Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury says the club's litany of off-field woes can't be used as an excuse for the poor win-loss return this year.

The Magpies have been rocked in 2021 by a series of distractions, including the messy exit of president Eddie McGuire and Nathan Buckley's decision to quit as coach.

"Don't get me wrong, you'd love to have blue skies and no issues at your football club," Pendlebury said.

"But I've been part of this football club for 16 years and there's always a story, there's always something happening. It's a privilege at times, and there's pressure at times that comes with that.

"I don't think all the stuff that's happened, I don't think it's an excuse for us to be 3-9. We just haven't performed how we would have liked on the field."

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Pendlebury said the team were eager to send Buckley off on a high note, with the 16th-placed Magpies facing a daunting task against ladder leaders Melbourne (11-1) at the SCG on Monday.

"We'd love to get a win. I feel like our form the last three or four weeks has been building," Pendlebury said.

"We'll go out there and give it our best shot. It will be great to send him off with a win, and that's what we'll be aiming to do."

Assistant coach Robert Harvey will take over from Buckley after Monday's match.

Scott Pendlebury leads the Pies out ahead of the clash against Adelaide in round 12, 2021. Picture: AFL Photos

Pendlebury said there's no reason why the club can't be back in contention next season despite its year of tumult and highly criticised list rebuild.

Last year's fire sale that resulted in Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson, and others being traded out also left a lot of questions about the club's direction, with Collingwood's new-look hierarchy now predicting it will take two to three years for the team to contend again.

Pendlebury, who at 33 years of age doesn't have time to waste in his bid for a second premiership, is determined to bring success to the club sooner.

"One thing I know as a player is you never know what can happen," Pendlebury said.

"I don't think anyone in 2018 would have predicted that we would be a side that would challenge. And I don't think too many people predicted what happened this year.

"I'm a firm believer that if we can play some good footy in the back half of the year and build some confidence, then who knows for 2022."