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After Saturday night’s disastrous elimination final loss to Port Adelaide, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has wasted little time in making changes to the list
This indicates that the former Magpie champ is ready to firmly put his imprint on this football club.
The Pies have said goodbye to premiership heroes Darren Jolly and Alan Didak, along with Andrew Karkouer and Jordan Russell, on top of another player who played in the 2010 flag, Ben Johnson, who retired during the season.
Since he took over the reins from a reluctant Mick Malthouse two seasons ago, Buckley has added some youngsters but generally persisted with many of the players who took Collingwood to the top of the mountain.
Now that the premiership window appears to have shut after three unimpressive wins and some poor losses in finals since 2010, Buckley has recognised he has to usher in a new era.
Long time fitness guru David Buttifant, who had a close relationship with Malthouse, has also moved on, so there’s no doubt it will be a different looking back and white outfit in 2014.
Collingwood haven’t missed the finals since 2005, so Buckley is going to have to undertake a delicate balancing act in how he approaches next year.
Does he decide they need some short term pain for long term gain and completely rebuild, or make those required alterations to the playing list while still remaining competitive and part of September action like Geelong?
With 80,000 members demanding success, Buckley has a big challenge ahead of him to ensure the future is rosy.
It’s defineiely the right decision to not offer Jolly, Krakouer and Didak new contracts.
Jolly has struggled with his troublesome knee, Krakouer with commitment and Didak is certainly not part of their best 22, having played just five games.
The removal of Didak and the retirement of Johnson means the much talked about ‘brat pack’ is reduced to two, Heath Shaw and Dane Swan.
This group during the season had been described as a deterrent to Buckley and his want to gradually implement change.
Shaw’s petulant on-field behaviour at times is certainly an issue and he slumped to a new low against Port on the weekend, giving away silly free kicks in the goal square after conceding a goal, throwing the footy in his opponent’s face and verbally castigating his teamates.
When focused and firing, he is an excellent player, providing excellent run and rebound off half backs and for his size is arguably the best intercept mark in the competition.
However, he constantly lets himself and his team down with his erratic behaviour and it leads to this question:
Should Collingwood consider trading him out?
You would think he has good currency, with word around that Sydney, who over the years have based much of their game style on getting run from their half backs like his brother Rhys, are interested.
The Swans also have a wonderful reputation for rejuvenating careers but, as is often the case, that’s just speculation, with Sydney obviously having other things on their mind at the moment as they get ready for Saturday’s semi-final clash with Carlton.
Talking of the Blues, it wouldn’t surprise if Buttifant joined Malthouse at Princes Park as their head of fitness and or sports science.
Injured Collingwood midfielder Dale Thomas, another Malthouse favourite, is off contract and could also be on the move to join his former coach.
Marley Williams, Paul Seedsman, Jamie Elliott, Josh Thomas and Brodie Grundy are some of the youngsters who have become permanent additions for the Magpies and all look destined for fine careers, but the task now is to find more, which the Pies, under the astute recruiting of Drek Hine, have a great recent record of doing.
There is no doubt this is Nathan Buckley’s team now and after the shocking display on the weekend, the club is hurting badly, so expect him to leave no stone unturned to get respect back by the start of 2014.
It looks set to be a brutal and long, hot summer for the Pies. We will certainly find out what they are made of.
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