COLLINGWOOD is changing, with coach Nathan Buckley no longer "overbearing" and a new focus on "imposing strength and aggression".

All these headline-making claims come not from the coach, captain or football boss, but from emerging midfielder Tom Phillips in a refreshingly honest interview on Thursday morning.

"I think it's quite different already, I can feel just walking in the last week," the excited 21-year-old told SEN Radio.

A year ago, the Magpies began pre-season with Buckley's future already on the agenda.

Now the Pies players have returned to their Olympic Park base, and Phillips believes the coach is taking a different approach.

"I think he's much more relaxed, he's not as full on and I guess overbearing as he's been in that coaching role for the last few years," Phillips said.

"He's definitely taken a step back and really trusting and relying (on his assistant coaches).

"Credit to Bucks, he's really at this stage got a pretty fresh mind, I reckon."

Garry Hocking, Matthew Boyd and Justin Longmuir have joined Robert Harvey and Brenton Sanderson on Buckley's coaching staff.

Phillips believes the new approach will pay dividends and gave an insight into how the Pies were changing their game-plan.

"There will be a dramatic difference," he said.

"I think playing to our strengths mainly, with a lot of the stoppage stuff and some of the midfield craft and talent we have inside.

"We need to make sure we're good at that broken play and imposing our strength and aggression on sides and stopping teams' quick transitions."

Phillips recently signed a two-year extension, effectively tying the time frame of his contract to Buckley's.

He played 18 senior games in 2017, his second season at the Pies, adding to six matches from his debut season.