Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley didn’t try to hide his disappointment after his Magpies delivered what he felt were the worst three quarters on their season in Friday night’s loss to Richmond.
And to make matters worse, skipper Scott Pendlebury limped from the MCG with an ankle injury that could keep him out of next Friday’s clash against the Western Bulldogs.
Pendlebury’s departure proved a telling moment in a contest where Buckley felt let down by a host of his more experienced players, with his forward line copping the brunt of his wrath.
“We just had too many blokes who had ‘mares,” Buckley said after the 15-point defeat.
“Our finish – to be able to win one on ones – was poor in the front half, we couldn’t win a ball at ground level and then our complete inability to pressure their backs on the way out was probably the biggest challenge that we had.
“Our forwards were poor – beaten in contested play and out-positioned by their defenders and then outplayed when Richmond defenders had the ball.
“We got very little out of our forward line. We took the ball inside 50 nine more times and scored three goals less.”
Buckley said it was too early to provide an accurate update on Pendlebury’s injury, but he wasn’t optimistic.
“It’s sore and he wasn’t able to come back on and that tells me that something is amiss,” he said.
“We’ll find out more in the next couple of days.”