The next game you play is the most important game of your career," Buckley said.

"And that's the same for every one of the 22 players that will take the field tomorrow - 44 really when you include the Melbourne boys.

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"I mean this is the most important game of their careers and we're approaching it as such."

That response was prompted when Buckley was asked whether the absence of Andrew Krakouer gave veteran Alan Didak the opportunity to cement his place as the club's first-choice small forward.

"Any time any player goes out to play it's an opportunity for them to stake their claim both for the present and the future," Buckley said.

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Magpies rookie Adam Oxley will make his AFL debut after Jamie Elliott was ruled out yesterday with hamstring tightness.

Buckley said Elliott, who pulled out of training yesterday after 20 minutes, had been touch and go.

He said Queenslander Oxley, a rangy 191cm player listed at 78kg, has played on the wing and off half-back.

"He's probably a Nick Maxwell type that can win the ball in the air, really good defensive intensity and attributes ... runs the lines very well," Buckley said.

Adam Oxley

The Pies coach expected Melbourne to come out firing today. "You hear the words 'this is our grand final' out of a couple of their mouths," Buckley said.

He said he was feeling for Neeld, who worked with Buckley at Collingwood before he joined Melbourne.

"I thought the trial by media last week was a disgrace," he said.

"No one's in the board meeting, no one knows what's going on. But he's been able to hold his calm and his cool pretty well.

"As coach and players can only ever focus on what they're in control of and I know Neeldy really well and he's been able to do that.

"You're not going to get too many kind words from me on Neeldy, he's our enemy (today). I just think there's a lot of pressure on coaches in general and there's a fair bit of hysteria that takes place out there."