Magpies strike a blow and help out Buckley

NATHAN Buckley needed a miracle. And maybe this was it. When West Coast star Elliott Yeo ran into an open goal and missed from 30m out in the last quarter yesterday, the former Lion had the chance to bury Collingwood and perhaps its senior coach.

Yet, remarkably, with two men down, Darcy Moore and Travis Varcoe, Collingwood found something special to deliver a stunning triumph at Etihad Stadium.

Either side of the Yeo miss, the Pies rattled home five straight goals to pinch a famous eight-point win, ending with one of the most joyous moments of the season.

Alex Fasolo made the courageous call to step away from the game earlier in the year to deal with depression in what has been widely described as a watershed week for the game.

Of course, Collingwood threw its arms around the struggling forward at the time.

And yesterday the livewire repaid the Pies in heartwarming circumstances when he iced the victory in the final minute with a 45m set shot.

Fasolo bent to the ground, pumped his fists and let out a passionate scream soon before the siren. His teammates ran to him, knowing how the significant was the moment.

Not only for Fasolo, but perhaps the whole team. And especially, its besieged coach.

Collingwood players have said for weeks they want Buckley to stay on and they showed it yesterday, coming back from the dead, really.

The Pies trailed by 20 points in the third term soon after Moore suffered a concussion and suspected neck problem and again by 26 points one minute into the last term.

The statistics say you just do not win from there as Josh Kennedy kicked six goals on Tyson Goldsack, highlighting the deficiencies the Pies have in the key position stocks at either end of the ground.

The Pies showed tremendous ticker and bravery yesterday. After halftime they ramped up the defensive pressure, turned the tide in the midfield and the makeshift forward line ran hot.

Now president Eddie McGuire has much to think about. He watched from the stands alongside former coach Michael Malthouse at Etihad Stadium yesterday.

They must agree that for all the bumps along the way this season, Collingwood players were clearly playing for the coach yesterday.