A DEFIANT Nathan Buckley believes his Collingwood team could still make a late run for the finals, despite another disappointing result, this time a 24-point defeat to Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday.
The Magpies have slumped to 5-9 and it seems they must now win at least seven of their last eight games to make the top eight, but under-pressure coach Buckley insisted the unpredictability of the season had reinforced the idea that anything is possible.
"It's such a tight comp. We feel like we've played some really good footy the last seven or eight rounds but we haven't got the wins to show for it," Buckley told the media after going down to the Hawks.
"The win-loss doesn't look great for us but we're not giving the year up.
"The results will keep telling you that you don't actually know what's going to happen. If you can put four or five wins together you could finish anywhere, so we're not putting the cue in the rack just yet."
Five talking points: Hawthorn v Collingwood
Although he remained upbeat about the short and long-term future of the club, Buckley said he was "disappointed" in his "hot and cold" team's effort, which had resulted in "another missed opportunity".
After trailing by 24 points early in the second quarter, the Magpies clawed their way in front in the third term before conceding five of the last seven goals.
Buckley will also have some selection headaches in the lead up to a big clash with Essendon at the MCG on Saturday afternoon given he could be without two key players.
WATCH Nathan Buckley's full post-match press conference
The Pies were two short on the interchange bench for most of the last quarter after experienced backman Tyson Goldsack copped a heavy knock and young forward Darcy Moore suffered another hamstring niggle.
"'Goldy' was concussed clearly and probably busted his nose, so he'll take a little bit of patching up," Buckley said.
"Darcy had a continuing onset of hammy tightness. We're not sure whether that's going to be a strain or not – we'll find out with scans – but it was considered too risky to put him back out on the field."
Goldsack's likely sidelining will open the door for premiership defender Ben Reid to make an immediate return after being a shock omission for the clash with Hawthorn. Reid performed strongly in the VFL.
Asked how much the injuries and lack of rotations hurt his team, Buckley said: "It's part of it but it's not all of it," before explaining that the Pies had hurt themselves too often before that point.
Buckley was unhappy with his team's contested ball work, tackling and "colour-blindness" in the second half when the Pies continually wasted opportunities by turning the ball over.
However, he was most disappointed in their efforts at stoppages.
"We came in as the second-best stoppage side, they came in as the 17th-best stoppage side, and we got outscored by eight goals at stoppages (10 to two). Five goals from centre bounces," Buckley said.
"Today was a marginal game, but the stoppage result wasn't marginal. We got smacked in stoppage scores, and it's not something that has happened much to us this year at all."
The Pies coach praised Jordan De Goey for a "breakout" game in the midfield – in which he collected a career-best and team-high 32 possessions and seven clearances – but challenged the 21-year-old to "establish himself as a bona fide midfielder" by season's end.
Buckley said the club had "a really good young squad" with some youngsters playing important roles "ahead of their time".
Asked whether he deserved to be coach when those developing players reached their peak, Buckley (whose contract expires at season's end) said: "That'll come out in the wash."
