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AFL 2021 ROUND 13 COLLINGWOOD v MELBOURNE Time & Place: Monday June 14, 3:20pm AEST SCG TV: 7mate Fox Footy Weather: Min 9 Max 18 Chance of rain 40%: 1-5mm Wind: WSW 8kph Betting: Collingwood $4.60 Melbourne $1.20 |
HB: [3] Isaac Quaynor, [30] Darcy Moore, [16] Chris Mayne
FF: [2] Jordan De Goey, [41] Brody Mihocek, [5] Jamie Elliott
I/C: [17] Callum L. Brown, [46] Mason Cox, [7] Josh Daicos, [44] Jack Madgen, [28] Nathan Murphy, [1] Jay Rantall, [24] Josh Thomas, [12] Tom Wilson
EMG: -
Nathan Buckley’s shock mid-season departure has sparked speculation on whether he lost the support of Collingwood’s playing roster.
The second chapter of Buckley’s stellar career with the Collingwood Football Club will draw to a close on Monday, with the Queen’s Birthday clash against Melbourne set to be his last as Magpies coach.
On Wednesday morning, Collingwood officially announced Magpies assistant Robert Harvey would take over as interim coach for the remainder of the 2021 season.
However, several reports suggested Buckley had fallen out of favour with sections of the playing squad, potentially contributing to his departure.
According to The Age, Collingwood’s players still liked and respected Buckley, but some felt worn out by his defence-first strategies.
Fox Sports reporter Tom Morris told AFL Tonight there was a disconnect between Buckley and some of his players.
“He certainly lost sections of the playing group throughout this year,” Morris said. “I don’t think he was really able to harness the playing group as he would have liked.
“Some players will be relieved, some others will miss him. But broadly, I think the sentiment inside the club is that time was right, and clearly Nathan Buckley agrees with that as well.”
Morris wrote for foxsports.com.au: “Did he lose some players? Yes, weeks ago. But that’s not abnormal for a team down the foot of the ladder. Nor should it detract from his legacy.”
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| Nathan Buckley’s 10-year stint as Collingwood coach ends on Monday. Source: Getty Images |
However, the 48-year-old said he “would have been happy to coach the year out” if the club needed him to.
“I’ve had a part in this. I’m not being smart about this, but I have had a part in the conversations,” Buckley said. “Nothing lasts forever. I was going to be tapped at some stage, but there’s no doubt that this is the best thing for the football club.
“I believe this is the best move for the club as well and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.”
AFL reporter Caroline Wilson, who had foreshadowed Buckley’s departure last month, suggested the 48-year-old was pushed out rather than stepping aside.
“I think it was a sense of inevitability when the message was subtly delivered on Monday when he met with Collingwood bosses,” Wilson told Footy Classified.
“Mid-season coaching departures are always messy. They always portray to me the picture of a club in a bit of a crisis, and I don’t like that it happened for Nathan Buckley mid-season.”
Former Fremantle coach Ross Lyon agreed: “Clearly I think (head of football Graham Wright) has tapped him out. There’s an appetite for change.”
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury conceded Buckley’s resignation came as a surprise, revealing how he broke the news to the playing roster.
“It’s definitely a shock, and the first time in my career that I’ve ever been through something like this before. I feel almost a little bit numb,” Pendlebury told reporters on Wednesday.
“(He) planned to have a bit of a chat with the leaders and then the timeline sped up and so (he told us) just as a full group. He spoke about (how he thinks) it is the best thing for the club, no person is bigger than the club and that it’s the right time for him to step away.
“He spoke about his gratitude for the place — he spent half his life here — and how excited he is by the future. And excited for the opportunity that he’s had as a player, as assistant coach, as a coach and everything that he’s contributed to our club.”.
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