Collingwood coach: Assistant coaches from rival clubs in mix to replace Nathan Buckley
Collingwood is considering a host of highly-rated assistant coaches to replace Nathan Buckley. See the list of candidates here.
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Collingwood considered inviting Michael Malthouse on to its coaching subcommittee to help appoint Nathan Buckley’s successor from an initial list of 92 candidates.
Football director Paul Licuria made the revelation in a question-and-answer session with Magpie fans.
He also said the club was hunting five flags in the next 20 years and they would no longer look to “buy” their next premiership, which he said happened in the final seasons under Buckley.
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“I think we need to drop the ego a bit and (realise) we’re actually not as good as we think we are,” Licuria told a Collingwood supporter’s YouTube stream.
“We’ve won two flags in 60-odd years. For us to have that 20 years of success and win five flags we need to be honest with ourselves.
“Let’s not try to buy a flag.”
The Magpies topped up with expensive free agents Chris Mayne and Daniel Wells after 2016 before going all-in by purchasing goalkicking midfielder Dayne Beams on a four-year deal in the aftermath of the 2018 grand final heartbreak.
Wells played just 15 games for Collingwood, while Beams managed nine.
The approach blew up the club’s salary cap last year, which forced the Magpies to jettison Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs), Jaidyn Stephenson (North Melbourne) and Tom Phillips (Hawthorn) in an explosive trade period last year.
Licuria said new football boss Graham Wright was poached from Hawthorn because of his salary cap expertise.
Wright served as Hawthorn’s list manager during the club’s premiership three-peat.
Licuria revealed Malthouse was “floated” as the external member on the five-man coaching panel before premiership player Luke Ball was chosen.
Leigh Matthews was unavailable because he sits on Brisbane Lions’ board while Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall was also discussed.
Dunstall famously helped the Hawks appoint untried underdog Alastair Clarkson ahead of a field of established coaches back in 2004.
Licuria and Malthouse have spoken regularly about Collingwood’s search for a new coach and remain close after spending eight years together as player and coach.
Matthews (1990) and Malthouse (2010) are Collingwood’s only living premiership coaches, with the club winning just two flags since 1958.
Licuria, 43, said Ball was a “very switched on character”.
“We know he’s (Ball) going to add a lot of value to that process and be able to pull apart and pick apart presentations,” Licuria said.
Collingwood has drawn up a coaching assessment criteria, which it will use to whittle its list of 92 candidates down to 15-20 to help spit out the best person for the club.
A data set on each candidate’s sporting journey will help the Magpies funnel their list to fit their requirements.
News Corp revealed on Monday that Port Adelaide senior assistant coach Michael Voss had been approached by Collingwood although no formal interviews have yet taken place.
It’s understood that highly-rated assistants Craig McRae (Hawthorn), Don Pyke (Sydney), Blake Caracella (Essendon), Adam Kingsley (Richmond) and Adem Yze (Melbourne) are also on the list.
Licuria also revealed:
* SACKED coach Nathan Buckley could be back at Collingwood games and mixing with the club’s top brass within a month;
* HE has never met board challenger Jeff Browne, but said the current administration was “100 per cent stable”; and,
* DARCY Moore’s leadership stocks were rising and he was a potential future captain.
Licuria, who was answering questions on a supporter’s YouTube stream, told Squawk with Swoop, said Collingwood’s failure to attract a marquee player “really surprises me a little bit”.
With varying levels of seriousness, the Magpies have had unsuccessful cracks at Tom Lynch (Richmond), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) and Jonathan Brown (Brisbane) this century.
Licuria – a dual Copeland Trophy winner – said Collingwood’s often slow and stagnant ball movement was due to low confidence rather than a coaching directive.
The Magpies are looking to identify “gaps” in their football department and want their next coach to be well-equipped to plug those areas.
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Licura was frustrated at reports of instability at the Magpies. He said internally they were “solid” with board members aligned to different parts of the business.
Licuria likened Josh Daicos to Gary Ablett Jr and said injury-prone youngster Trent Bianco’s fast decision-making and slick ball use was reminiscent of Steele Sidebottom.
“I don’t want to put a mozz on him, but (Daicos) reminds me of a young Gary Ablett Jr,” Licuria said.
“His core body is very strong and his agility and he’s a very good ball user.
“It’s been a bit harder for him this year because teams are paying a lot more attention to him now, particularly around the ball.”
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