NATHAN Buckley says Rodney Eade's contribution to Collingwood since his arrival in October last year has made the club a better place.
Eade joined the Magpies as football and coaching strategist after his senior coaching contract at the Western Bulldogs was not renewed with three rounds left last season.
On the eve of the Pies' clash with the Dogs, Buckley said Eade's guidance to not only himself but new-to-the-club assistants Ben Hart and Robert Harvey, plus offensive coach Matthew Lappin, had been invaluable.
"It's a holistic viewpoint we look at. He's been excellent on all levels in all facets against all opposition," Buckley said on Thursday.
"We feel clearly we're a better organisation for his involvement, and we're still going to build from where we're at, at the moment.
"He's been fantastic. Right through the pre-season and early in the year, he provides a great deal of experience to what is realistically a young coaching group.
"His contributions can't be underestimated to each of us as young coaches, and to the program overall."
Eade himself told AFL.com.au earlier in the day he had worked with individual players this week on how best to counteract potential opponents from his former club.
Buckley said the "personable" ex-coach had been an excellent resource, particularly this week.
"Clearly coming up against a side he knows pretty well and the individuals within it, we've tapped into that as much as we could," he said.
Buckley said he felt the club had balanced the break between Anzac Day and Friday night's game adequately and the group was in a good state of mind after the rest.
It will be bolstered by the return of Heath Shaw and Ben Reid on Friday night but Alan Didak and Dale Thomas will be kept on ice for at least another week.
Shaw and Reid have missed two games with injury - the former a hamstring sustained at training in the lead up to round four, and the latter the quad he hurt against Carlton.
Didak requires more solid training before consideration while Thomas will play against the Brisbane Lions next Saturday night.
Buckley said the Dogs had built confidence over the past fortnight and the Pies had no illusions of the quality of their side.
He also would "absolutely" back Martin Clarke to take on another shut down role after his success against Essendon's Brent Stanton on Anzac Day.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.
