Collingwood slumped to its third defeat of the season when going down to GWS by 30 points at the MCG on Saturday night.
The somewhat listless nature of the defeat prompted a discussion on the Magpies, coach Nathan Buckley and what the future holds.
Garry Lyon has described their current situation as painful while asking the question if Buckley still has the desire to endure in the role.
“They’re in a world of pain,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“Nathan Buckley is going to find out whether the desire to be a coach still burns as brightly and as fiercely inside his guts as it did when he started.
“Because you know what Nathan Buckley is. This is what he has to answer and he said it himself. Don’t worry, the year will sort itself out and I may not want to be here at the end of the year, it might be time.
“You know what Nathan Buckley is like. When he sets his mind to something, he’s as fiercely single-minded as any person you’d come across.
“The question for Nathan right now is: Am I going to go to the end of the world to build relationships, to drag people in, to start rejigging? If that’s there, great. Go for it and away you go.”
Kane Cornes asked: “Would he be in demand at another club? I think he would be.”
Lyon replied: “If he has the fire that burns, then 100 percent.”
Cornes further touched on the current situation at Collingwood after forcing three senior players - Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson and Tom Phillips - out the door last trade period and how it is impacting them on the field this year.
“Their worst possible scenario is playing out right now,” he added.
“That is, you start the season poorly, your good players are down, the players you traded out are dominating for another club.
“Treloar is probably a top-10 midfielder in the game right now with his performance. I think Jaidyn Stephenson is giving North Melbourne what they would have expected and what Collingwood need, and Phillips is going ok.
“If they started the season well we wouldn’t be talking about it. The players they let go, they’re paying their wage and playing well, and its going to be a massive issue for Nathan Buckley and Collingwood.”
Tim Watson also had his say, specifically pointing out the Magpies’ inability to score which is becoming a major issue.
He also wondered whether now was the time to unleash the club’s youth.
“This is a really difficult time for Nathan Buckley because he already diagnosed the problem,” Watson said.
“We don’t have a great connection with our forwards, that type of thing. That’s been a problem and he’s already admitted it.
“That’s been a problem for over 12 months. He hasn’t been able to come up with a remedy, now we’re asking him to come up with a remedy in a week.
“Do you play the kids now? How good are their kids? Are they ready to play? Are they conditioned? Are they smart enough?”
The Pies currently sit 14th on the ladder with the third lowest points for in the competition and a percentage of 91.
They come up against the West Coast Eagles in Perth on Friday night as they strive to avoid a 1-4 start to the season.