The seven problems at Collingwood as changes loom at season’s end
BIG changes loom at Collingwood if Nathan Buckley’s men miss finals again, and with a review of the club underway, JAY CLARK analyses where the problems are.
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BIG changes loom at Collingwood if Nathan Buckley’s men miss finals for a fourth straight year.
But should the coach cop all the heat?
The club has commissioned a full-scale review to find the answers to the Magpies’ problems. JAY CLARK analyses some key areas.
GARY BUCKENARA: COLLINGWOOD LIST ANALYSIS
ON-FIELD EXPECTATIONS: DO THE PIES KNOW WHERE THEY’RE AT?
THE BUZZ: WHY BUCKS NEEDS TO POLISH THE CV
RECRUITING
WHY did Collingwood embark on a mini-rebuild following back-to-back Grand Final appearances?
The answer to the question which continues to trouble Collingwood fans is complex, but can generally be put down to a cultural shift (amid concerns about some players’ off-field behaviour) and a need to compete with talent-laden franchise clubs Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast.
Only 13 players remain from the 2013 list.
Since then, the Magpies have restocked their midfield with tough, young ballwinners such as Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar, Levi Greenwood and Jack Crisp.
But what they gained in grunt, they may still lack in class, as the Pies’ foot skills have been a glaring issue this season. James Aish is a work in progress.
Ultimately, Collingwood has been caught short in the front half of the ground, without a second established key forward or a speedy and tackle-hungry small forward.
The Pies lack a Charlie Cameron type at ground level. They won the Travis Varcoe trade (for Heritier Lumumba) and Jeremy Howe has been an excellent selection, albeit slipping into Matthew Scharenberg’s role.
The Pies paid overs for free agents Daniel Wells and Chris Mayne at the end of last season and the gamble has backfired sp far. Paul Roos said Collingwood’s list management had been “appalling” in recent years.
DRAFTING
FROM 2012-14, Collingwood had seven top-20 selections which were always going to shape the success or failure of the mini-rebuild. So far, the results are mixed.
Nathan Freeman (pick No.10) walked out without playing a senior game following continued hamstring problems and Scharenberg (pick 6) has suffered dual knee reconstructions and is stuck in the VFL.
Their absence has dealt a devastating blow to the Pies’ progress. Brodie Grundy (pick 18) is an elite ruckman. Ben Kennedy (pick 19) was traded to Melbourne and Tim Broomhead (pick 20) is still on the fringe.
Jordan De Goey (pick 5) enjoyed a breakout game on Sunday after a slow start to his career. Athletic key forward Darcy Moore (pick 10) has suffered from the lack of a second big man to help carry the load this season.
Tough small defender Brayden Maynard (pick 30), wingman Tom Phillips (pick 58) and Rupert Wills (pick 63) are late-order ticks.
RIGHT-HAND MAN
NATHAN Buckley has chosen his words carefully when pressed on this issue, not wanting to tip a bucket on his club. But there can be no doubt the revolving door on football manager’s position has undermined the stability in the football department.
What Buckley has lacked is a trusted confidante in this key position. There have been four different officials in the post over the past five years.
Rodney Eade left to coach Gold Coast. Graeme Allan’s appointment came out of left field and led to the resignation of Neil Balme. Months later, Allan was suspended for his involvement in the Lachie Whitfield drug test saga.
Veteran football manager Geoff Walsh has returned to the Pies and will play a crucial role in the football department review. His respected voice has been a welcome addition this season.
FACILITIES
IF Collingwood once enjoyed an advantage over its rivals in this department, it has slipped back into the pack. The altitude room, once the jewel in the crown at Magpie headquarters, no longer gets switched on.
The pre-season trips to Arizona are not considered worth the expense under the AFL’s equalisation policies.
There are two problems with the training ground at Olympic Park. Collingwood is unable to close any of its sessions, meaning all drills, coaches’ instructions and injury issues are open to public view.
The surface can also become rock-hard and uncomfortable to train on in the warmer months. The ground is, in part, on top of the Burnley Tunnel.
OFF-FIELD CONTROVERSY
THE season started poorly when midfielder De Goey broke his hand in a fight, then lied to the club about it.
He was suspended for three matches after his hand had healed, meaning the hard-nut ball-winner didn’t play his first senior game of the season until Round 7.
By then, Collingwood had lost four games by less than 20 points, intensifying the early-season blowtorch on Buckley.
Senior duo Lachlan Keeffe and Josh Thomas were also banned for the 2015-16 seasons after taking illicit drugs laced with banned substance Clenbuterol. The Magpies kept the pair on the rookie list but were essentially two men down for two years.
INJURIES
WHEN it comes to injuries, it’s quality rather than quantity that has hurt Collingwood, and it seems to be more bad luck than mismanagement.
Star goalkicker Jamie Elliott was sidelined for all of 2016 with a back problem and two ankle flare-ups have cost him another five games this season.
Important speedster Varcoe has played just 22 of a possible 36 games in the past two seasons because of hamstring issues and Daniel Wells’ calf problems have limited him to only six appearances this year.
The playmaker returned from an off-season religious trip out-of-shape and hurt himself getting up to speed, and then again against Fremantle in the west in Round 11.
Dane Swan missed all of last season with a career-ending broken foot in Round 1.
Collingwood’s soft-tissue injuries fell substantially last year, but the impact injuries were a wipe-out.
UNCERTAINTY
A CLOUD of uncertainty has hung low over the Collingwood football department this year.
While the club is adamant the continued discussion over the senior coach’s future is not a factor inside the Holden Centre, the never-ending speculation hardly seems helpful. And it extends to the assistant coaching staff.
Brenton Sanderson is the only one of Buckley’s assistants who has a contract beyond 2017.
According to AFL rules, assistants must be told whether they will be retained for the following season by August 1 — in four weeks.
It means key lieutenants Robert Harvey and Scott Burns, as well as other coaching and recruiting staff, are in limbo. Opinion is divided whether this sort of uncertainty is counter-productive to good performance.
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