Report: Nathan Buckley tells Adam Treloar Collingwood stars want him gone

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley reportedly called midfielder Adam Treloar to tell him his Magpies mates want him axed from the club.

Adam Treloar and Kim Ravaillion.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has hit back after a report emerged claiming he told Magpies midfielder Adam Treloar the club’s senior players “didn’t want him around anymore”.

Treloar was thrown into the trade rumour mill last month when it was revealed his wife Kim Ravaillion would resume her netball career with the Queensland Firebirds in the Super Netball competition.

Ravaillion would also be taking the couple’s young daughter with her, sparking speculation Treloar was eyeing a move to the Lions or Gold Coast Suns to avoid being separated from his family. However, the 27-year-old emphatically shut down those rumours, saying he wanted to remain in the black and white jumper.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Treloar is contracted with Collingwood until the end of the 2025 season, but he was reportedly left “incredibly frustrated” to learn the Pies don’t want him there next season.

Fox Sports journalist Tom Morris reported the Magpies don’t see Treloar as part of the club’s future and would “consider paying more than $200,000 of his 2021 salary even if he was at another club”.

Meanwhile, The Age’s Sam McClure reported the Pies were keen to offload Treloar because they don’t believe he can perform at his peak while being based away from his wife and daughter.

Adam Treloar of the Magpies.

SEN’s Sam Edmund reported Buckley added salt to the wound by handing the AFL star a harsh reality check.

“This is unfortunate for the player concerned,” Edmund told AFL Trade Radio on Monday afternoon.

“What we can say as absolute fact is Nathan Buckley had a phone conversation with Adam Treloar last week where he told him that Collingwood’s more senior players didn’t want him around the club anymore.

“We were wondering how Collingwood would seek to pour more pressure on forcing Adam Treloar out — now we have our answer.

“Now they’re telling him his teammates want him out, which I find staggering as he’s a very popular player at that football club.”

Edmunds also suggested Treloar was still telling the club he intended to stay put.

Collingwood is yet to comment publicly on the situation with Treloar and Buckley hit out on Twitter after the latest report was made public.

“‘Absolute fact’ ... news to me Sam,” Buckley tweeted. “The constant rumour and innuendo is disrespectful to Adam, the club and our supporters.

“We’ll continue to communicate directly and sensitively with Adz and his management.

“FYI, our leaders don’t sit on list management, it’s not their job.”

Edmund responded to Buckley’s comments and stood by his story.

“You know that tweet is going to come from Nathan Buckley,” Edmund told SEN’s Bob and Andy.

“I’m not an elder statesman of the media, but I have been around long enough to know what stories are the hand grenades and what ones are the feather dusters.

“I think it’s fair to say I went in to this one eyes wide open — I double and triple checked the messaging and everything around it to make sure I was 150 per cent sure.

“And even then, such is the explosive nature of it that I was reluctant and thought whether it’s worth the grief.

“I am rock solid comfortable with that version of events.

“Adam Treloar is extremely popular at Colingwood. I can tell you that conversation between Nathan Buckley and Adam Treloar absolutely took place.”

READ MORE: Giant twist in $4.5m war for AFL superstar

Nathan Buckley, Senior Coach of the Magpies.

Channel 7 AFL reporter Tom Brown tweeted: “Collingwood has opened themselves up to criticism, by not explaining Treloar. But it’s their prerogative if they want to trade him. He’ll have to agree to it.

“And not really their obligation to explain a sensitive employee situation to the world. And have it play out in public.

“The Treloar issue itself it’s sensitive. But they need to explain a list strategy that’s starting to look externally and in the absence of any explanation. Pretty chaotic. Maybe there’s method. But in a vacuum of information it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

ESPN journalist Niall Seewang posted: “This situation with Collingwood and Treloar really is bizarre. Surely the Pies have to address it publicly?”

Last week, Port Adelaide premiership-winner Kane Cornes called out Collingwood’s hypocrisy in supporting players with other issues in their lives, but not backing Treloar to help him through what will be a tough adjustment should he remain in Melbourne next year away from his family.

“It is wrong,” Cornes told AFL Trade Radio. “We know so many players across the competition have issues off the field and the averages would certainly suggest that there’d be more than a few Collingwood players that the club is aware of that have issues off the field.

“Whether it’s alcohol, whether it’s drugs, it might be a mental health condition or it might be challenges relating to a player’s immediate family — all of that has the potential to cause disruption and affect on-field performance.

“But good clubs, they go over the top to support their players and make sure that it doesn’t have an impact on the field.”