Craig McRae is expected to be announced as the new Collingwood coach on Wednesday.
The three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player has undertaken an extensive coaching apprenticeship since his successful playing career and is believed to have won the race to become Nathan Buckley’s successor ahead of Adam Kingsley.
McRae, who has been assistant at Hawthorn this year, recently spent time at Richmond during their successful era, working with Justin Leppitsch at Punt Road.
Former Lions teammate Leppitsch knows McRae very well and pointed out the attributes that will make him such a good fit for this role.
“He was always bringing the team together,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“There wouldn’t be a person who doesn’t like ‘Fly’. He’s that sort of person, he gels people together.
“That’s his strength, that’s his one-wood, is the fact that he’s respectful of everybody. He understands the big picture, he knows he can’t do this job on his own.
“He’s lived through almost every scenario in footy from the high of the high to the low of the low.”
McRae has worked under or alongside such names as Leigh Matthews, Mick Malthouse, Alastair Clarkson, Nathan Buckley, Damien Hardwick and even Craig Bellamy throughout his career.
That experience is set to hold him in good stead with the Magpies, especially having previously spent five years at the club as development manager.
“He’s got that well rounded experience. He worked at the Melbourne Storm as well so he seen a lot of different sports in what he’s done,” Leppitsch added.
“It’s not bad, is it? That’s why it’s a really mature appointment from Collingwood going down this path.
“It’s almost saying, ‘What do we need at our footy club?’. They know what they need, they went out seeking it and they’ll put the parts around that.
“That’s what long term success is about.”
It is expected that the McRae appointment will be announced by Collingwood later today.