COLLINGWOOD must overcome the injury curse that has derailed the Buckley years to date if it is to make finals in 2017.
Returning football manager Geoff Walsh will understand how important it is as he returns to the fold on Monday after three seasons (and three finals series at North Melbourne).
Last season Collingwood was ranked second behind Gold Coast for games lost (217) and, according to Champion Data, it was the hardest hit when it came to injuries to players designated to play similar roles.
By round four the Magpies had already used 32 players, managing no more than 15 minutes from Jamie Elliott and Dane Swan for the season.
That such a run cruelled Collingwood, and in particular its scoring power, is often overlooked when assessment is made of the year but it didn't stop frustration from growing.
It also made news of Daniel Wells' calf injury in the past fortnight, minor as it may be, enough for Magpie fans to wonder whether another frustrating pre-season lay ahead.
The truth is Collingwood had no luck in 2016, with high performance manager Bill Davoren telling members in September 156 games had been missed due to trauma injuries while just 20 were missed because of soft tissue injuries.
The remainder of injuries were because of overuse and illness.
But when Magpie fans have seen players with star quality such as Elliott, Ben Reid, Dale Thomas and Dayne Beams miss seasons during Buckley's time, there is not a lot of patience left for rational explanation.
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Walsh's understanding of Wells' situation will be second to none, as he has watched the 31-year-old former Kangaroo at close quarters in recent seasons.
He will be working with Davoren for the first time as the high performance manager was appointed in October 2013 having worked with the Western Bulldogs when it made preliminary finals and he had one season at St Kilda.
Champion Data's statistics reinforce the notion that Collingwood's injury run was tougher than normal in 2016.
It was the only club to finish a game with just 18 fit players during 2016, when it lost a game to eventual premiers, the Western Bulldogs (who suffered more than their fair share of injuries during the year yet prevailed), it appeared to control.
On just 10 occasions did Collingwood finish a game with 22 fit players for the coach to draw on with North Melbourne (eight) and Gold Coast (10) the only teams sharing such luck.
It was in the bottom four for games lost alongside Gold Coast, the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle, who all finished bottom four on the ladder.
The Magpies' 217 games lost was well above the AFL average of 146.9 games lost due to injury with only three Collingwood players playing every game.
One of that trio, Scott Pendlebury, played with a rib injury early in the season too.
However with the premiers (192 games lost), the Kangaroos (153) and the Giants (148) also among the eight teams worst hit with injury, the Magpies can't (and won't) get caught up in excuses.
But it's fair to say the team performed much better with more players available and consistency and familiarity within certain lines.
Last Thursday Elliott was in full training alongside defensive duo Matt Scharenberg and Jackson Ramsay who are recovering from knee reconstructions.
The trio managed two games between them last season.
Investigations have been made into how to reduce trauma injuries with no stone being left unturned in the effort to find an answer.
It could be the difference between a rapid rise up the ladder or more of the same for Buckley's Magpies.
Games lost in 2016 through injury
Gold Coast 225
Collingwood 217
Fremantle 203
Brisbane Lions 198
Western Bulldogs 192
Richmond 161
North Melbourne 153
Greater Western Sydney 148
Geelong 144
Port Adelaide 130
Hawthorn 128
Essendon 127
Sydney 120
Carlton 119
Melbourne 109
Adelaide 101
West Coast 89
St Kilda 80
Stats supplied by Champion Data
