Nathan Buckley must change his plan to save his job, writes David King
STUBBORN and defiant coaches are also known as former coaches, writes DAVID KING. Nathan Buckley needs to admit his plan isn’t working. Luckily he has some clear alternatives.
Collingwood
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NATHAN Buckley is dying on the vine. There are games that can kill coaching careers and Anzac Day is shaping as one of those noose tighteners.
Nathan has been handed considerable “feedback” over the past five days from the media, an enormous fan base, no doubt his coaching subordinates and I’m sure the president has passed on some advice as well.
VERDICT: HERALD SUN EXPERT TIPS
Can they all be wrong? Buckley hears, but does he listen? Does Nathan always know best?
Nathan Buckley is a contest then defence and finally an offensively-geared coach. The numbers published here highlight his past five years and it’s without an area of strength.
Not a great contested team, an average at best defensive team and a poor offensive outfit.
Surely the results offer evidence that change is not only required, but imperative in order to get Collingwood’s forward line off life support.
Stubborn and defiant coaches are also known as former coaches.
Damien Hardwick, Ken Hinkley and even Ross Lyon have illustrated in the past month that shifting slightly away from personal philosophies, at least in the short term, can help straighten the ship — and ease personal pressure.
WAY TO GOEY
I’m of the opinion, clearly a minority view, that for the greater good of the football club, Buckley needed to revise and rescind the suspension of Jordan De Goey.
They won’t for “cultural reasons”, which is also understandable — maintaining standards is the key message exiting the Holden Centre — but I’m pretty sure De Goey has learnt some tough lessons. Could he not serve his penance another way?
De Goey was a dominant force at VFL level last weekend and he’d be more than handy on Tuesday afternoon repaying the club where it matters most.
More significant is the domino effect on another quality mid, allowing other quality midfielders to spill to other areas of the field.
Think Scott Pendlebury to full-forward or Daniel Wells to half-back.
ACT NOW
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome.
The Collingwood forward 50 is the worst ever recorded by Champion Data, converting an entry into a goal only 18.5 per cent of the time.
Maybe we can offer some suggestions rather than blanket statements of doom and gloom, as I believe Buckley’s coaching career is still salvageable before the lack of scoring impacts the crowd attendances and viewership.
Currently averaging a paltry 75 points, it’s time to spin the magnets! Get creative, try something!
OUT: J WHITE
It’s time to part company with the perennial underachiever Jesse White. Jesse is neither a target for their forward 50 entries nor a pressure player. So what is he?
Jesse is a dozen possessions and a goal per game, seldom more, often less. At 29 he’s shown he cannot structure and organise this forward line. Gone.
IN: D WELLS
I would’ve been particularly excited if the Pies risked Josh Daicos given his VFL form and the excitement first-gamers bring, but Daniel Wells’ inclusion will have an enormous impact.
Wells is the antithesis of the current Collingwood profile; he’s minimum possession, maximum damage. Collingwood will score when Wells touches the football. But more significant is the domino effect, allowing other quality midfielders to spill to other areas of the field.
Clearly the inclusion of Wells into this midfield would help distribution inside the forward 50, but he’s missed a considerable block of match conditioning and may be of more use across half-back.
EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Send Ben Reid and Jeremy Howe forward from defence. And Scott Pendlebury or Adam Treloar to spend more time deep forward.
Darcy Moore is the AFL’s worst inside forward 50m target of the AFL’s top 50 targeted players.
Darcy looked terrific as a roaming centre half-forward and Buckley should consider that role in the near short-term. He’s not ready to be a solo forward 50m target just yet, so something must give.
Reid was an elite target way back in 2013 when Collingwood scored from more than of 50 per cent of Ben’s targeted entries and again he briefly showed his forward viability in 2015.
He must go forward and assist in correcting this Magpie mess, at minimum providing a consistent reference point for the crumbers like Alex Fasolo and Jamie Elliott.
DUNN DEAL
Embrace Lynden Dunn. If Dunn doesn’t play now then why did they recruit him?
The possible inclusion of Mason Cox creates more problems than it solves. A defensive liability and a specialist aerial forward/part-time ruck role at best.
Howe’s form down back has been terrific for Jeremy and his intercept numbers are enormous, but what’s best for the team?
Collingwood needs an above average forward more desperately than elite intercept defender.
SOMETHING ... ANYTHING
Pendlebury spent 16 per cent of games in the forward 50 last season yet only 8 per cent this year. Why?
Why not experiment with Pendlebury to the point where he holds inside the forward 50 regardless of where the football is positioned, a la Dustin Martin at the Tigers?
Try something different. Maybe Treloar is worth a shot?
The Magpie midfield is winning the league’s third-most clearances and contested football and is averaging over 400 disposals per week, which is also ranked AFL No.3.
But only Essendon kicks the football forward less than the Magpies.
They average the sixth most inside-50s yet rate the third worst scoring team in the AFL.
The scrutiny on Buckley’s coaching will start from the selection table but only gets serious when the players walk to the forward line, post bugler, before the first bounce, allowing all to assess whether the man with his hands on the lever has embraced change.
I still maintain Buckley has the assets to correct a failing scoring system, but he must use not just his thoughts but also the surrounding intelligence.
Excuses are long gone.
Collingwood is neither young nor inexperienced. Maybe the club that Nathan built just isn’t good enough?
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