Last night's game between Hawthorn and Collingwood was hard to watch.
For Magpies supporters, it was close to torture.
Sloppy skill errors, frequent turnovers and an all-round lack of cleanliness headlined Friday night's affair, with the black and white armada departing the MCG which their heads bowed low as the reality of defeat began to sink in.
Consecutive losses is hardly unfamiliar territory for Collingwood, who have registered seven back-to-back defeats from 2017 to now.
But it's been the manner in which they've conceded victory which has some alarm bells ringing.
After a devastating 44-point loss to North Melbourne last Saturday in which they were comprehensively beaten from pillar to post, the football world expected a response from the Magpies.
There were slight improvements against the Hawks; tackle numbers were up, the defence was rock-solid and the ferocity was back in glimpses.
But the pure fundamentals were not.
A lack of structure, a lack of cohesion and a lack of key focal point up forward.
What’s even more concerning is that each of the three opponents currently sit outside the top-eight and with their next three opponents in West Coast, Richmond and Greater Western Sydney on track for a September appearance.
Post-match, Buckley admitted he didn’t have the answers and said the poor form was taking a toll on the Magpies' confidence.
So, how can he arrest the slide?
1. Get back to basics
It seems so cliché – but it’s the basics that win you a game of football.
If you get it inside 50 more often than not, you are going to take home those four points.
And for Collingwood, those numbers are way down.
The Magpies have only registered 115 inside 50s to their opposition’s 180 since the bye and are Magpies are mid-table in this statistic this season with 51.7 entries per game (11th).
In fact, the differential of conceding an extra 65 inside 50s to three teams sitting outside the top-eight is a tremendous statistic. In the case of North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, they both average almost four more inside 50s than their opponents per game.
This comes down to a range of factors – but primarily ball-use, structure and clearances.
Collingwood rely heavily on out-boxing teams in the possession count by backing in their all-star midfield corps to rally the troops and bail them out late.
It may have worked last year, but this year it has been a far-cry from the form of 2018.
The Pies need to start possessing the ball again to greater effect - they lead the league for total disposals this season - and subsequently adopt a patient style of footy.
A Collingwood team at their best work their way through each scenario before patiently unlocking the daring ball movement off half-back led by the likes of Jack Crisp and Brayden Maynard.
This is also coupled by an ability to get the ball back into the corridor and also backing in the physical attributes of the Pies forwards to get it either to ground or to put it ahead of their zippy forwards.
Last night, Collingwood were bereft of ideas and looked for the same kick-up the line to Mason Cox, which time after time, was a failed procedure.
Instead of playing a predictable game-plan, the Magpies need to start structuring up better going forward.
Allow space for Jordan De Goey and Jamie Elliott to impose themselves forward of the ball but also look to take the game on yet again.
Chip kicks up the line is out of the game now – it’s about moving the ball in transition and hitting teams quickly which for some reason has fallen out of the Magpies' game-style.
Perhaps it comes down to a lack of confidence but the facts are they also need to win the ball.
Clearance numbers have also dropped off significantly in 2019.
Last season, the Magpies were the number one clearance team in the competition, bossing teams about with their harassment at stoppages, which also translated to them being second in inside 50s.
The decline is obvious as the Magpies are now 15th in the competition for clearances and seventh for inside 50s, even with the inclusion of premier ruckman Brodie Grundy.
And it's a number which is set to drop even more.
The absence of Taylor Adams has exacerbated this issue, but last night the clearance numbers actually rose in the Magpies' favour.
But going back to the case in point: the cohesion between the arcs is not there, making clearances almost redundant.
Get this right and it will go a long way.
2. Move the magnets
It’s time to make some big calls, Bucks.
To make a statement and shake things up, Nathan Buckley must revisit an earlier statement he made when he said no-one was safe in the Collingwood line-up.
A few Magpies players have been down on form this year, yet have week-after-week found themselves in the team.
Josh Thomas was a revelation in 2018, kicking 38 goals and playing a huge part in the Pies' push to a Grand Final.
However, his numbers have been on a decline since.
Playing every game this year, Thomas has only kicked 12 goals in 15 games and has gone goalless in his past three games. In fact, he hasn’t kicked over two goals in a game this year since Round 9 against St Kilda.
His pressure has also dropped off. After securing 80 tackles last year, he is now down to 31 so far this season.
It’s time for him to have a spell in the VFL, as his form has been way off the mark.
It’s understandable that Bucks would stick by him due to the Jaidyn Stephenson's suspension and a lack of other options, but a statement still must be made.
Ben Crocker has done everything right in the VFL to earn a reprieve and has to be looked at eventually due to his role being exactly the same as JT’s.
Regardless of whether it’s Crocker, or if Adams returns from his injury, the Magpies must look to give Thomas a spell in the VFL to find his touch again before looking to give him a senior recall.
The other one is Mason Cox.
Since returning from an ankle injury, the big American has been way off the mark, dropping easy marks, leading too early and being pushed off the ball way too easily.
Last night, his direct opponent, James Sicily, gave up 26 centimetres to Cox yet he produced a best on ground performance securing 14 marks and gathering 28 disposals while time and time again outmarking Cox around the ground.
The free-moving performances we saw from Cox are a thing of the past and he seems a shadow of the player we saw tear it up during the preliminary final last year.
It’s tough to drop Cox especially since Ben Reid, his direct replacement is still hurt and there is a lack of other options.
But there could be another unlikely option to help fill the void.
Jeremy Howe could be the wildcard and player needed to shake up the front six once he recovers from his ankle injury.
It wasn’t long ago when Howe was playing as a forward for Melbourne, kicking 28 goals in 2013 and providing a marking target for the Dees.
He was recruited to play forward for Collingwood but his unbelievable form behind the ball saw him stay in defence.
But now, the need for him in the back six is nowhere near as dire as it once was.
Collingwood currently have one of the best back six corps in the league and have not conceded above 100 points once this season.
The return of Matt Scharenberg and the form of players like James Aish will allow for Howe to potentially move forward and play in the front six.
Now, he may not be the same marking target that Cox is, but Howe is a fantastic reader of the ball, being able to time his leads well along with an unbelievable marking ability.
It’s time Buckley looks to this as a potential change which may turn Collingwood's fortunes around going forward.
He is more mobile, a smarter player and can provide added pressure once the ball hits the deck.
It seems like a no-brainer, right?
3. Turn the negativity into fuel for the fire
The next three games shape up as do or die – there is no denying that.
But with all the attention that has come with the Pies' poor form, this has been a chance to right so many wrongs from the past two weeks.
When Collingwood have had their backs against the wall, they have been able to turn the screws and put together a stirring performance to silence the critics.
In 2017, when the pressure was up, the Pies responded in the best way possible by winning crunch games.
In 2018, when everyone began doubting if the Magpies' defence could stand up in the final portions of the season, they proved different.
Now it’s time to do the same.
How much more motivation do they need heading into next week?
West Coast. Away. Friday night.
Nathan Buckley will be looking to evoke the repressed memories of the 2018 Grand Final and get a fiery response from a beleaguered Magpies outfit.
The truth is, a win over the Eagles could catapult the Pies once again.
Beating a team who stole a premiership from under their nose, on their home deck, to turn their season around.
Sounds like a recipe for an end of season surge but in order to do so, a lot still needs to change.
Get back to basics, make the changes and ignite the flame.
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