Nathan Buckley’s coaching career has come under more fire this week after his side produced another mediocre performance against an improving Melbourne Demons outfit.
From the midway point of last season, the Magpies have won only three of their last 15 games. Buckley has inherited a squad from Mick Malthouse that was brimming with top four potential, coming off the back of a 2010 premiership and a minor premiership in 2011.
He may as well start booking his 2016 September holiday now.
It’s easy to point out the lack of results and lead the ‘sack Buckley’ war cry, but where is it actually going wrong for him?
If you look at the statistical breakdown of the 2010 side under Mick Malthouse, compared to today’s team under Buckley, there’s a significant worrying trend. Collingwood don’t run with the ball anymore.
In 2010, Collingwood’s regular half back flankers were Heath Shaw and Heritier Lumumba, who have both moved on to other clubs in the Buckley reign.
In 2010 they averaged 3.7 and 2.9 bounces per game. In 2009, Shaw recorded an incredible 167 bounces in a season at average of eight a game.
After four rounds in the 2016 season, Adam Treloar leads this stat category for the Magpies with a measly three bounces at 0.8 per game.
So why is this even relevant?
The current offensive trend in the AFL is to generate a significant portion of your attacking drive from the half back line. This was made particularly popular in 2014 from Port Adelaide’s strong running game under Ken Hinkley.
Other sides have also adapted to this trend very well.
A feature of the GWS Giants’ demolition of the Power on Sunday was the strong ball carry from midfielders such as Dylan Shiel and Stephen Coniglio, and the movement from the backline from Nathan Wilson and Heath Shaw.
The Power looked their best in the game when Jasper Pittard ran with the ball from defence.
A strong running game involves risk, but it’s one of the best ways to take the game on in modern football. It puts the opposition on the back foot through the centre of the ground and possibly explains why midfielders tend to kick more goals in the modern game.
Arguably the most exciting aspect of Collingwood’s play in the Malthouse era was when players like Shaw and Lumumba would run the ball hard through the middle of the ground, then link up well with good ball users such as Dane Swan, Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury, Ben Johnson or Alan Didak.
What we see now is a Collingwood side that is void of that creativity.
Buckley’s go to strategy on the weekend when his men were rebounding out of defensive 50 seemed to be to simply bomb it long down the line. Melbourne were then far better when the ball hit the ground, then a number of quick handballs allowed them to move the ball quickly through the centre to produce quality entries inside their forward 50.
A default strategy to kick long down the line will probably cut it in local football, but your coaching panel needs to have more imagination at the top level.
Collingwood have flirted with the idea of placing Pendlebury at half back this season, but then confusingly had Jesse White start the game on the half back flank in the clash against the Demons.
Collingwood needs to ask themselves, do we have a legitimate offensive strategy from half back? Who are our running defenders? Who are we moulding into this role?
Shaw and Lumumba have left large holes in this area.
Until we start seeing a Collingwood outfit that’s prepared to play a creative and hard running brand of football that takes the game the game on, we can expect to see many more lacklustre performances from the Magpies this season.
steve freestone
Guest
how much longer do we have to suffer Nathan buckley?????????
Mel Simms
Guest
Since 2011 Collingwood fc have gone backwards. I can't put my finger on it but when i see Nathan talking to the players at the breaks on the ground they seem miles away. It like they have fallen a sleep or are listening to a bull duster so they turn off.I think its time Nathan went he was a hell of a player second to none an all time Collingwood great, but unfortunately his coaching skills are no existent. He is so far behind in terms of Afl coaches it's not funny. Ed should bite the bullet say he made the biggest blunder ever in hiring Nathan as coach and sack Bucks and start looking for a new coach. For Eddie Mcguire bigger the man to recognize his mistakes apologize and move on.
Steven
Guest
Nathan has no experience so he was never going to be able to coach. Getting rid of Mick .M one of the all time greats who won 3 premierships was a bad idea. Was Eddie Mcguire drunk or on drugs at the time. Maybe Eddie is not well what ever the case he is definitely 100% fit to be Collingwood president. He should be checked over by doctors. Collingwood my team need to start from scratch in 2017. Goodbye Nathan, Goodbye Eddie and good riddance. As long as Ed and his lover Nathan are at Collingwood they will never play finals again. Sorry everyone but it 100% truth and 100% fact as a Colllingwood supporter i don't like to say that, but we have no choice. All magpie fans stand up now and let the Collingwood Football club board know we are unhappy and wan't Nathan sacked pronto now not tommorrow but right now. Ed has been a good president but it is time for him to give it away he has lost his touch.
Phelpsy
Guest
Why they got rid of seedsman is beyound me. Should have played him more
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
I think you're quite right there MJ. I don't think there's ever been a player who has captained a club, then gone on to coach the same club to a premiership. I wonder if Leigh Matthews would have been a flop if he was appointed to coach Hawthorn.
Samantha
Roar Rookie
The record number of match attendees this year show that the game is just fine if Collingwood isn't on the top. The game is bigger than any one club or even the so called 'big 4'.
MJ
Guest
In AFL it's almost so extreme it comes down to a player type that makes the best coaches - not very tall, not particularly skilled, "nugget back pocket" or tagger or similar. If we call Lethal an outlier, you have the best coaches of recent years being Clarkson, Malthouse, Sheedy, Lyon, perhaps the Scott brothers - all fit this mold. If you're not super big or fast or talented, you need to be smart, and playing as a defender also seems to help.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
I would suggest that a strong Collingwood is good for the game, Seano. They're the biggest draw-card club in the AFL. Each to their own though.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Quite true Peter. For the record I've actually supported the Magpies since I was a kid. The first year I went for them they won the Wooden Spoon (1999). If I'm perfectly honest though, my patience is wearing quite thin under Buckley, plus I've lived in New South Wales nearly all my life. They're always going to be a very interesting club to talk about though.
peter chrisp
Guest
S.G, Although i am a Pies fan, and i can really understand why people love to hate Collingwood it makes perfect sense, no matter how good or bad we are and it's definitely in the latter for sure but either way win lose or drawer we are always talked about whether it's Pie fans and all non supporter hate Collingwood fans and i am sure there are one or 2 out there, and you can tell by Seano's comment i don't think he likes Pies.
Seano
Guest
Why are we giving them ideas? I hope Buckley stays at the pies for the next 10 years, because I hate them and it's great to watch them suck.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
I think he still did reasonably well in his first season as coach because he inherited a very good team from Malthouse. They should have stayed as a top four team for a few more years with the kind of talent that was around.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Is that because you enjoy watching Collingwood struggle Dave?
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Malthouse actually got them to four Grand Finals (02,03,10,11), which is an incredible effort. As for Buckley not being liked by the players. Well part of coaching is about tactics, structures, technical ability etc. The other major part of coaching is man management. Do you communicate with them well? Are they on board with your vision for the team?
The real SC
Roar Rookie
I know that Buckley is a good player back in the 90s. But for him as a coach, he was good back in 2012 and 2013, but has declined so sharply during the 2014 season. I don't know what has happened to the Collingwood players as they continue to run slowly and not handling the ball. They are continuing to slow down and not getting the ball correctly. Collingwood have been hit with drug scandals with the suspensions of Josh Thomas. As Nathan Buckley's win-loss record stands at 53-43-0, he is under an enormous pressure.
dave
Guest
I loved it when eddie replaced malthouse with buckley and I'm still loving it.
peter chrisp
Guest
Sam have to agree with Malthouse's tenure at Collingwood was successful getting us into 2 Grand Finals & finally winning won. And the past couple of years we seem to be getting worse & worse. I believe when Malthouse left he left a big gap and decided to go to Carlton and as suggested we lost a number of good players as you have mentioned above, now with Buckley i would not be surprised although i am not a judge, the reason why those players left Collingwood is they believe Buckley is a bit of a jer_? and not many players like him as an individual? Could i be right on that front? As i don't know what goes on internally and i don't really care for that matter what transpires behind closed doors.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Renewing his contract was quite bizarre. I was trying to explain why Collingwood's not winning games under his leadership.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Malthouse was the best thing that came to Collingwood in years. He took a very ordinary side and brought them to Grand Finals in 2002 and 2003, then was able to build the team again to have a golden run in 2010 and 2011. It was a shame to see him leave and finish his career with a very average list at Carlton. Buckley has at no point justified replacing Malthouse.
Samuel Gates
Roar Pro
Good points here Dean. I've observed recently in a few different sports that the superstars of the game hardly ever seem to make the best coaches. In recent years in the AFL, Buckley, Michael Voss, and James Hird have all been failed experiments. The only one that has worked is Leigh Matthews with the Brisbane Lions. Does a coach like Buckley really understand a player when he comes to him saying he's struggling with a certain aspect of the game plan, when to Buckley it probably all came quite easily.