EVEN though Shane O'Bree has spent most of his Collingwood career alongside Nathan Buckley in the midfield, he has made a smooth adjustment to his former captain's reinvention as an assistant coach.
O'Bree said Buckley's return to the club two years after his retirement had been a boost for the players and that there had been no teething problems when it came to coaching ex-teammates.
"He is adjusting very well. Initially it was going to be different because he has played with the majority of the team," O'Bree told afl.com.au.
"With the way he speaks and how clear he is when explaining a drill, I can't wait until game day to see how he performs then and I'm sure he will be really good.
"I've got a lot of respect for Nath and he's got a lot of respect for me.
"We can bounce a lot of things off each other. If he can see something I can improve on as a player then I am all for it."
Buckley has wasted no time making his mark in the new role and has taken the reins for some training sessions over the summer.
However, he isn't the only off-season recruit who has made an early impression.
Ruckman Darren Jolly arrived in a trade with the Sydney Swans while Luke Ball was drafted with the club's second-round pick after leaving St Kilda.
O'Bree said he was excited about sharing the midfield load with Ball.
"He and Darren are both going to add two different dimensions that will help us out a fair bit," he said.
"Our midfield, going on the stats last year, was in the top four of most areas so I'm sure those boys are going to really help.
"Luke is going to be working pretty closely with me because we are both small, in-and-under midfielders."
Training with Ball in recent weeks, O'Bree said he was looking forward to the tempo of the pre-season competition where he could gain a better understanding of the 2005 All-Australian and how he may settle in the side.
He agreed that Ball added depth to Collingwood's consistent midfield but, as the second-oldest player on the list, O'Bree said he wasn't ready to be squeezed out just yet.
"I've been a midfielder all my life," the 30-year-old said. "I'd like to help out in that area as much as possible.
"These days you've got to be able to play multiple positions. I've got to be able to play forward or back or in the midfield [so] I'm hoping to do that.
"I’ll take this year as it comes and hopefully the team and I can have a good season. I really enjoy playing football and I'd miss it too much, so hopefully I've got another year or two at least."
Shane O'Bree averaged 82.36 points as a midfielder in last year’s Toyota AFL Dream Team.
Luke Ball averaged 83.41 points as a midfielder.
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