Collingwood onballer Jordan De Goey, who enjoyed arguably his best game for the club, has backed his under siege coach following the Pies' four goal loss to the Hawks.
Nathan Buckley, who himself stated at the end of last year if the side did not reach the finals in 2017 he would likely lose his job, is now on very shaky ground, with the Magpies now sitting 15th with just five wins from the opening 14 games of the season.
The Pies will most likely need to win seven of the final eight games to reach the finals.
But De Goey said he loves playing under Buckley and believes he is the right man for the job.
โHe had several years at the club before even being a coach and he was a fantastic player and heโs a fantastic coach in my eyes,โ De Goey said on Monday.
โI think all the supporters need to stick with us, stand by our side. As you can see, in glimpses weโve been really good. In the end it comes down to the players because weโre the ones on the field so if we clean up a few things weโll definitely be right back in it.โ
The 21-year-old, who has now played 44 games, had 32 disposals and six tackles in Collingwood's 24-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
De Goey also echoed Buckley's thoughts post match that the club still believes it can play finals football, particularly in if more youngster, such as De Goey himself continue to step up to help the usual suspects, such as Pendlebury and Treloar.
โObviously thereโs a lot of young boys in the team and my game at the weekend just showed if you work hard you reap the rewards,โ De Goey added.
โThereโs a lot of other kids just like me that are just waiting for the opportunity. I think itโs up to us younger boys to step forward and not leave it up to the older guys because for the past few weeks I think theyโve really been carrying the team.โ
