COLLINGWOOD is setting itself for a finals-like atmosphere when it takes on North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, coach Nathan Buckley says.
The 12th-placed Magpies remain in the finals hunt and sit just three games behind a Kangaroos team that has lost five games on the trot and is starting to look wobbly in eighth position on the ladder.
"We're not underestimating [them] and we're seeing at as a finals game, so we'll definitely be coming with finals-like intensity," Buckley said on Tuesday afternoon.
"We're really content to put our reputations (on the line) and stake our claims in regard to that, so if you want to see a finals-type game then I reckon you should come along on Friday night."
Buckley said he expects the Kangaroos to respond strongly to the criticism heaped on them after their 28-point loss to Port Adelaide at the weekend.
"Todd Goldstein and the focus that is on his performances, and on North's generally, is something that will sting the Roos quite a bit," Buckley said.
"We're expecting them to be playing their best footy and to come out with a really strong intent."
Buckley said finals was still in the equation but his focus is ensuring his players improve markedly on the 28-point loss to Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
The Magpies gave away the first five goals to the Crows and, despite their best intentions, could not work themselves back into the contest.
"We better win this weekend if we want to stay in the mix, but we're not looking beyond Friday night," he said.
"We were disappointed with our first 15 minutes against the Crows and we just didn't execute the way we wanted to. Our effort and intensity was good on the opposition, but we need to be cleaner, we need to take our chances and we need to take away our opposition's strengths."
The Magpies trained at Olympic Park Oval on Tuesday evening, although a decision on Alex Fasolo's availability won't be made until Thursday morning as he tries to overcome a shoulder injury.
Buckley also named Mason Cox, Rupert Wills, Ben Crocker, Tom Phillips, Adam Oxley and Jack Frost as players putting their hand up for selection.
"He (Fasolo) was touch and go last week, so if he gets through training we'll make that judgment probably on Thursday morning," Buckley said.
"He'll more than likely be in the squad and then we'll make the call late."
Buckley reiterated his view that more clarity was needed in regard to the rushed behind rule, even coming to the press conference armed with a print out of the specific rule.
Coaches puzzled by deliberate rushed behind rule
"We had a couple of instances on Saturday night where our players were reticent to rush the ball through under pressure," Buckley said.
"We went through it and we said, 'If you're under pressure you're more than entitled to use the goal line as a sanctuary.
"It definitely opened our eyes as to what could happen."
