Neil Balme says Nathan Buckley not ‘totally’ to blame for recruiting Chris Mayne

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley is not ‘totally’ to blame for the Magpies’ decision to sign Chris Mayne on a $2 million, four-year contract, former footy boss Neil Balme says.

Chris Mayne of the Magpies.

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley is not ‘totally’ to blame for the Magpies’ decision to sign Chris Mayne on a $2 million, four-year contract, former footy boss Neil Balme says.

Balme has shed some light on the Magpies’ controversial decision to recruit the Fremantle forward as a free agent 12 months ago. Mayne played just three games, spending most of the season in the VFL.

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The recruiting move has been the subject of widespread criticism and Mayne’s father hit out at Buckley in September after the coach was seen to distance himself from the decision during a radio interview.

Chris Mayne kicked two goals in his three games this year.

Chris Mayne didn’t make another senior appearance after Round 3.

Mayne Sr said Buckley was at key recruiting meetings and had thrown his son “under the bus”.

But Balme, who left the Pies in September last year to head up Richmond’s football department, said there was more to the story than had been reported.

“I think I know a lot more about that than I’m prepared to talk about, but I wouldn’t blame Bucks for him totally,” he said today.

“It looks like his deal was a very, very good deal to his (Mayne’s) advantage. I’m not quite sure how that happened, I think that’s probably the error in it all.”

Balme said coaches at all clubs played a role in recruiting but the key decisions were often made by others at the club.

“Certainly, he wouldn’t be there if the coach said, ‘Absolutely, categorically I don’t want him’, but there are a lot of players on your list who aren’t necessarily your first-picked player, but they’re going to be important players around the place,” he said on SEN.

“In Chris’s case I think it seems as though it’s a deal that doesn’t really suit any more, but I’m not quite sure how that happened because I was just leaving at the time.

“I’d rather not say any more about it, it doesn’t look that good though, does it?”

Buckley told SEN after this year’s home-and-away season: “There were a few things mixed up with that. Our director of football was flipping around and there were a few things that happened there that weren’t ideal.”

Chris Mayne couldn’t break back into the Collingwood team.

Mayne joined Collingwood on October 12 last year, a day after Daniel Wells signed on a lucrative three-year deal.

The moves came weeks after Balme was replaced as football boss by Graeme “Gubby” Allan — who quit two months later after being suspended for his role in the Lachie Whitfield affair.

It was reported the promotion of Allan to shake up the football department came as a shock to Balme, his staff and even Buckley.

Mayne will see out his contract despite talk of Collingwood paying him out.

Balme said the 29-year-old forward “hasn’t done anything wrong”.

“I also think this is all very harsh and unfair on Chris Mayne,” Balme said.

“All he’s done is put his hand up and say, ‘I’d love to come and play for your club, I want to come and experience footy in Melbourne’ ... he’d done some really good work with Fremantle, probably run his race there ... not quite sure what happened there, and he finished up at Collingwood, which is all fine.

“Did he play well enough? No, he didn’t. Did they give him enough opportunities? Who knows.”