Collingwood is full of C and D-grade players, says veteran recruiter Gary Buckenara

COLLINGWOOD is guilty of poor recruiting and overrating its players as veteran recruiter Gary Buckenara gives a scathing assessment of the Magpies’ list.

Jesse White has been languishing in the VFL this season. Picture: Michael Klein

COLLINGWOOD is guilty of overrating its players and must address a number of significant list management problems to become a serious contender, according to veteran recruiter Gary Buckenara.

The Magpies slumped to 15th following a loss to Hawthorn on Sunday with pressure intensifying on coach Nathan Buckley.

But the coach might not be completely to blame for his side’s struggles.

THE BUZZ: WHY BUCKLEY SHOULD POLISH HIS CV

ON-FIELD EXPECTATIONS: DO THE PIES KNOW WHERE THEY’RE AT?

Buckenara, who helped build Hawthorn’s three-peat premiership list and is a four-time premiership player, believes poor recruiting and list management strategies combined with overrating players have led to the Magpies facing a fourth consecutive year out of the finals.

**Read Gary Buckenara’s Collingwood analysis on superfooty.com.au on Thursday from 11am**

“Collingwood has been a bit unlucky with injury and being on the wrong end of close results this year but the list isn’t as good as many believe it is,” Buckenara said.

“There are players there that I believe must be overrated internally. The club might rank them as B to C-graders but in my opinion, they’re C to D-graders and players that are really there as negating or depth players at best.

“I’m thinking of guys like Levi Greenwood, Tim Broomhead, Tom Langdon, Jesse White, Jarryd Blair, Chris Mayne, Lachlan Keeffe, Jackson Ramsay, Rupert Wills and Adam Oxley. If these guys are in their future premiership model then I think it will be a long wait.

Collingwood has ovverated players such as Levi Greenwood, according to Gary Buckenara. Picture: Michael Klein

“Typically, signs that a club has overrated its list is when they tend to keep the same type of players and they then get the same type of results.

“That’s exactly what I’ve seen at Collingwood. Something has gone wrong.

“The Magpies — to put it bluntly — simply do not have enough A-grade players or even B-grade players. There are too many C and D-graders.”

Collingwood moved on eight players last year — including premiership heroes Travis Cloke and Nathan Brown via free agency — while Dane Swan and four others retired.

As part of a special series for heraldsun.com.au where the list guru analysing the all 18 AFL clubs, Buckenara is scathing in his assessment of Collingwood.

While Buckley is under the most pressure, the blame for the Magpies’ woes can also land at the feet of a recruiting team that has invested in players with poor skills.

Collingwood is ranked 18th in the league for conceding marks to opposition players — averaging 7.1 per game — inside its own forward 50, which then means it takes more forward 50 entries to convert attacking play into goals (ranked 16th for goals per inside 50).

The Magpies also concede 57.4 points per game to rivals from turnovers — ranked 14th.

“That’s what hurts them and it’s because the club has recruited too many poor ball users that it kills any sort of game plan,” Buckenara said.

“It’s as simple as that.

“Collingwood also need to have a serious look at the list and breakdown exactly what they need from a structure point of view and the coach’s game plan.

“The club has a long history of keeping midfielders for too long and ignoring the need for key position players.”