FORMER coach Mick Malthouse said it was the kick that proved his thesis that Collingwood had a new game plan under his successor Nathan Buckley.

But defender Alan Toovey, whose turnover last Friday night led to a Carlton shot on goal and ignited a war of words between Malthouse and Magpies president Eddie McGuire, says it was nothing of the sort.

It was a simple mistake.

The incident happened late in the third quarter after the ball came off hands deep in Collingwood's defence.

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer intercepted a hasty handpass from Tyson Goldsack but his kick towards goal was smothered by Toovey.

Toovey then kicked the ball close to the centre of the defensive arc, where it was marked by Heath Scotland.

Scotland had a shot at goal from about 45m out but hit the post.

Malthouse said Toovey had been under pressure and, if he had been coaching, the premiership defender would have "put that ball within an inch of the boundary line".

"This time he kicks it 15-20m inside the boundary line and it is resurrected by Carlton," Malthouse told 3AW on Sunday.

"When players instinctively work to the game structure they have been used to for some time and all of a sudden they have a millisecond and think, 'That's not where he (coach Nathan Buckley) wants the football to be kicked, this is where', then sometimes it creates uncertainty."

But Toovey said the flubbed kick was simply a mistake and had nothing to do with the minor changes Buckley has introduced.

"I smothered the ball and picked it up, and I thought I was under pressure so I just kicked it to clear the ball," Toovey told AFL.com.au this week.

"Looking back over the tape, there wasn't any pressure on me anyway, so I could have just run it out.

"I wasn't kicking to a spot. Unfortunately, a Carlton guy was standing there.

"It was just a quick kick and one that happens in a game every now and then when you just kick and it goes straight to the opposition.

"It's not like it was a game plan to kick it there or anything like that.

"I wouldn't really take anything out of that."

Toovey said the players weren't concerned about Malthouse's new media and that the group hadn't been distracted by the verbal stoush between Malthouse and McGuire, outside discussion of the club's succession plan being nothing new.

"Bucks had a quick word and said to focus on what we can control, and look after what we can look after."

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.