Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says players are the ones who win close games, not coaches.
The Magpies went down to the Cats by seven points on Friday night in a contest that went down to the wire.
Buckley believes that match-day moves by coaches don’t determine close results, the efforts of players do.
“There are some coaches and some people who watch football that believe that the coaches box manipulates play and is the major reason for results in close games,” he told SEN's Whateley.
“I would suggest that the major reason you get results in close games is because you do the basics really well when it matters.
“The leaders on field have the capacity to step up and do what it takes when it’s asked.
“Ultimately, the teams that win close games are full of players that get that mix right.”
LISTEN TO EVERY SEN AFL GAME ON THE NEW SEN APP!
UPDATE THE APP OR DOWNLOAD TODAY - Apple OR Android
The Magpies coach also conceded that the new rules aren't impacting the game that much.
“We forget that there’s still times that games have ebbed and flowed,” Buckley told Gerard Whateley.
“It’s not as if these rules changes change the game entirely.
“But the fact that you sit in the coaches box at times and feel like you can’t… manipulate the centre bounce to get an extra number behind the ball, that’s quite significant.
“I’ve always been a big believer that if you prepare your playing group, most of your coaching is done during the week.”
The Pies will hope to bounce back from a tight loss when they face the Tigers on Thursday night at the MCG.
