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Nathan Buckley’s inside info on how to beat Collingwood
Connor Scanlon • June 4th, 2025 1:50 pm
Collingwood may be the best team in the competition right now, but club legend Nathan Buckley believes there’s still a way to crack Craig McRae’s unstoppable system.
Speaking on SEN’s Whateley, the former Magpies coach pointed to Geelong’s Round 8 win as the model for rupturing Collingwood’s game plan.
“If you want to disrupt what Collingwood are trying to do, I’m going back and I’m having a look at the Geelong game and exactly what they did,” Buckley said.
Buckley explained that Geelong's direct, no-nonsense approach was key to their victory.
“Straight line from the back half, don’t dilly-dally in your back half,” Buckley revealed.
“Don’t try and over-possess, as soon as you can get over as many lines as you possibly can, turn and go.
“And get long down the line to contests, and then try and speed up and play the game from there.”
He added that if Collingwood realises that is your game plan, then chaos can also completely undo the Pies.
“Now if Collingwood read that and they drop numbers back, well then that’s fine,” Buckley admitted.
“(The opposition is) just going to match it with numbers, and let’s take the contest as close to our goal as quickly as we can.
“That (is) just creating chaos.
“And that’s chaos against a team who are actually wanting stability and control.”
In classic Buckley fashion, he gave an in-depth analogy of how Collingwood keep suffocating their opposition.
“As I’ve said quite often, they will put you in a headlock, then just lower you to the ground,” Buckley said.
“That’s pretty much the way Collingwood are playing their footy - Boa constrictor type stuff.
“It’s like the big brother has got your arms pinned with the knees, doing the typewriter, let them go for a little bit, slap around the head, and then put them back on the knees again.
“That’s pretty much what Collingwood have been doing.
“They don’t want chaos at all, they want control, and they impose control.”
With Buckley revealing that the way to beat the tight-knitted Collingwood is with speed, straight lines and chaos, let’s see if any teams adopt this frantic strategy against the hot Pies.
