COLLINGWOOD will know within a week whether it has retained respected football manager Neil Balme after restructuring its football department.
The Magpies installed Graeme Allan as the new head of football and offered Balme a position as director of coaching in a move that it is understood to have initially disappointed many within the club.
However Balme told SEN radio on Friday he was pretty sure he wanted to stay at Collingwood despite the change in roles but he needed time to make a decision.
Balme said the job on offer for him was a good role, but whether it was what we wanted to do in 2017 remained to be seen.
He said he respected Collingwood's right to make changes after the club missed out on the finals for a third successive season, even if he didn't agree with every decision.
"I wouldn't necessarily have done that personally but that doesn't mean it is not the right decision and it is not my place to make those decisions," Balme said.
Balme said his decision would be clear by next Friday as he was reasonably sure already what he wanted to do next season.
Collingwood is revamping its coaching structure in what shapes as a make-or-break year for Nathan Buckley as senior coach.
Assistant coaches Ben Hart and Steve Grace have gone, and experienced assistants Scott Burns and Robert Harvey have been offered one-year contracts.
If Burns and Harvey accept the offers, they will come out of contract at the same time as Buckley, whose senior contract expires at the end of 2017.
Former Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson has also been linked with the Magpies, who are playing in the VFL finals under Dale Tapping.
Despite finishing 12th and missing out on the finals for the third straight season, Collingwood performed well in the second half of the season, winning five of 10 games after the bye and losing by less than a goal to both Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs.
While injuries to key players early in the season hurt, and the rebuilding of a list during Buckley's time slowed progress, the coach has acknowledged the reality that the pressure will be on in 2017 for a bounce back up the ladder.
