Buckley still in the dark on AFL future

Nathan Buckley understands if you don’t believe him.

But the Collingwood legend insists he hasn’t given any thought as to whether Saturday’s match with Melbourne will be his last as the club’s AFL coach.

Buckley is the only out-of-contract coach in the league and won’t know his future until after this weekend’s game.

His position is tied up in much-publicised football department and whole-of-club reviews at the AFL powerhouse.

Whether Buckley stays or goes has been one of the biggest talking points in footy all season.

Speculation intensified when in July, chief executive Gary Pert guaranteed Buckley’s position at the struggling club until season’s end.

In the eye of the storm, a steadfast Buckley says he’s calm and focused.

“You probably won’t believe me when I say I’ve spent the majority of the week on Melbourne and trying to set up a plan and a mentality that’s going to give us the best chance of performing and winning,” he said.

“We want to hit the line as hard as we possibly can.

“On the other side of that then you lift your eyes a little bit … next week is probably where there will be stronger conversations about what the future of the club looks like and where I fit in it.”

That means the final siren will sound on Saturday and Buckley won’t know whether he has coached the Magpies for the last time.

But he knows that he wants to keep going.

Buckley killed off any speculation he could walk from the club if the review threw up anything to his distaste.

“I love the club and want to see it succeed. Whatever role I’m asked to play in that, I’ll play,” he said.

“Whether it means stepping back and stepping away or whether it means stepping up.

“The club is not about me and it won’t be about any other individual at the club. It’s about what’s going to give it the opportunity for sustained success.

“I’m totally committed to the footy club and doing what has to be done.”

Against Melbourne, Buckley will resist the temptation to throw VFL goalkicking sensation Kayle Kirby into the mix.

There will be changes – both to structure and personnel.

“We’ve got Brodie (Grundy) and Tyson Goldsack that will be back,” he said.

“We’ll look at the mix … we might have a slightly different look to the last four or five.”

He said the club wasn’t being driven by the chance to knock Melbourne out of the finals.

“It’s for us. It’s always for us,” he said.

“You can look at external motivations. I prefer to look at the positive opportunities and intrinsic motivations – why it’s important to you. That’s far more sustainable.”

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