Nathan Buckley's 'Bore'n'Twenty Pies' ripped by former player

After a somewhat dour round 11 display which saw Collingwood kick just three goals through three quarter time, Nathan Buckley has been urged to inject some life into the 'Bore'n'Twenty Pies'.

Despite an honest comeback in the final quarter against Geelong last weekend, Buckley stood accused of 'overcoaching' the 2-9 Magpies in the 10-point less by former Hawthorn star Ben Dixon.

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In what amounted to something of a backhanded compliment, Dixon said Collingwood's problem this season was not a lack of football IQ from Buckley - rather the opposite.

Dixon compared Buckley's footy acumen to that of highly-rated Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson, but said the Magpies would benefit from less game-planning and a more free-flowing style.

He told Fox Footy the Pies had looked 'way too structured' against Geelong, giving them the moniker of the 'Bore 'n' Twenty Pies'.

“I spent some time at Collingwood. He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“If he had 22 Scott Pendlebury’s out there I’d be talking about Collingwood for a three-peat, but you’re just not dealing with that sort of intellect in terms of footy.

“It looks way too structured for me now. It looks like guys are taking away their natural instinct ... whereas you’ve got to let that natural feel of the game come in.

“I reckon there was a stage where Bucks got to that and relaxed that side of it and that’s when they were in contention and they are playing some really good footy.

"Now they’re on the backfoot, they’re not gonna make finals and they’re in rebuild mode, they’re at that point now where he’s probably really overcoaching it.”

Dixon said Buckley was '100% the next Clarko' but was nonetheless adamant the Magpies coach would be well served into the future by allowing his players a little more freedom.

He was also mindful Collingwood had lost to key contributors over the off-season in Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson.

“If Bucks can swing that balance he’s going to get this team back on track, but from a footy IQ point of view, he is 100% the next Clarko in terms the way he thinks about the game,” he said.

Magpies' Grundy out for up to three weeks

Struggling Collingwood will be without star ruckman Brodie Grundy for up to three weeks due to a pinched nerve in his neck.

The Magpies big man was subbed off during Saturday's 10-point defeat against Geelong after hurting himself in a contest with Rhys Stanley during the third quarter.

Collingwood on Monday ruled Grundy out for "two to three weeks" and will await more advice from a specialist about the whiplash incident.

Grundy was cleared of major damage after being taken to the Epworth Hospital for assessment following the incident at the MCG.

It ends a run of 81-straight games for the dual All-Australian, who last missed a match back in 2017.

Vice-captain Taylor Adams has also been ruled out for up to three weeks after suffering a fresh injury in his comeback match against Port Adelaide in round 10.

The star midfielder had sat out five matches after hurting his knee against GWS in April.

The Magpies say this knee injury is unrelated to the previous issues he experienced earlier this season.

But in better news for the Magpies (2-9), dynamite forward Jamie Elliott will be available to play in this weekend's clash with Adelaide.

The dependable goalkicker has been sidelined since suffering a fractured fibula against Carlton in round two.

Collingwood have clearly missed Elliott's presence, having struggled to kick a winning score this year.

With AAP

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