> Watch the three assistant coaches address the media on MondayCOLLINGWOOD assistant coach Nathan Buckley says he has no idea how he would have handled a grand final replay as a player, but he is confident the Pies will overcome the psychological challenge this week.
Two days after being asked to give their all and adapt a ‘no tomorrow’ mentality, the Magpies and Saints have discovered there is a tomorrow, and there is still a premiership to be won.
Buckley played in Collingwood’s losing grand final sides in 2002 and 2003, but he couldn’t imagine how he would have coped with a draw in those games.
“No idea,” Buckley said from the Westpac Centre on Monday. “It takes a little while to reconcile what’s just happened.
“As a combatant you would have gone there expecting a result either way.
“We’ve reconciled that in our minds and there’s just a fantastic opportunity ahead of us. We’ve still got a premiership to win.”
Collingwood headed straight to the Westpac Centre on Saturday evening and a medical check and recovery session took place on Sunday morning.
Buckley said the Collingwood players’ reaction to Saturday’s draw and their current mental state was “excellent”.
“I’ve been, not surprised at all, but encouraged and proud of the way the group has responded the last couple of days,” he said.
“We had a really good session this morning, the feeling is fantastic among the group [and] we understand that there’s little to be done about what happened last week.”
Midfield coach Mark Neeld said apart from some initial “bewilderment” after Saturday’s draw, there had been no letdown factor among the group early in the week.
Nonetheless, he said attention to the players’ mental and physical preparation should be given equal billing by the coaches ahead of Saturday’s replay.
“Mentally we’ve got to get them up somehow, physically we’ve got to get them up … if you leave one you’re in trouble,” he said.
“[But] if you’re going to have to get anyone up mentally to play in a grand final, that’d really surprise me.
“We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to win a flag and if they’re not excited about that and they can’t get themselves mentally up, I’d be shocked.”
