111 wins as coach for the Collingwood Football Club, here is a reflection on 5 of the best wins under Bucks.
Elimination Final v West Coast, 2020
"The un-winnable game...Collingwood have won it", were the words of James Brayshaw after a classic Collingwood victory.
The Pies travelled west amid the global pandemic, after a testing 2020 season, to face the intimidating proposition of the Eagles at home. To set the scene, West Coast had developed an unbelievable home ground advantage across the season. The Eagles did not lose a single match at Optus Stadium during the home and away season, including a stretch of 6 games that also involved a 76 point thumping of the Pies.
A theme for the 2020 season, Collingwood were up for the fight and not willing to give up at any stage of the match. The Pies got off to a great start, taking in a 16 point lead to quart time before a surging Eagles side stretched their wings and hit the front half way through the 3rd term. Will Hoskin-Elliott and Brody Mihocek kicked two late 3rd quarter goals to get the Pies back in front going into the 4th.
When Eagles forward Liam Ryan kicked a goal within the first minute of the 4th quarter and Oscar Allen's 2nd goal for the night had the Pies behind, Collingwood hearts began to break. Perhaps the fairytale storyline was not to be this season, and the Eagles would be too strong?
Not this time...Bucks would lead his Collingwood team to a finals win thanks to an unbelievably gutsy effort from the boys. It was the ever reliant Brody Mihocek, who's 2nd and 3rd goals were vital in the clutch. Jordan De Goey snapped an outstanding stoppage goal deep inside forward 50 to put the Pies 7 points up with 7 minutes left.
As the Eagles put in their final efforts, Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy combined for 2 final goals to bring the margin back to just 1 point. West Coast were driving forward with just moments left in the game, as Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly released a handball on centre wing. It was the saviour, Taylor Adams, who intercepted the ball and caused a turnover. The Pies were able to maintain possession with just seconds left on the clock and hold on for a memorable victory.
West Coast Eagles 11.9.75
Collingwood 12.4.76
ANZAC Day Match v Essendon, 2012
In his first year as senior coach, the pressure was on Bucks after taking over from his mentor and predecessor Michael Malthouse. Collingwood had a rollercoaster start to the 2012 season, going down by 22 points to Hawthorn in Round 1, defeating Richmond by 21 in Round 2, getting thumped by the Blues by 60 points in Round 3 and then defeating Port Adelaide by 24 points in Round 4. Essendon on the other hand, had won the first 4 games of the season including wins over the Blues, Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.
With just 4 days between Collingwood's Round 4 win over the Power and the ANZAC Day clash, the Pies had little time to rest and recover.
It was Collingwood that got off to the better start, leading the Bombers by 2 goals at half time. Travis Cloke had 2 first half goals, he would finish with 3 for the afternoon to go with 7 marks and 444 meters gained. As the Bombers began to make their push towards the lead, it was the one and only Dane Swan who stood up. Alongside his good mates Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, Swanny had arguably the best game of his career.
When Essendon's Sam Lonergan got the Bombers within a point just before the end of the third term, Swanny broke through a forward 50 stoppage and smashed the Sherrin over the heads of a shattered Essendon cheer squad.
The ball was deep inside Colingwood's forward 50 in the early stages of the final quarter, and a brilliant snap from Beams as he fell over got the Pies to an 18 point lead. As the clock ran down, the Bombers played their final cards. An exhausted Collingwood side by this point, was under siege by Essendon and a series of behinds prevented the Pies from getting that goal to settle Magpie Army hearts.
It all seemed over when Alwyn Davey tied the scores and then Brent Stanton found the footy 25 meters out on a tight angle to put the Bombers 5 points up with just 2 minutes left.
As hope faded away for Pies fans, the ball was launched to the top of the goal square...Cloke flew high and the ball hit the ground...and there was Jarryd Blair, the small forward able to extend his leg to the footy as it rolled over the goal line.
A historic win on ANZAC Day and one that will live on in the memories of Bucks and that team for a long time.
Collingwood 11.14.80
Essendon 11.13.79
Round 2 v Richmond, 2016
The year is 2016 and Bucks is into his 4th season as Collingwood coach. The external pressure had been increasing on Bucks as seasons went on, with on-field results not yet reflective of what the club expected and Bucks into the final year of his initial contract. In Round 1, the Pies came up well short against the eventual grand finalists Sydney by 80 points and criticism was coming in fast, fortunately for Bucks, a week is a long time in footy.
Richmond in the mean time had come away with a narrow victory over Carlton in Round 1 and had all the momentum when both teams arrived at the MCG on a chilly Friday evening. Just 1 point separated the sides at the first break, while Collingwood were 5 points down at half-time after Richmond's wayward kicking in front of goal let them down.
The third quarter begins and momentum had swung the way of the Pies, the scoring started to flow after a low scoring first half and dynamic forward Alex Fasolo was having a career night. Dusty got the quarter underway before Fasolo kicked his second, then defender Tom Langdon found himself forward, closely followed by Brodie Grundy as the Pies hit the front. Fasolo's 3rd goal of the match broke up a string of Richmond goals to end the third term and the Pies found themselves with a 5 pint deficit going into the final term.
Jack Reiwoldt kicked truely with 13 minutes on the clock to give the Tigers a 10 point lead and Pies fans were worried a heartbreaking loss could derail the season...Alex Fasolo had other plans.
Richmond defender Alex Rance had taken a trademark grab across half back and looked to switch the ball across defensive 50, the ball had too much flight and Fasolo leaped into the air to intercept the ball and bring it to ground. As Fasolo battled for the football against 2 Richmond defenders, reinforcements arrived. Taylor Adams danced around Nick Vlastuin and centred the ball towards the awaiting arms of Brodie Grundy. The ball spilled but it was the ever present James Aish who was there to clean up the crumbs and slide the ball through the big sticks.
Another Riewoldt goal and hope was lost, the Tigers had a lead of 11 points with 2 minutes to go and the Pies were running out of legs. Rise again...Alex Fasolo, the forward earns a free kick thanks to some clumsy defending from Rance and Fas quickly goes back and slots the goal to return hope to the Magpie faithful.
As the clock ran down below 30 seconds, a young Darcy Moore took an athletic grab on the junction of the 50m arc and the boundary. At this point with only moments left, Darcy made the decision to centre the ball rather than going for the nigh on impossible shot on goal at this stage of the match. The ball floated in air, Pies fan's mouths gaping open as a contest of black, white and yellow combined at the top of the Collingwood attacking goal square.
Pendlebury flew, but then it was him...it was Grundy, the ruckman had snatched the ball and thrown it on the boot. Before he knew it the MCG erupted and he was covered his team mates, broadcast vision switched to Bucks in the coaches box: a stunned face, not quite sure what he had just witnessed, stared at the boys celebrating a momentous victory in a challenging time of Bucks' tenure as coach.
Collingwood 13.9.87
Richmond 12.14.86
Preliminary Final v Richmond, 2018
A spot in a grand final awaited the winner of arguably one of the most highly anticipated preliminary finals in recent history. Two giants of the competition, laden with stars of the game, took to the MCG on a Friday night in September of 2018. For Bucks, it was the furthest he'd ever taken his side as a coach and after he'd achieved the most wins in a season in charge in 2018 he understandably wanted to make the most of the opportunity a preliminary final provided his side.
Although this game was not particularly thrilling when it came to the scoreboard, what made the match entertaining and one of the best under Bucks was how the Pies went about dismantling the best side in recent history: Richmond. The Tigers were almost untouchable in 2018, winning 18 games with a percentage of 136%, reigning Brownlow Medalist Dustin Martin was in unimaginably good form and the entire industry had almost locked the reigning premiers into another Grand Final.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, it didn't quite pan out that way...enter Mason Cox. The 211cm American had a career night including 8 contested marks, more than any other player since North Melbourne's Drew Petrie took 9 in 2011. He was un-defendable, his hands getting way too high for any Richmond defender to reach the ball at the same level.
Despite the victory often being remembered as the Mason Cox game, he was not the only one who shone under the pressure of a preliminary final. Steele Sidebottom walked away with a whopping 41 disposals, his work around the contest was eye-catching then extending his run and dash to help connect the Pies across the middle of the ground. His 13 marks, to go with 5 clearances and 545 meters gained created the opportunities for Cox and others up the ground. His partner in crime, Taylor Adams was under the pack (like always) leading the team at the coal-face. Tay had a whopping 19 contested posessions that contributed to a total of 36 for the night.
Let's not forgot Brodie Grundy who had a casual 56 hit-outs. His form in 2018 was nothing short of astounding, a player who flourished under the tutorage of Bucks and has developed into one of the premier ruckman in the competition. Grundy was at his best in the preliminary final, a goal, 21 disposals and 6 clearances was just too much to handle for Richmond's Toby Nankervis as Grundy demonstrated a new dimension to the ruck position that hadn't been seen in recent history.
This match was the pinnacle of a team performance, led by a coach who had constructed a culture of effort and intensity.
Collingwood 15.7.97
Richmond 8.10.58
Qualifying Final v Geelong, 2019
After the devastation of 2018, it was to no one's surprise that Collingwood again found themselves straight back into contention for another shot at a premiership. A nail-biting end of the season meant the Pies needed to beat Essendon in the final home and away game, and relied on West Coast losing to Hawthorn at home in order for Collingwood to snatch a spot in the top 4. Results went Collingwood's way and the Pies finished in 4th position with another 15 win season, while Geelong secured top spot in the final round of the home and away season with a win over the Blues...the Cats had been the team to beat all season, owning 1st position for 21 of the 23 rounds in 2019.
Another Friday night in September, the MCG packed to the rafters with the Magpie Army and their hopes of ultimate success lying on the shoulders of Bucks and his boys. To put extra meaning on the occasion, captain Scott Pendlebury was playing his 300th game in the black and white.
The Pies got the jump on the Cats, kicking 4 goals to 1 in the first quarter. Taylor Adams once again leading the way around the stoppages, extracting the ball from a throw-in and dribbling the ball through the big sticks. Jamie Elliot was the recipient of a fantastic play from Steele Sidebottom in the dying seconds of the first term and the Pies had the upper hand.
The second quarter starts and Geelong's Mitch Duncan defends a deep entry into Collingwood forward 50, the ball bounces over Josh Thomas' head but Jeremy Howe grabs it in full stride. He sees an opening and launches from 45m out, driving the ball towards the Magpie Army, the Sherrin sails over the goal umpire's head and the Cats are stunned. The way Collingwood competed for the footy all night was inspiring, making a mockery of a team that had pride themselves on their ability to compete.
As the first half came to a close, the Cats made their move, a late goal from Zac Touhy giving the cats a sniff.
It was the leaders that stood up for Buckley's men in the 3rd term. Sidey took advantage of a Pendlebury free kick on the edge of 50, he ran away from a chasing Mark O'Connor and drilled it home to shatter the cats hopes. When Sam Menengola tried to revive the Cats with a snap that brought them within 20, it was the 300 gamer and club champion Pendlebury who received the ball from Jayden Stephenson 40 out and slotted a vital goal.
3 minutes left in the final term and goals from Tim Kelly and Patrick Dangerfield got the Cats within 2 goals of the Pies, however it wasn't enough. A backline that has been the backbone of the team for multiple seasons now, stood up when it was needed and carried the Pies to consecutive preliminary finals. Darcy Moore had 12 intercepts, while Howe had 10, Maynard 9 and Mayne 8.
Collingwood 9.7.61
Geelong 7.9.51
