Collingwood Magpies no closer to Nathan Buckley decision

THE future of Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is no clearer after a lengthy board meeting on Tuesday night.

Magpies head coach Nathan Buckley walks from the field.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says the club has still not decided whether Nathan Buckley will coach the Magpies next season.

McGuire spoke to reporters after a board meeting on Tuesday night where football boss Geoff Walsh tabled his preliminary report after his far-reaching review of the football department.

McGuire said the board members needed time to digest the report’s findings, which will mean Buckley will coach the side against Melbourne on Saturday not knowing if he will hold his position next season.

Magpies head coach Nathan Buckley hands instructions to his players.

Buckley is about to come out of contract and his future has been one of this season’s major stories.

He has been at the helm for six years and this is the fourth season in a row that they have missed the finals.

They are 13th with eight wins and end their season on Saturday against Melbourne.

The report from Walsh, their football manager, is one of three internal reviews at the underperforming club.

There have been several reports in recent weeks that the club is leaning towards a scenario similar to the ones that played out at Richmond last year and Geelong in 2006.

Changes were made after exhaustive reviews, but under-pressure coaches Damien Hardwick and Mark Thompson survived and went on to enjoy much-improved seasons — the Tigers are currently fourth and the Cats won the 2007 flag.

Is time running out for Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

Regardless of whether Buckley stays, a shake-up of their football department is inevitable.

Geelong coach Chris Scott would be surprised if Buckley doesn’t have some inkling of what lies ahead.

“It’s really hard to speculate as to what has actually been discussed, but I would be staggered if Nathan and his superiors hadn’t had discussions all the way through,” Scott said on AFL 360.

“Similar to the way coaches and list managers talk to senior players toward the end of their careers.

“It’s not (a case of) ‘okay now we have to talk about this for the first time’. It’s a process that you work through over a period of time.

“Even though their public position has been ‘we’ll make that decision at the end of the year’, I’d be staggered if they hadn’t had some sort of discussions to give him a bit of a feel for what’s going on.

“That would be a difficult position to be in.”

BUCKLEY DEFENDS LUMUMBA RELATIONSHIP

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has defended his relationship with Heritier Lumumba after the retired Magpie lashed out at his former coach. Lumumba, who played 199 games for Collingwood and was part of their 2010 premiership side, has described his fractured bond with Buckley in an SBS documentary to be aired this month.

The Brazilian-born midfielder claimed Buckley had made light of “racist and homophobic banter” at the club, according to a Fairfax Media report on Saturday. Lumumba also reportedly put up with being nicknamed “chimp” because he wanted to fit in with his teammates.

Collingwood Coach Nathan Buckley talks to the team at quarter time. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Speaking after the Pies’ loss to Geelong on Saturday, Buckley said he had been unaware of the nickname, and suggested Lumumba had characterised their relationship unfairly.

“It’s a bit sad, in many ways, that H feels that way about his experiences in the game,” Buckley said.

“I suppose I’d echo the sentiments of the club, just hoping that he’s doing well and that he can still see the positives of his experience as an AFL footballer as well.

“I’ve personally always looked out for and been aware of H’s issues or his concerns or challenges, and tried to support him as best I possibly can in my role as teammate, captain and then coach.

“There’s a bit more that goes on than just the one anecdote at one moment.” Lumumba was traded to Melbourne at the end of 2014 but retired two years later after a dispute with the Demons about their handling of his repeated concussions.

The Dees remained adamant they had handled Lumumba’s situation appropriately.

Originally published as Collingwood Magpies no closer to Nathan Buckley decision