Former AFL coach Terry Wallace says game plan and structure of the spine are priorities for Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley heading into 2018.

Having failed to attract players during the trade period – the Pies secured rookie-list Swan Sam Murray as its only acquisition – improvement is required from within for a club that has not played finals since 2013.

“I’m still not completely convinced about the game plan,” Wallace told SEN’s The Run Home.

“It’s not bedded down. You look at some clubs and its obvious what they are trying to achieve but it’s not as obvious with Collingwood at times.



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“From watching from the outside, and a lot of the analysts say the same thing, it just doesn’t look as tight as other sides.

“To me, that’s what they’ve got to get better at. Richmond did it and turned the whole thing around.”

While consistency of game style has been an issue, so has cementing a spine best suited to the team and individuals.

The Magpies have not won more than 11 games in a season since 2013.

“They’ve got to settle the backline in particular,” Wallace said.

“I’d play Darcy Moore down back and Ben Reid up forward given he seems to break down when asked to close down space in defence.”

Wallace expects Buckley to put the heat on young guns Jordan De Goey and Matthew Scharenberg as a key platform to improvement.

De Goey starred at times last season but lacked consistency while Scharenberg managed 10 games after a horror run with knee injuries.

With the pressure on given this year’s disappointment, Wallace is confident if the Pies address the right areas they can be one of next season’s big improvers.

“If they settle things down I think they’ll improve,” he said.

“The back half of the year showed improvement and I have them on the rise.”