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Coach Craig McRae

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New Collingwood coach Craig McRae reveals his plans for 2022 and beyond

Craig McRae outlines how he hopes to fix Collingwood’s issues and his plans for a host of stars in his first expansive interview since taking on the job.

New Collingwood coach Craig McRae wants the Magpies to get more bang for their buck next season, eager to turn the AFL’s lowest inside 50m entry team back into a scoring force.
The Magpies were ranked last for inside 50s and third last for points scored this year, with their inability to get the bal into attack one of the key reasons behind their 17th-placed finish.
McRae, appointed as Nathan Buckley’s replacement last Wednesday, is already looking at ways to boost the club’s scoring profile next year from a team and tactical standpoint, with a heavy focus on giving the club’s forwards more opportunities in 2022.

“When I presented through the (coaching) process, there (were) some holes in the (playing) list if you want to play a certain way, so I am conscious of saying we are going to play a certain way,” McRae said of his plans to remedy the club’s forward woes.

“This is our first opportunity to say we need less possessions and we need to go forward more. If we go forward more, we are going to kick to more contests, so we need to improve our contest (work) because we want the ball inside 50, to give us more chances to score.
“That’s one of the initial things I have said (to the players). We are going to have to improve in the contest because that’s the way we are going to have to get the ball forward.”
In his first expansive interview since taking on the senior role, McRae detailed his plans to:

# HELP explosive midfielder/forward Jordan De Goey become “the best version of himself”, including seeing him return to day one of the pre-season fit and ready to fire
# LOCK Darcy Moore permanently in defence, ending any idea of using him as a swingman
# CHALLENGE Brodie Grundy and the midfield group to develop a closer on-field synergy in order to take advantage of the ruckman’s hitout dominance
# ALLOW Scott Pendlebury the chance to decide his future as captain, while conceding the club had some work to do on its leadership group
# TEMPER the initial expectations surrounding boom father-son recruit Nick Daicos, while providing him with the best possible grounding in his first year
# LIFT the tackling and pressure ratings of the club’s 2021 debutants.
McRae spoke to the Collingwood playing group on Wednesday, outlining some of his plans for the future as well as his expectations of them going forward.
He will look to finalise a coaching panel around him in the coming weeks, with his former Brisbane premiership teammate Justin Leppitsch almost certain to join the club.
Hawthorn assistant coach Brendon Bolton is also in the mix.
“When we get our coaching panel together, we will sit down and (say) ‘How do we want to play and what suits our list?’ McRae said.
“I want the contest to be a focus, how we set the field up in offence will be a focus, how we set the field up in defence will be focus and there will be some strategies around stoppage.”

COLLINGWOOD’S FORWARD ISSUES IN 2021


Inside 50s: Ranked 18th
Total goals: 15th
Overall scoring: 16th


McRAE’S SAY …

JORDAN DE GOEY

“He is certainly a player who we want to be the best version of himself. There are two parts to that for me – the choices he wants to make to be that player, which ultimately is up to him to decide, but then it is the environment that we create to allow him to be.
“I am hoping he makes the choice that he does (want to be the best version of himself). Those decisions he makes now in that time before he gets back (to pre-season training) are pretty critical to set him up for that.
“We want to create an environment where he is challenged, and he is rewarded, and he is motivated, and he is happy. Then to create an opportunity for others to push him and feel part of something bigger than himself. That is the challenge in professional sports, that your own needs are met, but we also want the team’s needs to be met more.”


McRae says Jordan De Goey’s decisions in the off-season will be critical. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

DARCY MOORE

“I was really strong when I was here last time that I thought Darcy could be one of the best key defenders in the game.
“I am certain he will be part of the back six (in the future).
“Darcy is such an intelligent guy. He wants to be a young leader of the group.”

BRODIE GRUNDY

“I said to him in the meeting (on Wednesday) … ‘when I was last here you never said much … Are you going to speak up in meetings now? This is your chance’. I was encouraging him to come out of himself and give more to others.
“I think Brodie is at that stage in his football (career) where we need him to be more than just a good preparer and maybe good at hit-outs. We want him to connect. If he is connecting, hopefully we get more connections in the hit-outs.”


MASON COX

“I am really proud of Mason and of what he has been able to achieve in the game. (But) he would be the first to say he wants to do more.
“I think it is interesting with guys like Mason and Jamie Elliott and Darcy (Moore) and Brodie (Grundy), these guys I have had relationships with for a long time.
“But I have got to be very clear that I am not going to have favourites.
“The level of relationship has been built, but we can’t have favourites. Mason is a good example of that. I want the best for him, but also I want the best for the Collingwood Football Club and that’s going to come first.
“The list management decisions will be made with and without me, but Mason will be a talking point.”

NICK DAICOS

“I think expectations can overwhelm people at times. I haven’t spoke to the young lad yet, but I plan to.
“I was fortunate enough to catch up with Chris Connolly and his experience with Jack Watts at Melbourne. Jack Watts was the No. 1 pick and (Connolly’s) comment … was ‘he was coming in to develop and we (gave) him to the least experienced coach’.
“I don’t want to fall into that trap, so maybe the highest pick needs to go to (our) most experienced coach.”


HIS NICKNAME, FLY

“I’ve been trying to shake Fly (for years). It goes right back to ‘Choco’ Williams at Glenelg. I got a really bad haircut when I was 19 and I decided to go for the undercut – as everyone was doing. I walked into the club and the ‘Back to the Future’ movies must have been around with Marty McFly.
“I was McFly for two years (at Glenelg). When I got to Brisbane they just dropped the ‘Mc’ and then it was Fly. There have been all different versions of Fly for the last 25 years.
“When I listen to people say my name on the news – Craig McRae – I am like ‘who’s that?’ I just haven’t been called Craig for so many years.”

BRISBANE’S MAD MONDAY ORGANISER

“I didn’t drink during the season (as a Lions player). Many of us didn’t because we were very disciplined in our want to be the best. (But) I would get to the end of the year and I would want to have a beer with my mates and celebrate.
“We would have a few guys who would go to a pub and then they would stuff something up and we would get kicked out. One year we got kicked out of three pubs and I thought ‘what are we doing?’ I am not going to mention names, but I thought, ‘stuff this … I am taking this over’ and then all year I was planning this big event.
“The 2003 one (after the club’s third straight flag) was the best. It became a real event. It was a great time of my life, we were very tight (as a team). They are special memories now.”

The McRae pitch that blew Pies coaching panel away

One of the most key tenets of Craig McRae’s recent presentation to the Collingwood coaching subcommittee was a montage of eight key figures critical to his footy journey as well as a mission statement.
The images represent a veritable who’s who of influential coaches in Australian sport, each of whom has played a role in helping to shape the man who this week was named as Collingwood’s senior coach.
The mission statement sitting above the montage – ‘Winning is a part of my DNA’ – was no idle boast, nor was it any hint of arrogance.
“When I presented (to the subcommittee) they asked who you are as a person,” McRae said in his first extensive interview since his appointment. “One of my strong languages is that I am a winner, but I am not a winner in the sense of being arrogant.
“I am a winner because I think winning is a process and I know the process of winning. I spoke to each of those (eight) individuals and I’ve learnt off all of them as part of my journey.”
Somehow it seems fitting that arguably the most detailed process to find a new coach in Collingwood’s history didn’t settle on the highest profile candidate. Instead, it chose a humble, self-effacing person almost devoid of personal ego other than a craving for team success.
The men featured in the montage helped McRae find and forge that winning mentality.
He tasted premiership success three times as a player with Brisbane.
He was a member of a coaching panel that secured three flags at Richmond, while also taking his own VFL Tigers to a premiership.

McRae, 47, has now set his sights on helping to rebuild Collingwood, saying he won’t deviate from the formula that has led to success elsewhere.
Insiders say he “blew away” the selection panel with his detail, his culture-building characteristics, his level of connections, and his process-driven approach.
This wasn’t a presentation crafted in the space of a few months; it was effectively a 15-year coaching portfolio of experiences and influences.
The men in the montage – Leigh Matthews, Alastair Clarkson, Damien Hardwick, Mark Williams, Robert Walls, Mick Malthouse, Buckley and Storm coach Craig Bellamy – have shaped McRae’s pathway as a player, development coach, assistant coach and now senior coach.
McRae said of Williams, who was his first senior coach at Glenelg: “He said to me in the early days he would play young players and I would be one of those players, so giving hope to young players is something I like to do.”
Those opportunities saw McRae drafted to Brisbane as pick 22 in the 1994 pre-season draft, which saw him come under Robert Walls’ coaching in 1995.
“(Walls) was big on standards and he taught all our young Brisbane players such as (Michael) Voss, (Jason) Akermanis and myself and Nigel Lappin all these high training standards.
“That’s part of my DNA around training at high standards.”


Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson are among the eight coaching prominent coaching figures who have shaped McRae. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

He learnt about the importance of delegation from Mick Malthouse when he was development coach at Collingwood: “I hadn’t seen it at that level and Mick was magnificent at that, among other things.”
In working with Buckley, he found him “a real professional preparer … he was significant in his preparation for the opposition and there are a lot of layers to that.”
His move to Richmond brought him in contact with Damien Hardwick, which forged the spark that he could one day become a senior coach.
“Dimma (Hardwick) gave me the autonomy to grow a program, but he also taught me a lot around storytelling and connection and the whole piece of the culture, which is a lot of my teaching and coaching as well.
“The passion really ignited at Richmond in terms of coaching my own team … particularly making Grand Finals and experiencing in 2019 winning the (VFL) Grand Final.
“I loved that ability to be able to drive the bus, if you like.”
McRae also worked for a time on Melbourne Storm’s kicking, admiring Craig Bellamy’s impact on the club.
“That reinforced to me that (sport) is all about great process and culture and valuing people and creating winning behaviours and repeating them over and over and over again,” he said.
His one year at Hawthorn as an assistant coach this season fostered a relationship with Alastair Clarkson, with McRae in awe of the four-time premiership coach’s care for people.


“Clarko’s level of care is like no one else on that page, which goes right down to the families. it is unbelievable,” McRae said.
When McRae’s partner Gabrielle told their five-year-old daughter that her dad had been named coach of the Magpies, little Charlie said: “I was hoping Clarko would be the coach.”
“That’s the essence of Clarko,” McRae said with a smile about his connection with those around him, even his assistant coaches’ kids.
It’s a closeness he wants to foster at the Pies.
The main figure in McRae’s montage of influences was his Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews, who shaped his footy and his life.
McRae said he won’t have any hesitation in keeping Matthews as a sounding board during any challenging times ahead.
“I used Leigh (as the main feature) because he had the most significant influence on me as coach, and I learnt a lot of my philosophies around coaching from him,” he said.
“He has offered to be there for some advice … I am not saying it is going to be there right through the whole journey, but what I have noticed already in this position is all of a sudden there is another level of support you didn’t realise was there.”
McRae’s hardworking but low-profile manner embodies the new Collingwood.
The Magpies intend to be more measured, more understated, more process driven and less given to hyperbole – which suits the coach.
“There has been a bit of a shift in mentality. When I got here (the first time in 2011) it was ‘the biggest and the best, the boldest and the newest’. That was something that preached a lot and I know there has been a focus to shift away from that.”
McRae loves being back at Collingwood.
It wasn’t his choice to leave in late 2015 – the soft cap was biting at the time and the club had to scale back its development structures.

“I did learn a good lesson in life that my dad (Kevin) instilled in me and that was to never burn your bridges,” he explained.
“Unfortunately my time ended here because it was the start of the first cuts in the soft cap.
“I had a contract that was expiring and it was just a matter of circumstances that they decided to go in a different way and not have a head of development, although I was doing a good job.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a new contract, but I just worked my bum off to exit well, including going to the best and fairest with my daughter (Chelsea).
“I didn’t have a job, but I wanted to shake hands and look people in the eye and thank them for my time and move onto my next journey.”
That next phase took him to Richmond, then to Hawthorn and now back to Collingwood, with those experiences adding to his coaching IP.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about my journey,” he said.
Winning isn’t the only thing in McRae’s DNA, hard work is just as prevalent.
“My dad was a boilermaker who worked six days a week for 40 years,” he said. “He was a hard worker and he says it all the time – ‘it’s in your blood’.
“It is in my DNA to work hard. When I was growing up and not getting picked for my high school footy team, I had this thing that ‘I will prove you wrong!’.
“I quickly realised when I got older, it wasn’t about that. It was about proving myself right.
“I feel like I have good resilience and it is going to be needed in this job.”

Hard work has been integral to McRae’s rise.
He knows his elevation to the main role will prove a balancing act for his family.
“My family balance is the most important (thing),” he said. “There are going to be times when it is going to be challenged and I think the way my family is set up is going to give me the best chance to do this job well.”
He loves spending time with his two daughters – five-year-old Charlie, and 21-year-old Chelsea, from a previous marriage.
He and his partner Gabrielle have had to cancel their wedding date three times already due to the pandemic, with their next early October timeline again looking in serious doubt.
“We had hoped to get married three or four times, but it has been put back more and more,” he said.
Now that he is back in the Collingwood family, McRae wants to ensure the club does all that it can to connect with its fans, even during a pandemic.
The fans even formed a part of his presentation pitch.
“In my proposal … that was one of my pillars, to reconnect with the past and to reconnect with the fans,” he said. “We miss the fans enormously at the footy.
“I want to find Covid-proof ways to be able to connect with the fans, I have got a few ideas around that and we can’t wait for our fans to be back at the games.”
 
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76woodenspooners said:
Yeah, I saw that too.

It didn’t appear to be a ringing endorsement for Maxwell in the role, did it?

ps. Hard to imagine Maxwell departing the club without an announcement.
Click to expand...
Yeah I agree regarding Maxwell and outside this article there hasn't been any media reports/rumours, so perhaps it's either a thought bubble or early in the process.

It's not the only area and individual McRae has challenged publicly either.
  • Grundy - opening up and connecting with other players off field
  • DeGoey - get fit if you want to play mid
  • Leadership group - need to do better
  • Henry, Poulter, Macrae, Bianco - work harder defensively, feeding into past development
As much as I'm interested to hear McRae's insights and agenda another part of me thinks some things are better off kept in house. As a new coach it's understandable that McRae is probably wanting to make his mark and sell his credentials hence all the media interviews, but I hope he finds a bit more balance after this initial phase.
 
Dead Eye Didak said:
New Collingwood coach Craig McRae reveals his plans for 2022 and beyond

Craig McRae outlines how he hopes to fix Collingwood’s issues and his plans for a host of stars in his first expansive interview since taking on the job.

New Collingwood coach Craig McRae wants the Magpies to get more bang for their buck next season, eager to turn the AFL’s lowest inside 50m entry team back into a scoring force.
The Magpies were ranked last for inside 50s and third last for points scored this year, with their inability to get the bal into attack one of the key reasons behind their 17th-placed finish.
McRae, appointed as Nathan Buckley’s replacement last Wednesday, is already looking at ways to boost the club’s scoring profile next year from a team and tactical standpoint, with a heavy focus on giving the club’s forwards more opportunities in 2022.

“When I presented through the (coaching) process, there (were) some holes in the (playing) list if you want to play a certain way, so I am conscious of saying we are going to play a certain way,” McRae said of his plans to remedy the club’s forward woes.

“This is our first opportunity to say we need less possessions and we need to go forward more. If we go forward more, we are going to kick to more contests, so we need to improve our contest (work) because we want the ball inside 50, to give us more chances to score.
“That’s one of the initial things I have said (to the players). We are going to have to improve in the contest because that’s the way we are going to have to get the ball forward.”
In his first expansive interview since taking on the senior role, McRae detailed his plans to:

# HELP explosive midfielder/forward Jordan De Goey become “the best version of himself”, including seeing him return to day one of the pre-season fit and ready to fire
# LOCK Darcy Moore permanently in defence, ending any idea of using him as a swingman
# CHALLENGE Brodie Grundy and the midfield group to develop a closer on-field synergy in order to take advantage of the ruckman’s hitout dominance
# ALLOW Scott Pendlebury the chance to decide his future as captain, while conceding the club had some work to do on its leadership group
# TEMPER the initial expectations surrounding boom father-son recruit Nick Daicos, while providing him with the best possible grounding in his first year
# LIFT the tackling and pressure ratings of the club’s 2021 debutants.
McRae spoke to the Collingwood playing group on Wednesday, outlining some of his plans for the future as well as his expectations of them going forward.
He will look to finalise a coaching panel around him in the coming weeks, with his former Brisbane premiership teammate Justin Leppitsch almost certain to join the club.
Hawthorn assistant coach Brendon Bolton is also in the mix.
“When we get our coaching panel together, we will sit down and (say) ‘How do we want to play and what suits our list?’ McRae said.
“I want the contest to be a focus, how we set the field up in offence will be a focus, how we set the field up in defence will be focus and there will be some strategies around stoppage.”

COLLINGWOOD’S FORWARD ISSUES IN 2021


Inside 50s: Ranked 18th
Total goals: 15th
Overall scoring: 16th


McRAE’S SAY …

JORDAN DE GOEY

“He is certainly a player who we want to be the best version of himself. There are two parts to that for me – the choices he wants to make to be that player, which ultimately is up to him to decide, but then it is the environment that we create to allow him to be.
“I am hoping he makes the choice that he does (want to be the best version of himself). Those decisions he makes now in that time before he gets back (to pre-season training) are pretty critical to set him up for that.
“We want to create an environment where he is challenged, and he is rewarded, and he is motivated, and he is happy. Then to create an opportunity for others to push him and feel part of something bigger than himself. That is the challenge in professional sports, that your own needs are met, but we also want the team’s needs to be met more.”


McRae says Jordan De Goey’s decisions in the off-season will be critical. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

DARCY MOORE

“I was really strong when I was here last time that I thought Darcy could be one of the best key defenders in the game.
“I am certain he will be part of the back six (in the future).
“Darcy is such an intelligent guy. He wants to be a young leader of the group.”

BRODIE GRUNDY

“I said to him in the meeting (on Wednesday) … ‘when I was last here you never said much … Are you going to speak up in meetings now? This is your chance’. I was encouraging him to come out of himself and give more to others.
“I think Brodie is at that stage in his football (career) where we need him to be more than just a good preparer and maybe good at hit-outs. We want him to connect. If he is connecting, hopefully we get more connections in the hit-outs.”


MASON COX

“I am really proud of Mason and of what he has been able to achieve in the game. (But) he would be the first to say he wants to do more.
“I think it is interesting with guys like Mason and Jamie Elliott and Darcy (Moore) and Brodie (Grundy), these guys I have had relationships with for a long time.
“But I have got to be very clear that I am not going to have favourites.
“The level of relationship has been built, but we can’t have favourites. Mason is a good example of that. I want the best for him, but also I want the best for the Collingwood Football Club and that’s going to come first.
“The list management decisions will be made with and without me, but Mason will be a talking point.”

NICK DAICOS

“I think expectations can overwhelm people at times. I haven’t spoke to the young lad yet, but I plan to.
“I was fortunate enough to catch up with Chris Connolly and his experience with Jack Watts at Melbourne. Jack Watts was the No. 1 pick and (Connolly’s) comment … was ‘he was coming in to develop and we (gave) him to the least experienced coach’.
“I don’t want to fall into that trap, so maybe the highest pick needs to go to (our) most experienced coach.”


HIS NICKNAME, FLY

“I’ve been trying to shake Fly (for years). It goes right back to ‘Choco’ Williams at Glenelg. I got a really bad haircut when I was 19 and I decided to go for the undercut – as everyone was doing. I walked into the club and the ‘Back to the Future’ movies must have been around with Marty McFly.
“I was McFly for two years (at Glenelg). When I got to Brisbane they just dropped the ‘Mc’ and then it was Fly. There have been all different versions of Fly for the last 25 years.
“When I listen to people say my name on the news – Craig McRae – I am like ‘who’s that?’ I just haven’t been called Craig for so many years.”

BRISBANE’S MAD MONDAY ORGANISER

“I didn’t drink during the season (as a Lions player). Many of us didn’t because we were very disciplined in our want to be the best. (But) I would get to the end of the year and I would want to have a beer with my mates and celebrate.
“We would have a few guys who would go to a pub and then they would stuff something up and we would get kicked out. One year we got kicked out of three pubs and I thought ‘what are we doing?’ I am not going to mention names, but I thought, ‘stuff this … I am taking this over’ and then all year I was planning this big event.
“The 2003 one (after the club’s third straight flag) was the best. It became a real event. It was a great time of my life, we were very tight (as a team). They are special memories now.”

The McRae pitch that blew Pies coaching panel away

One of the most key tenets of Craig McRae’s recent presentation to the Collingwood coaching subcommittee was a montage of eight key figures critical to his footy journey as well as a mission statement.
The images represent a veritable who’s who of influential coaches in Australian sport, each of whom has played a role in helping to shape the man who this week was named as Collingwood’s senior coach.
The mission statement sitting above the montage – ‘Winning is a part of my DNA’ – was no idle boast, nor was it any hint of arrogance.
“When I presented (to the subcommittee) they asked who you are as a person,” McRae said in his first extensive interview since his appointment. “One of my strong languages is that I am a winner, but I am not a winner in the sense of being arrogant.
“I am a winner because I think winning is a process and I know the process of winning. I spoke to each of those (eight) individuals and I’ve learnt off all of them as part of my journey.”
Somehow it seems fitting that arguably the most detailed process to find a new coach in Collingwood’s history didn’t settle on the highest profile candidate. Instead, it chose a humble, self-effacing person almost devoid of personal ego other than a craving for team success.
The men featured in the montage helped McRae find and forge that winning mentality.
He tasted premiership success three times as a player with Brisbane.
He was a member of a coaching panel that secured three flags at Richmond, while also taking his own VFL Tigers to a premiership.

McRae, 47, has now set his sights on helping to rebuild Collingwood, saying he won’t deviate from the formula that has led to success elsewhere.
Insiders say he “blew away” the selection panel with his detail, his culture-building characteristics, his level of connections, and his process-driven approach.
This wasn’t a presentation crafted in the space of a few months; it was effectively a 15-year coaching portfolio of experiences and influences.
The men in the montage – Leigh Matthews, Alastair Clarkson, Damien Hardwick, Mark Williams, Robert Walls, Mick Malthouse, Buckley and Storm coach Craig Bellamy – have shaped McRae’s pathway as a player, development coach, assistant coach and now senior coach.
McRae said of Williams, who was his first senior coach at Glenelg: “He said to me in the early days he would play young players and I would be one of those players, so giving hope to young players is something I like to do.”
Those opportunities saw McRae drafted to Brisbane as pick 22 in the 1994 pre-season draft, which saw him come under Robert Walls’ coaching in 1995.
“(Walls) was big on standards and he taught all our young Brisbane players such as (Michael) Voss, (Jason) Akermanis and myself and Nigel Lappin all these high training standards.
“That’s part of my DNA around training at high standards.”


Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson are among the eight coaching prominent coaching figures who have shaped McRae. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

He learnt about the importance of delegation from Mick Malthouse when he was development coach at Collingwood: “I hadn’t seen it at that level and Mick was magnificent at that, among other things.”
In working with Buckley, he found him “a real professional preparer … he was significant in his preparation for the opposition and there are a lot of layers to that.”
His move to Richmond brought him in contact with Damien Hardwick, which forged the spark that he could one day become a senior coach.
“Dimma (Hardwick) gave me the autonomy to grow a program, but he also taught me a lot around storytelling and connection and the whole piece of the culture, which is a lot of my teaching and coaching as well.
“The passion really ignited at Richmond in terms of coaching my own team … particularly making Grand Finals and experiencing in 2019 winning the (VFL) Grand Final.
“I loved that ability to be able to drive the bus, if you like.”
McRae also worked for a time on Melbourne Storm’s kicking, admiring Craig Bellamy’s impact on the club.
“That reinforced to me that (sport) is all about great process and culture and valuing people and creating winning behaviours and repeating them over and over and over again,” he said.
His one year at Hawthorn as an assistant coach this season fostered a relationship with Alastair Clarkson, with McRae in awe of the four-time premiership coach’s care for people.


“Clarko’s level of care is like no one else on that page, which goes right down to the families. it is unbelievable,” McRae said.
When McRae’s partner Gabrielle told their five-year-old daughter that her dad had been named coach of the Magpies, little Charlie said: “I was hoping Clarko would be the coach.”
“That’s the essence of Clarko,” McRae said with a smile about his connection with those around him, even his assistant coaches’ kids.
It’s a closeness he wants to foster at the Pies.
The main figure in McRae’s montage of influences was his Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews, who shaped his footy and his life.
McRae said he won’t have any hesitation in keeping Matthews as a sounding board during any challenging times ahead.
“I used Leigh (as the main feature) because he had the most significant influence on me as coach, and I learnt a lot of my philosophies around coaching from him,” he said.
“He has offered to be there for some advice … I am not saying it is going to be there right through the whole journey, but what I have noticed already in this position is all of a sudden there is another level of support you didn’t realise was there.”
McRae’s hardworking but low-profile manner embodies the new Collingwood.
The Magpies intend to be more measured, more understated, more process driven and less given to hyperbole – which suits the coach.
“There has been a bit of a shift in mentality. When I got here (the first time in 2011) it was ‘the biggest and the best, the boldest and the newest’. That was something that preached a lot and I know there has been a focus to shift away from that.”
McRae loves being back at Collingwood.
It wasn’t his choice to leave in late 2015 – the soft cap was biting at the time and the club had to scale back its development structures.

“I did learn a good lesson in life that my dad (Kevin) instilled in me and that was to never burn your bridges,” he explained.
“Unfortunately my time ended here because it was the start of the first cuts in the soft cap.
“I had a contract that was expiring and it was just a matter of circumstances that they decided to go in a different way and not have a head of development, although I was doing a good job.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a new contract, but I just worked my bum off to exit well, including going to the best and fairest with my daughter (Chelsea).
“I didn’t have a job, but I wanted to shake hands and look people in the eye and thank them for my time and move onto my next journey.”
That next phase took him to Richmond, then to Hawthorn and now back to Collingwood, with those experiences adding to his coaching IP.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about my journey,” he said.
Winning isn’t the only thing in McRae’s DNA, hard work is just as prevalent.
“My dad was a boilermaker who worked six days a week for 40 years,” he said. “He was a hard worker and he says it all the time – ‘it’s in your blood’.
“It is in my DNA to work hard. When I was growing up and not getting picked for my high school footy team, I had this thing that ‘I will prove you wrong!’.
“I quickly realised when I got older, it wasn’t about that. It was about proving myself right.
“I feel like I have good resilience and it is going to be needed in this job.”

Hard work has been integral to McRae’s rise.
He knows his elevation to the main role will prove a balancing act for his family.
“My family balance is the most important (thing),” he said. “There are going to be times when it is going to be challenged and I think the way my family is set up is going to give me the best chance to do this job well.”
He loves spending time with his two daughters – five-year-old Charlie, and 21-year-old Chelsea, from a previous marriage.
He and his partner Gabrielle have had to cancel their wedding date three times already due to the pandemic, with their next early October timeline again looking in serious doubt.
“We had hoped to get married three or four times, but it has been put back more and more,” he said.
Now that he is back in the Collingwood family, McRae wants to ensure the club does all that it can to connect with its fans, even during a pandemic.
The fans even formed a part of his presentation pitch.
“In my proposal … that was one of my pillars, to reconnect with the past and to reconnect with the fans,” he said. “We miss the fans enormously at the footy.
“I want to find Covid-proof ways to be able to connect with the fans, I have got a few ideas around that and we can’t wait for our fans to be back at the games.”
Click to expand...

The complete package really.

Nobody could ask for more from a rookie senior coach.
 
barrackers said:
Not the only area and individual McRae has challenged publicly either.
  • Grundy - opening up and connecting with other players off field
  • DeGoey - get fit if you want to play mid
  • Leadership group - need to do better
  • Henry, Poulter, Macrae, Bianco - work harder defensively, feeding into past development
As much as I'm interested to hear McRae's insights and agenda another part of me thinks some things are better off kept in house. As a new coach it's understandable that McRae is probably wanting to make his mark and sell his credentials hence all the media interviews, but I hope he finds a bit more balance after this initial phase.
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I think the final part of the interview explains this thorough openness.

He is well aware that most of the fan base feel disenfranchised and even ignored and he has taken it on himself to reach out and connect from the outset.
 
jonmacTrag said:
I think the final part of the interview explains this thorough openness.

He is well aware that most of the fan base feel disenfranchised and even ignored and he has taken it on himself to reach out and connect from the outset.
Click to expand...
It's a balance and I trust he knows what buttons he can press with individual players especially those he has prior rapport with, but it's not without risk either.
 
I don’t recall hearing so much in the media about, or from, a newly appointed senior coach. It’s been a busy and content heavy few days. Struggling to keep up with all the coverage!

Is it just a Collingwood thing? Surprising level of interest in the middle of a finals series, although the finals not being in Melbourne may partly account for it.
 
barrackers said:
It's a balance and I trust he knows what buttons he can press with individual players especially those he has prior rapport with, but it's not without risk either.
Click to expand...
To be sure there's risk but faint heart never won fair maiden.

I get the vibe that Craig has learnt through his mentors a key piece of advice . . .

Dare to step up and claim ownership of every challenge.
 
Vicky Park said:
I don’t recall hearing so much in the media about, or from, a newly appointed senior coach. It’s been a busy and content heavy few days. Struggling to keep up with all the coverage!

Is it just a Collingwood thing? Surprising level of interest in the middle of a finals series, although the finals not being in Melbourne may partly account for it.
Click to expand...

I agree I struggle to remember anything like this. I could be wrong though.
 

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jonmacTrag said:
The complete package really.

Nobody could ask for more from a rookie senior coach.
Click to expand...

Sure, but it’s all just words at this point in time. The hard work has only just begun.
 
I think the McRae publicity tour has been great and maybe a recognition of being open and available as opposed to 11 months ago when it was all secret squirrel $hit and we were treated like mushrooms. I also think he probably wants to knock it all on the head now and get on with the business at hand.
 
“I did learn a good lesson in life that my dad (Kevin) instilled in me and that was to never burn your bridges,” he explained.
“Unfortunately my time ended here because it was the start of the first cuts in the soft cap.
“I had a contract that was expiring and it was just a matter of circumstances that they decided to go in a different way and not have a head of development, although I was doing a good job.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a new contract, but I just worked my bum off to exit well, including going to the best and fairest with my daughter (Chelsea).
“I didn’t have a job, but I wanted to shake hands and look people in the eye and thank them for my time and move onto my next journey.”


Things don't always go your way...but that doesn't mean slash and burn on your way out - whether it's a job or relationship.
Integrity
A great life-lesson
My favourite part of the article.
 
tranquilli lace said:
I think the McRae publicity tour has been great and maybe a recognition of being open and available as opposed to 11 months ago when it was all secret squirrel $hit and we were treated like mushrooms. I also think he probably wants to knock it all on the head now and get on with the business at hand.
Click to expand...
Not to mention some extra positivity after the year we have had doesnt hurt.
 

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SchuPie said:
“I did learn a good lesson in life that my dad (Kevin) instilled in me and that was to never burn your bridges,” he explained.
“Unfortunately my time ended here because it was the start of the first cuts in the soft cap.
“I had a contract that was expiring and it was just a matter of circumstances that they decided to go in a different way and not have a head of development, although I was doing a good job.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a new contract, but I just worked my bum off to exit well, including going to the best and fairest with my daughter (Chelsea).
“I didn’t have a job, but I wanted to shake hands and look people in the eye and thank them for my time and move onto my next journey.”


Things don't always go your way...but that doesn't mean slash and burn on your way out - whether it's a job or relationship.
Integrity
A great life-lesson
My favourite part of the article.
Click to expand...

Craig seems to be trying to connect with the supporters in a way that has been missing at our club for far too long. So long as he keeps it general and relevant I think it's a good thing overall.
 
tranquilli lace said:
I also think he probably wants to knock it all on the head now and get on with the business at hand.
Click to expand...

I reckon you might be spot on.

He understands he needs to sell hope and connect with the members so do it now and when preseason starts it will be head down and into business.


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GreekLunatic said:
So no more handball happy game style
Click to expand...

I’m not so sure. Moving the ball forward quick can involve handball chains... Dogs are very good at this. So were we in 2018.

My read was that the sideways and backwards kicks that saw for example Mayne average well over 20 touches down back for 230 metres gained.. my read is that that sort of stuff is (hopefully) over.

When he says Less touches to get the ball inside 50... for me this means an emphasis on more direct footy and improved metres gained stats per player... like the drive we get from the likes of Maynard, Poulter, Moore, etc

At least I’m hoping that’s what it means 😆
 
Trickster said:
He certainly seems very impressive and astute after reading that. I also like the fact he's challenging Grundy and De Goey plus recognising the youngsters needing to shoulder the load a bit more.

Just the start of the journey, but certainly an impressive start from him! Just need to contain the excitement now.
Click to expand...

Malthouse was like that with the Kids. Put them in and don't hide them
 

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