Collingwood has called on the services of former Western Bulldogs head coach Brendan McCartney, landing the 62-year-old on a part time basis across the pre-season.
McCartney led the Dogs between 2012 and 2014, forging and guiding the club's playing nucleus that would eventually claim premiership glory in 2016.
After departing the Kennel, McCartney held the dual role of development and strategy coach at the Demons from 2015 until 2019, again aiding a group on the premiership cusp.
Prior to starting his 66-game stretch leading the Bulldogs, McCartney had also fulfilled assistant duties at each of Richmond, Geelong and Essendon between 1998 and 2011.
As reported by 7News, McCartney's expertise had been personally sought by Pies coach Craig McRae to act as a consultant, with the sophomore steward keen to eke more out of his side in 2023.
While McCartney will only call the AIA Centre home for around a fortnight, his know-how was brought into the mix following McRae's off-season study trip to the United Kingdom.
Having qualified as a school teacher during his playing days as a Lion, McRae's desire to seek knowledge and think outside the box is commensurate with many of his coaching contemporaries, a smattering of whom also come from educational backgrounds.
McRae and his Magpies will be hopeful of taking further strides off the back of his spectacular debut season, a campaign in which Collingwood fell agonisingly close to a grand final birth just 12 months after residing in the bottom four.
Collingwood will commence their season in earnest when facing Carlton and Hawthorn in a pair of practice matches between February 24 and March 2.
The 'love them, or hate them' outfit will then face off against reigning premiers Geelong on Friday, March 17 in Round 1 before what promises to be a jampacked MCG crowd.
