Pies side has capability to win flag

SUPERFOOTY (Mark Robinson)

NATHAN Buckley loves nothing more than a challenge.
How he responds to the one that confronts him at Collingwood this season could be the difference between just another finals campaign and a premiership.
The Pies have the side that could - perhaps should - win the flag.
They have an outstanding midfield - one that runs as deep as any in the competition - a solid and reliable defence and a forward line that boasts Travis Cloke and a swag of others capable of scoring goals and applying pressure.
As Nick Maxwell acknowledged in yesterday's Herald Sun, the Magpies probably have better depth than in their 2010 flag season.
At times last season, the discipline and individuality shown by some at Collingwood -- some experienced players who should know better -- hurt the collective.
There were times this had an impact on the team's performance, including in the preliminary final loss to eventual premier Sydney. And that's where Buckley comes in. The buck stops with him.
It's time for the Collingwood great to become even tougher with his playing group -- no more Mr Nice Guy, if you like.
I'm not saying "Bucks" was weak last year. Far from it. I thought he did an outstanding job in his first year as senior coach under pressure. His tactics were strong, his tinkering with the Collingwood game plan was a key reason the Magpies reached the top four and he approached the media and club members with an open but direct manner.
I have no doubt the players respect Buckley for what he has done as a player and what he is now doing as a coach. And he clearly has some close relationships -- even friendships -- with the players he was teammates with before his retirement in 2007.
John Worsfold (2006) is the last premiership coach to have played with members of the flag side he coached.
Buckley can achieve that this season, but I'd love to see him set down tougher ground rules for his players.
The club last year suspended two players for off-field indiscretions -- Dane Swan and then-Magpie Sharrod Wellingham -- but Bucks needs to be just as tough when it relates to individuality, kick chasing and not committing 100 per cent on the field. In a way, I'd love to see him channel a bit of the Ross Lyon mongrel.
Remember when Lyon axed Stephen Milne and Nick Dal Santo in his second season as St Kilda coach in 2008? Their form hadn't been bad; but their attitude on the field wasn't what Lyon wanted. Both players returned after their demotion more committed and a lesson was grasped by the whole group.
Lyon did a similar thing when he went to Fremantle. He told Clancee Pearce that he had a "fat a---" and banished Michael Walters from the club for a time. Both are now a serious part of the Freo revival.
I'm not saying there are major problems at Collingwood or that Bucks isn't strong enough to deal with issues that arise.
But if he gets a chance early in the season, he can make a strong example that he means business.
Only a 100 per cent commitment wins flags. Bucks will give that commitment.
He is driven.
He has to make sure that every player who runs out in black and white gives their all, knowing that if they don't, the coach is going to give them a whack.