![Collingwood president Eddie McGuire hails Nathan Buckley after his side reached the AFL grand final. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire hails Nathan Buckley after his side reached the AFL grand final.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/3710fbbd-67c4-4656-8a3d-82fc49374b11.jpg/r0_0_800_600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has sung the praises of coach Nathan Buckley after he emerged from a difficult period of soul searching to deliver the Magpies to the AFL grand final.
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McGuire refused to listen to the loud calls for Buckley to be sacked last year and the coach repaid that faith with a stunning 39-point preliminary final win over Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.
"The thing was when we discussed Nathan's position, you look at him and you say 'Has this bloke ever given anything for the club?'" McGuire said.
"He's given everything for the club.
"Does he sacrifice? He's sacrificed everything for the club.
"Is he a person who you want to go into battle with? Who you want to hammer your values to the wall? Yes.
"That's why Nathan Buckley is the coach of Collingwood."
But even he after survived the exhaustive club-wide review, Buckley's position was called into question again after an 0-2 start to the season.
"Everyone was going to get sacked after two rounds - the coach, the president, the full-forward (Jordan De Goey) - everyone was sacked," McGuire said.
"I read that Scott Pendlebury wasn't an A-grader and that maybe we should look for another captain."
But McGuire remained confident the changes made as part of last year's forensic assessment of the club would begin to bear fruit.
"We, by and large, believed we had the ingredients but we just weren't cooking them properly," McGuire said.
"As (Pies football boss) Geoff Walsh says 'Let the baker bake the bread' ... everyone plays their roles now.
"There are a lot of big personalities in the club but everyone is doing their role.
"I think we're getting back to being a really good club again (but) I think there's a humbleness as well."
Australian Associated Press