“Yeah,I’d suggest that,that should definitely be the aim,” Buckley toldThe Age on Wednesday when asked if the Magpies could play finals.
While many pundits view the Magpies as a rebuilding team that is destined to finish in the ladder’s lower reaches,Buckley had earlier said they could play finals if they kept their players on the field.
“I think Collingwood’s best is good enough to play finals,and if they can keep their players on the park,they’ll be really good,” he told the audience at the Fox Footy launch.
Buckley subsequently explained toThe Age that it was those top-end players,their potentially strong backline,if available,and a shift in game style,that should see the Magpies perform well.
“I think their best - I mean have a look at the top end. I don’t know how long it’s been since we were able to get our best 22 on the park consistently. It’s been a while back. And Harvs[Robert Harvey] got scuttled by Darcy[Moore] going down for the second half of last year,which has a massive impact.
“Howe’s last three years have been up and down - broken. So I think that if you get Moore,[Jeremy] Howe,[Brayden] Maynard,[Jack] Crisp and if Pendles[Scott Pendlebury] is going to go back down there and ... like who knows what[top draft recruit] Nick Daicos is going to do?