Twelve months ago, Nathan Buckley might well have been the most under-pressure coach in the AFL. His Collingwood side had dropped down the ladder further in each successive year for the past five seasons.
Just one year later, he's enjoying an extended holiday in Italy after his side - one many tipped to miss the finals - lost the Grand Final by just five points. Buckley's European jaunt is nigh-on unprecedented in the AFL, a league and industry that at times appears to never switch off.
On SEN Breakfast, the Herald Sun's Sam Edmund and former St Kilda and North Melbourne star Nick Dal Santo praised Buckley's decision to step away over Summer.
"I like what Nathan Buckley has done," said Edmund.
"This is a whole new level of delegation. Surrendering a lot of those powers, that urge to control by going to Italy for a longer term holiday."
Dal Santo agreed.
"The criticism of Nathan Buckley was he was so controlling. Then (he) relinquishes a little bit of responsibility and all of a sudden these players start to flourish.
"I think it is a brilliant move.
"We’re now hearing, through the Collective Bargaining Agreement with players, that they (players) get more time off and a bit more balance.
"I think it’s a really wise decision for coaches as well.
"The bit that we’re not aware of is - the football season finishes, we all switch off.
"The coaches don’t switch off - the coaches go into work mode already to get ready for the next year. It leads straight into the Combine, the Draft… the coaches don’t step back until after that.
"When is their down-time? When do they get to step back?"
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