Nathan Buckley is poised to step down as Collingwood coach midway through the AFL season.
Buckley will front a press conference with Magpies chief executive Mark Anderson and football manager Graeme Wright at 11am on Wednesday morning.
The move comes after the Magpies had said they would leave a call on the out-of-contract 48-year-old’s coaching future until the second half of the year – his 10th at the helm.
It comes amid an off-field battle for control of the embattled club, with former Nine Network managing director Jeff Browne leading a challenge to the incumbent board.
Collingwood sit 16th on the table with a 3-9 record, having beaten Adelaide last week.
They face ladder leaders Melbourne on Monday in the traditional Queen’s Birthday contest, which has been moved to Sydney and is now likely to be Buckley’s last game in charge.
As recently as last week, Buckley had reaffirmed his desire to continue coaching the Magpies and commitment to the club’s “reset” process.
“The situation that we’re in is not fatal – it’s a moment in time,” Buckley said on June 4.
“There’s a lot of things that are working for us and will come through in coming years, no doubt.”
Buckley conceded in May the club had descended into “reset” mode after a month earlier saying he was “absolutely” aligned with new president Mark Korda’s assessment that finals were still on the agenda.
Buckley was due to come out of contract at the end of this season.
Buckley has served as Collingwood coach since 2012, with the club winning 217 games under his guidance.
-with agencies
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