THERE were a lot of harsh words spoken by Nathan Buckley last week.

"Bloody embarrassed … the white flag went up … a shellacking."

All grabbed the headlines. They certainly would have resonated with his players.

But in among the Collingwood coach's criticisms and questioning of his team's recent performances, one statement – in hindsight – perhaps stands out more than the rest.

"It's inexplicable, to be honest."

Jack Crisp's effort couldn't be faulted in Collingwood's loss. Picture: AFL Photos

Yes, it is.

The Collingwood team that thrilled footy fans with exciting, daring footy on its way to last year's Grand Final hasn't necessarily disappeared into thin air. In some instances, it reappears. But it must be stressed these are simply moments, not entire games.

Under the Friday night lights at the MCG, against a familiar foe in the Hawks, the Magpies had the perfect chance to genuinely make a statement that they were back.

But when all hope of a defining performance vanished, simply winning became the priority.

Then even that was too difficult.

HAWKS EDGE MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

Having led for most of the night, even if it was at times an undeserving lead, Collingwood fell to a slender four-point defeat to Hawthorn. It was a result – and a performance – that Buckley and the Magpies are becoming all too familiar with during an indifferent campaign.

Fumble after fumble was followed by turnover after turnover. Any type of structure was absent, with connectivity forward of centre often replaced by rushed dumped kicks forward.

It was no surprise James Sicily was everywhere. The Hawthorn defender finished with 28 disposals from 14 marks, the result of Collingwood kicking it down his throat all night.

James Sicily dined out on Collingwood's poor delivery. Picture: AFL Photos

Collingwood will know it is better than what it is dishing up. Regardless of other results later this weekend, it will most likely stay inside the top four. That alone shows its quality.

Yet things don't seem entirely right.

Multiple moments in the final 10 minutes of Friday night's clash summed it up for the Pies.

SHOWREEL Hawks defenders steal the spotlight

You could say Will Hoskin-Elliott dropping an uncontested chest mark running into an otherwise open goal, before blazing his shot out on the full, was emblematic of their form.

You could also argue that Tim O'Brien, having appeared to be taking a set shot only to pass to an unmarked Ollie Hanrahan close to goal moments later, was also fitting.

So, how do you explain something that even the coach believes is inexplicable?

Perhaps Buckley will trace it back to where it all began.

Since blowing out Port Adelaide with a devastating 48-3 first quarter that featured 13 scoring shots at Marvel Stadium two months ago, its form has been fleeting.

Port Adelaide broke even after quarter time on that night, while a struggling Carlton managed to contain Collingwood a week later. St Kilda was within touching distance for three quarters, while it never managed to shake Sydney at the SCG.

Then came the Dockers, who pipped the Pies on their home turf.

Collingwood was improved on Queen's Birthday against Melbourne, but in the two games since – against the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne – Buckley has been left seething.

Friday night would have hardly eased his concerns.

Collingwood might have shot out to an early lead, but the scoreboard was deceiving. It had just five inside 50s in the opening term, barely a quarter of what the Hawks managed.

Of the four goals they kicked in that opening quarter, three were as a direct result of Hawthorn errors. The other came about after some sloppy defensive tracking.

And that was just at one half of the ground.

At the other end, the Hawks butchered countless opportunities to apply scoreboard pressure. They kicked 1.5 in the first term, failing to convert routine chances.

The pattern of the game hardly changed from there.

In one of the most underwhelming contests of the season to date, given its context, neither side managed to grab control of the encounter all night. Instead, they seemingly each did their best to present the four points to their opposition on a silver platter.

Ultimately, that was one of few things Collingwood did better than Hawthorn.

Such a performance will inevitably lead to another damning match review early next week.

For Buckley's sake, hopefully the seemingly inexplicable will start to reveal itself. But for the rest of the footy world, the reasons behind the club's on-field slide remains a mystery.