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Nathan Buckley quits: Collingwood coach stands down, list situation facing replacement
A trade period fire sale cruelled Nathan Buckley's 2021 hopes, but is the situation much better now? Here's the latest on the Pies' out-of-contract stars, and potential trade targets.
Collingwood won’t be forced to trade out more star players in a repeat of last year’s dramatic cuts to fit under the AFL’s salary cap for a new coach.
Football boss Graham Wright said last week the Magpies were still suffering a “hangover” in the salary cap stakes, sparking fears the club will have to shed more star players after losing Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson last year.
But the Herald Sun has confirmed there does not need to be any more major departures in this year’s exchange period for salary cap reasons, although the club won’t be able to afford any star signings either.
Superstar Jordan De Goey will attract some interest after another patchy start to the season and could tempt the Magpies, who need to bolster their draft points position to secure likely No. 1 pick and supremely talented midfielder Nick Daicos.
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Collingwood has all but ruled itslef out of the AFL free agency race and will certainly not make a bid for Essendon’s Zach Merrett or Carlton spearhead Harry McKay.
In recent years Collingwood players had repeatedly been forced to forego salary payments until the following year to help ease pressure on the salary cap, but the requests had begun to grate on the playing group.
FULL REACTION: PIES GREATS RESPOND TO BUCKLEY'S SHOCK EXIT
Football boss Wright said those departures were necessary, even though the losses significantly hurt the team and Nathan Buckley’s chances of succeeding in 2021. Buckley on Wednesday announced he would step aside after Monday’s clash against Melbourne after a 3-9 start to the season.
“Overall some of the decisions that were made at the end of last year were needed for cap reasons,” Wright said. “So you lose a couple of good players from that, but the decisions were made around a transition for the club and we started that last year with eight new players coming in through the draft period and then two just recently, so 10 in the last eight months.
“The club is in that transitional phase of regeneration. From that perspective, we projected forward and we looked at the next three to five years and what that is going to look like forward us.
“Certainly losing a couple of players can affect results, but in the end it was a phase the club had to go through.”
Buckley was criticised for his communications with Treloar throughout the trade period but on Wednesday said the club had to reset and “pull the pain forward” from a list management perspective.
List boss Ned Guy parted ways with the club after the mid-season bye as part of the fallout from the tumultuous trade period.
The Magpies have missed Treloar’s line-breaking run out of the middle while Stephenson slotted 62 majors in his first two seasons before falling out of form and out of favour in his third year.
Buckley said Collingwood was in good shape to rise up under new leadership after a difficult trade period last year.
“There has been some decisions which we could have made better in the past, but I think the next best decision is to own those and acknowledge them and then to make the right decision for now,” Buckley said.
“And to try and clean the slate. I think the slate is as clean as it could possibly be now, with a new president, a new football manager, an interim coach and then you will have a senior coach for 2022.”
Champion ballwinner Scott Pendlebury could also hand over the captaincy to Taylor Adams for next year after eight years as skipper, including being voted as captain of the year by his peers in 2020.
Buckley said it was hard to ignore the difference in direction Geelong’s list had taken at the end of last year, adding Jeremy Cameron, Isaac Smith and Shaun Higgins, compared to the Magpies’ moves.
He said “there is no doubt that has an impact in the short term” but was adamant the Magpies were in “pretty good shape”.
“We are in a period of regeneration as a football club,” Buckley said.“The list turnover has begun and I think we can refresh really quickly, I think the playing list will be competitive and can win quite quickly.”
'NOTHING LASTS FOREVER': BEHIND BIG BUCKLEY CALL
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley admitted he wasn’t up for the long haul of another list rebuild when he and the Magpies called time on his decade in charge.
The Magpies’ favourite son will coach the club for a 218th and final time in the Queen’s Birthday Monday clash against Melbourne at the SCG after sensing “an appetite for change” among club bosses in recent weeks.
While Robert Harvey prepares to take over for the second half of the season, Former Fremantle and St Kilda boss Ross Lyon, Hawthorn assistant Sam Mitchell and former Richmond premiership assistant Justin Leppitsch have emerged as early frontrunners to replace Buckley permanently.
Hawthorn premiership mastermind Alastair Clarkson would be the No. 1 target but he is contracted at Waverley until the end of next season.
Collingwood players were surprised by the news when Buckley, football boss Graham Wright and chief executive Mark Anderson called a snap meeting to announce their decision about 10am at the club on Wednesday morning.
Buckley, who has a 54 per cent winning record as coach and fell five points short in the 2018 premiership decider against West Coast, said the club needed a fresh voice to start a new chapter after a tumultuous off-season.
“The question is whether I was up for it and whether the club viewed me as a longer-term person to do it for the next three-to-five years,” Buckley said.
“I can’t categorically say I wanted to be here for the next five years, for instance.
“The candidate that the club will end up looking for should be someone who has that fresh eyes, fresh ideas and a new person within the group to help it pop again and to help it regenerate.
“When you have been in the seat for 10 years - to mandate and have the capacity to do that (lead the rebuild) wasn’t as great.”
Anderson said the decision on Buckley “was not impacted in any way” by the looming presidential challenge from Jeff Browne, who plans to take over from current president Mark Korda at an extraordinary general meeting in about September.
The joint decision ends months of speculation about Buckley’s future, with Collingwood crashing out of finals contention early this season, following the departures of star ballwinners Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson in the trade period.
Buckley said talks about his contract situation ramped up over the past few weeks, leaving him in no doubt it was time to step aside.
“The last couple of weeks in conversation with Graham it was clear there was an appetite for change in the program and I could sense that as well,” Buckley said.
“My message, my manner, and the way that I lead is established, so there was a general sense it was time for something different.”
While he will depart the Magpies without a premiership, Buckley said he was proud of his achievements in football, but was unclear on what was next.
“My coaching career has mirrored my playing career pretty closely,” he said.
“Ultimately to not have been part of a premiership, to reflect back to what I would have thought 20 years ago, I think I would have been absolutely gutted and shattered by it.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m definitely not unfulfilled because the journey itself has been tremendously fulfilling and bar a kick here or there I wouldn’t change much.
“I sit here tremendously content with the work that I’ve done, the people that I met and what we have been able to achieve and the way that I have gone about it.”
The spotlight has followed Buckley intensely throughout his illustrious playing and coaching career and in particular in recent times following the departures of premiership defender Heritier Lumumba, new Western Bulldog Treloar and president Eddie McGuire.
He took over from Michael Malthouse in 2012 as part of McGuire’s controversial succession plan and led the Magpies to finals in four of his 10 seasons in charge.
Buckley said while the public scrutiny took a toll at times, he had grown more resilient and had built his coaching style on his emotional connections and ties with his players.
“There is no doubt that they (controversies) do have an impact,” he said.
“When you love a place and you are invested in it and 1) it can do better as an organisation or 2) the opinion of it is not positive - that can weigh you down.
“There are high expectations and being a leader at Collingwood is one of the most scrutinised positions in footy.
“I have accepted that and I have understood it. I suppose I’m not worn down by it all.
“You have to regenerate and you have to stay passionate to do your job and I’m human - that ebbs and flows at different times - but invariably I can bounce back pretty quick.”
Collingwood will look to pay homage to Buckley and celebrate his playing and coaching careers at a time when fans are allowed to attend games at the MCG.
But CEO Anderson would not be drawn on what the club required from his replacement.
“We will have a process in place shortly which will include a panel,” Anderson said.
“We will be talking to a whole range of people and certainly this is a really important role and an important time and we need to make the right decision so we will consider all options.”
I WILL ALWAYS BE COLLINGWOOD - BUCKLEY
"I feel like I have been blessed to be part of this football club over a large period of time. I walked into it as a 21-year-old in November 1993 down at Vic Park and I said to the guys this morning that Tony Shaw took me under his wing and taught me how to go about making the most of my opportunities as a footballer but in the journey that I have shared with Collingwood since, it has been - the lessons have been far more deep and broad than just being a good footballer. I really have a great passion for this place, the people within it and the people that we represent and I have always felt that I have given to the multiple roles that I have played at the club over the last 28 years and it is a bit sad to understand that that will be coming to an end on Monday. I am looking forward to the week's preparation and looking forward to seeing what we can do against a side that is playing some pretty good footy. I will have my head down and want to give our people, our players and our staff and our members the best chance of feeling that success in the short-term."
WHY NOW?
"We have been talking openly for the last couple of months and we have detailed it publicly. We understand that the members deserve to have an insight into where the club is and where it is going. What I will say is that Wrighty has only been at the club for four months but we have got a beauty here, someone who is a really good operator and very honest and open. I have really enjoyed that time that I have had here with Wrighty.The conversations were largely around what is best for the footy club. Trying to remove the external noise in conversation and work out fundamentally what the program need and how we're going to get the best out of the people that we have at our disposal. I think in the end, the last couple of weeks in conversations with Graham, it was clear that there was an appetite for change in the program and I could sense that as well and I think my messages, my manner, the way that I lead is established and we had a general sense that it was time for something different. There was time for something new and somebody fresh and I think this is the right time for the football club. A decision was made about whether to coach the year out and I would have been happy to coach the year out if that is what the club needed and wanted and we felt that was the best but, ultimately, coaching this weekend and then stepping out is once again another opportunity for new growth, for new energy and new voices and that is the opportunity that should happen as soon as that decision is made. It has been really transparent. I am really content with the way that the process that has taken place and how it has occurred and very confident in the people that are leading the place and the decisions that have been made that the club will head in the right direction."
WAS HE TAPPED ON THE SHOULDER?
"I have had a part in this. I am not being smart about this but I have had a part in the conversations. Nothing lasts forever. I was going to be tapped at some stage but there is no doubt that this is the best thing for the football club. I have always believed that that is what should happen and the guys either side of me, the guys that are in the boardroom and the players all want to see the right thing happen for the club. This is the best move for the club as well and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here."
RECAP BUCKLEY'S PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW.
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That's all from Nathan Buckley's press conference
Robert Harvey confirmed as interim coach
Collingwood has confirmed St Kilda legend and assistant coach Robert Harvey will take over as interim coach from next Tuesday.
"If he wants to apply for the job absolutely," Pies football manager Graham Wright said.
"At this stage we have talked about being the caretaker from next Tuesday."
Buckley added: "I just can't speak highly enough (of Harvey".
"I don't think he's really viewed in the right light in terms of his coaching capacity.
"He's a very good coach, very good strategically."
Buckley: I will always be a Collingwood person
"There's a little bit of habit in what we do and the boys have been a massive part of my life, Collingwood has been a massive part of my life…
"I will have a strong passion for this place until the day I am no longer on this earth.
"I don't know exactly how that's going to represent itself physically.
"If I can get to games I will get there."
Buckley: It's a shame most Collingwood fans won't be there on Monday
"The reality is I don't think the Collingwood people have missed an opportunity to show their gratitude to me and I have felt that.
Could Buckley coach another club?
"If I am going to leave my options open, that's probably a wise decision for anyone out there. I don't know…
"It's still really raw. My overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude…
"I am quite content that the decision is the right one and it's not just the right one for the football club it's the right one for me in this present moment…
"I know whatever I do do in the future it will be with 100 per cent commitment and everything I have got.
"If coaching is on the radar, I still haven't consolidated that thought now."
Buckley asked 'what has led to this point?'
"This is the way the game goes. You're in contention, you generate and come back and you're in contention again. Very few flat line at the top or flat line at the bottom. It is a product of many things."
Buckley on trade period fallout
Nathan Buckley conceded losing stars such as Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson in last year's trade period had a "short-term impact" but backed the club's direction.
"I believe we are in pretty good shape. The connection between players and staff is really strong. The understanding of what I suppose, of making the right decisions at the right time…this is simply one of those. I believe in the direction the club is taking. I believe in the leadership of the place."
Buckley asked whether he's fulfilled with what he achieved as coach
"I'm definitely not unfulfilled because the journey itself has been tremendously fulfilling.
"I wouldn't change much.
"It's a good question and one I will spend some time reflecting on.
"I sit here tremendously content with the work I have done, the people I have met."
What's next for Buckley?
Buckley says he is looking forward to spending more time with his children.
"I really don't know what I will do."
Buckley on trade period fallout, Eddie McGuire leaving
"When you love a place and you are invested in it, when one, it can be better as an organisation or two, the opinion of it is not positive, that can weigh you down.
"In the short term, it's not any different for me than my whole career at Collingwood. There is high expectations…and I have accepted that and understood it.
He added:
"You have to regenerate, you have to stay passionate to be able to do your job. I am human, that ebbs and flows at times…
And later said:
"The last 18 months has been as bizarre as you would ever wish to see or be a part of. There is a little bit of trauma that comes with that, but nothing that can't be overcome."
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