Nathan Buckley’s coaching career at Collingwood looks over after loss to Essendon, writes Mark Robinson
COLLINGWOOD is in free-fall and as the Pies slumped to another loss, there was a feeling Nathan Buckley‘s coaching career was winding up too, writes MARK ROBINSON.
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IN the end — and it’s almost a fait accompli for Nathan Buckley now — the coach will lament injuries, turnovers and missed goals.
That describes Buckley’s coaching career.
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After yet another loss, this time to Essendon by 37 points, which has Collingwood at 5-10 and missing September, the Collingwood board has a decision to make, if it hasn’t already happened.
Pre-match, Leigh Matthews said some coaches — he admitted he did at Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions — had a sixth sense about the future.
The sense on Saturday, as the Bombers kicked nine goals to two through the first and second quarters and then had the more powerful fourth quarter, was that the infamous Mick Malthouse to Nathan Buckley project had run its race.
What a roller coaster — from Grand Finalists when Buckley took charge, and straight away went on a path of heavy list changes via big-name trading and so-so recruiting, to now languishing in 15th spot is an epic free-fall.
And Collingwood could be 17th by Sunday night if Carlton beats Melbourne and North Melbourne beats Fremantle and finds two per cent in doing so.
If football is win-loss industry, as Collingwood football boss Geoff Walsh said last weekend, then Buckley is up against it.
They play some magical football, the Pies, as we saw in the third quarter against the Bombers, and play some ordinary football, as we saw in the first and second quarters, making this team one of the most curious in the competition.
Just why they can’t play a consistent four quarters is a question that has haunted all of Collingwood, from coaches to diehard fans, for some time.
The Pies kicked the first two goals before the Bombers kicked the next seven amid a flurry of clangers and mistakes from Buckley’s players.
They began the game without late withdrawal Jeremy Howe — yet another crucial injury — but not even his class and awareness at the back would have curtailed the Bombers.
The Pies had their moments, but not nearly enough.
Indeed, their season has had some moments, but not nearly enough to win the close games.
The three matches since the bye break, — losses to Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Bombers — have been the killer blow for Collingwood’s season.
Like all teams, the Pies would have assessed and reset at the break and believed the second half of the season was enticing.
Three wins and a heartbreaking four-point loss to Melbourne before the bye had them 5-7 and the players believing.
From that point, the season has fallen apart.
The Port loss was poor, the Hawks out-toughed them and the Bombers outgunned them.
Turnovers and missed goals cost the Pies. That’s this week’s excuse, anyway.
Collingwood’s flying start was cancelled out by mistakes by Brayden Maynard and Jamie Elliott, who coughed up the ball by foot and allowed Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Zach Merrett to respond with goals.
The rot had set in. More mistakes led to Essendon kicking five consecutive goals.
At the start of the second quarter, Ben Reid missed a goal from 30m directly in front. The Bombers responded with Andrew McGrath taking three bounces from the back half to set up a goal for Orazio Fantasia, who kicked five for the afternoon.
James Stewart followed with a goal via an Adam Trelaor turnover.
For most of the day, the Bombers were clean, quick in ball movement and were able to take the ball from back half to the forward half too easily.
Essendon scored six times in the opening half from chains starting in the defensive 50. The AFL average for an entire game is only four.
In the first half, Collingwood conceded a goal from nine of Essendon’s 25 inside 50s, whereas Essendon conceded a goal from only four of Collingwood’s 24 entries.
Note this. With 80 seconds to play in the second quarter, Taylor Adams ran into goal and kicked out of bounds on the full. With six seconds to play, Fantasia won the ball at the other end and kicked a goal, giving Essendon a 27-point lead.
It could have been 15 points, but in barely more than a minute it was out to almost five goals. Coulda, woulda, didn’t.
The Pies were the butcher kings and, when it gets all broken down at the end of the season, the fact is they don’t have enough skilled players.
They do have grunt, but executing under pressure is an ongoing problem.
Is that Buckley’s fault?
Ultimately he’s responsible because he’s the coach, but it’s more than about Buckley and his preferred game style.
If or when he goes, you have to wonder if Collingwood — the entire club — needs new direction and new personnel.
President Eddie McGuire and chief executive Gary Pert have overseen this debacle of a period for the Pies, but they seemingly escape any sort of scrutiny.
If they do clear out the coach, maybe they should ask themselves if they should go with him.
Because failure at a football club is never because of one individual.
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