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Pies lose Thomas, Shaw to injury

Roar Guru
19th April, 2012
3

AFL great Wayne Carey has questioned whether Collingwood’s soft-tissue injury problems have been caused by new coach Nathan Buckley’s tougher training regime.

Carey says Buckley has stripped power from sports science director David Buttifant, who was showered with praise by then-coach Mick Malthouse when the Magpies won the 2010 premiership.

The 13th-placed Magpies have made five changes for Saturday’s round-four game against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium, including four forced by injuries.

Heath Shaw and Dale Thomas have hamstring problems while Luke Ball suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s loss to Carlton and Ben Reid has a quadricep complaint.

Ruckman Cameron Wood has been dropped.

Ben Johnson has returned after three VFL games in his comeback from a hamstring while Alan Didak (groin) has resumed in the VFL and may be back in the senior side for Wednesday’s Anzac Day clash with Essendon.

Defender Chris Tarrant is on the sidelines with a calf strain.

Carey has shrugged off denials from Collingwood — including one from skipper Nick Maxwell — that six or seven players at the club don’t get along with Buckley and are unhappy with his methods.

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“They’ve received another couple of soft-tissue injuries,” Carey told OneHD’s The Game Plan on Thursday night.

“Whether that’s on the basis of this harder pre-season or not, only Collingwood can tell us that.

“But all of sudden they’re getting a lot of soft-tissue injuries.

“I’ve spoken to key people at Collingwood this week.

“Their training has gone up, from what I believe, 30 per cent. Dave Buttifant has had his power taken away.

“Nathan Buckley has been put in charge more of their fitness, so they have certainly trained harder.

“What that does, it just creates a little bit of a discontent around the footy club.

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“When you combine that with the fact that they’ve changed their game plan, they’ve got key injuries at their footy club, you weigh that up and say five to seven per cent (drop in performance).

“When you play better sides, you’ll lose games.

“All of a sudden Collingwood are nowhere near their best.”

Carey, a former Collingwood assistant coach, said he had already contacted some of his critics in the media this week.

“I don’t make things up unlike some people in the media who have sources which we’re better off seeing on a pie,” he said.

“These are factual things and this is what is happening at Collingwood.”

Carey said it was laughable for journalists to ask club officials about his allegations because obviously they would deny it.

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“It’s ridiculous to even be asking people at Collingwood,” the former North Melbourne and All-Australian captain said.

“This has been going on for a while but because they’ve lost games, it has come out and that’s the reason why and now they have to cop it.”

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