With Collingwood on the verge of announcing that three-time Brisbane premiership player Craig McRae will become their 16th full-time coach, a raft of other changes are reportedly in the works.
According toย Fox Footy,ย 2021 interim coach and long-term assistant, Robert Harvey, has departed the Holden Centre after a decade of service, with a return to Princes Park under his former mentor, Ross Lyon, appearing likely.
Harvey, 50, guided the Pies across their final nine-games this season for a record of two-wins and seven-losses.
The St Kilda legend had previously worked under Lyon during an assistant stint at Moorabbin, with the pair first joining forces at the Blues following the dual Brownlow medallist's retirement in 2008.
In a report filed by Tom Morris and Ben Cotton on Tuesday, it was also suggested that another of Nathan Buckley's former assistants in Brenton Sanderson could join Harvey in heading for the exits, with a contract extension unlikely for the 47-year-old.
Sanderson has called Collingwood home for the past seven seasons following his sacking as Adelaide's head coach in 2014.
Although it is yet to be officially announced, McRae is seen as a certainty to fill Buckley's void on a permanent basis, with an announcement expected by the end of Wednesday.
However, Morris tweeted on Tuesday morning that the 47-year-old had already toured his new facilities and terms between both parties had all but been agreed upon.
Craig McRae was in at the Holden Centre this morning. Official confirmation from @CollingwoodFC is imminent. https://t.co/d4aeo1QVcT@FOXFOOTY pic.twitter.com/F2MC57CQUQ
— Tom Morris (@tommorris32) August 31, 2021
Having honed his craft at the Lions, Tigers and Hawks, McRae is seen as an ideal candidate by many to help steer Collingwood's rebuild.
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Speaking onย SEN,ย McRae's premiership teammate, Justin Leppitsch, claimed that if his previous posts had proven anything, the South Australian had the capability to get the Pies humming from next season.
โHe was always bringing the team together,โ Leppitsch told Gerard Whateley on Wednesday morning.
โThere wouldnโt be a person who doesnโt like โFlyโ. Heโs that sort of person, he gels people together.
โThatโs his strength, thatโs his one-wood, is the fact that heโs respectful of everybody. He understands the big picture, he knows he canโt do this job on his own.
โHeโs lived through almost every scenario in footy from the high of the high to the low of the low.โ
Leppitsch and McRae had also spent time together during their tenures at Tigerland, with the former stating that his friend had a thirst to improve whenever possible.
โHeโs got that well rounded experience. He worked at the Melbourne Storm as well so he seen a lot of different sports in what heโs done,โ Leppitsch continued.
โItโs not bad, is it? Thatโs why itโs a really mature appointment from Collingwood going down this path.
โItโs almost saying, โWhat do we need at our footy club?โ. They know what they need, they went out seeking it and theyโll put the parts around that.
โThatโs what long term success is about.โ
As mentioned, an official statement from Collingwood is expected to be made before the close of business on Wednesday.
