COLLINGWOOD captain Scott Pendlebury has urged his club to re-sign coach Nathan Buckley, fearing ongoing contract speculation could degenerate into a "circus".
Buckley is reportedly on the verge of signing a new multi-year deal with the Magpies and Pendlebury wants the situation resolved quickly so that it doesn't become an unwanted sideshow like that which surrounded teammate Travis Cloke's prolonged contract negotiations in 2012.
Appearing on AFL.com.au's First Bounce program before the Pies' intra-club match on Thursday night, the skipper threw his support behind his coach, who has come under pressure for missing the finals over the past two seasons after being in the top four at the halfway mark on both occasions.
No deal yet, but Pies close to Buckley extension
"Yeah, especially if it keeps him out of the media and all the pressure that comes with it," Pendlebury said when asked whether Buckley should be rewarded with a contract extension.
"Certainly at our football club, if 'Bucks' doesn't sign throughout the season it's going to become a circus down here, like it was a few years ago when 'Clokey' and the club were trying to sort something out.
"So hopefully it gets done sooner or later. As players we always want to focus on this year and do the best we can."
Pendlebury's view contrasted with that of AFL great and First Bounce panellist Wayne Carey, who said a decision on Buckley shouldn't be made until three-quarters of the way through the season, if not at season's end.
"If they're to miss the finals again, that's three years in a row where they've actually gone backwards to where they were when Nathan took over," Carey said. "If that's the case and they re-sign him now, then everyone will be up in arms and say, 'What are we doing?'"
Co-panellist and Geelong great Cameron Ling disagreed, saying Buckley's future should not depend on a finals appearance this year given the list was ready to strike in two to six years time when it would become "a powerhouse of the comp".
Pendlebury was also bullish about the prospects of injury-plagued swingman Ben Reid, who is progressing well in his quest to overcome soft-tissue issues that have cruelled him and the Pies in recent times.
"He's probably done more training sessions this summer than he's done the last two years (combined)," Pendlebury said.
"He'll have a run around tonight and fingers crossed he gets through and plays a full year because he's so important to the way we want to go about our football and we've certainly missed him over the last few years."
Another to impress has been ex-Lions midfielder James Aish, who has been tagging Pendlebury this pre-season.
"From the moment he's got down here he's (been) the ultimate professional," Pendlebury said of the 20-year-old.
"He's certainly surprised a lot of us on the track. We probably didn't see a hell of a lot of him in Brisbane last year – he broke his thumb (and) broke his jaw, so he had a bit of a rough trot. He's had a really smooth pre-season and he's giving himself a chance for a really good season."
Pendlebury tipped rookie Josh Smith, a mature-aged midfielder from Queensland, to be the first debutant among the Pies' newcomers.
