NATHAN Buckley was on the rocks, Collingwood players were on tenterhooks and the Holden Centre was a miserable place to go to work. 

"No one knew what was going to happen and that's pretty unsettling for a playing group," captain Scott Pendlebury said in the aftermath.

In 2017, the Pies' season was over in round 13, and after the round 16 defeat to Essendon, chief executive Gary Pert was forced to address the entire playing group to insist no changes would be made by season's end.

The silence around Nathan Buckley's future was deafening, but after an exhaustive review of the entire club he was re-signed for two years by the end of August.

Just 13 months into his extension, Buckley will lead the Pies into a Grand Final against West Coast, with calls to come over summer about a fresh deal beyond 2019.

THE REVIEWS

It started on shaky ground when TV cameras captured key details from Collingwood's football review at a board meeting in August 2017.

Geoff Walsh's PowerPoint presentation included points on list management personnel, more support for Buckley, queries on fitness and more engagement from club leaders.

Despite the leak, the Walsh critique led to Buckley's reappointment, led largely by support from the players with no voice louder than Pendlebury's.

Peter Murphy, an on-and-off club director and boss of the club's foundation was handed the keys to review the club as a whole from May.

As the review intensified there was no coincidence Pert being made to feel uneasy in his job, with questions asked, contributed to his decision to walk at the end of July.

Gary Pert was the long-time CEO of the Pies. Picture: AFL Photos

THE HIERARCHY

As Murphy reviewed club operations and Walsh the football division, Chris Thomas (formerly an Egon Zehnder consulting specialist) was called upon to assess the make-up of the board.

Two directors made way in February this year – long-serving member Ian McMullin and Olympic Gold Medallist Alisa Camplin.

A new-found nominations structure found former player Paul Licuria and Jodie Sizer, one of Australia's most influential indigenous leaders, as replacements.

As Murphy's review reached its pointy end, he was announced as the club's interim CEO before a recruitment process was developed.

Former AFL operations boss Simon Lethlean's name was raised as a potential candidate but it gained little traction, the board settling on former Swimming Australia boss Mark Anderson in November.

While the football department and player leadership group led much of the debate around the penalty for Jordan De Goey's drink-driving brain fade in February, Anderson was just entering his new role.

Rarely seen in the media as McGuire, Buckley and Walsh do the talking, Anderson was thrust into the spotlight as news broke of Sam Murray's ASADA indiscretion on the eve of the finals this year.

It was dealt with on the spot, Anderson fronting the cameras the day prior to the round 23 clash against Fremantle in Perth, the ongoing saga providing little distraction to the premiership tilt.

Geoff Walsh's critique led to Nathan Buckley's reappointment. Picture: AFL Photos

THE TURNING POINT

Eddie McGuire insists it was last year's round 23 win over Melbourne that kick-started the turnaround, but it could quite easily have been the 14 minute mark of this year's round three victory against Carlton.

Having lost the opening two games of the year, the Pies fell to 0-19 when Levi Casboult converted a free kick at the City End of the MCG.

Will Hoskin-Elliott kicked the next two goals, followed by Josh Thomas, just three of the 115 goals combined between the pair and boom youngster Jaidyn Stephenson in a trio coined 'The Swoop Squad'.

If the final-round win last season that ended Melbourne's season gave the Pies hope, the win over the Blues lifted back the confidence before a trip on the road to face Adelaide.

With momentum at 2-1, the Crows entered Adelaide Oval on a cold, wet Friday night as raging favourites, only to leave in shock.

Steele Sidebottom inflicted the damage, Adam Treloar ran rings around a sluggish Crows midfield and Brodie Grundy's night was capped with one of the goals of the season on the run from 50m.

The Pies were back.

Brodie Grundy celebrates his huge goal against the Crows. Picture: AFL Photos

THE COACH

Assistant coach Brenton Sanderson says the most remarkable thing about the public Nathan Buckley of 2018 is that he's more like the private Nathan Buckley he's called a close mate since they lived together as Collingwood recruits in 1994.

"I think we've seen more of Nathan with what he's actually like," Sanderson said.

"He's had so much fun with the media, he's had so many laughs and he seems to be a bit more relaxed and calm.

"Because I know him as a friend, I feel like we've seen more of the typical Nathan away from footy.

"He's been really calm, really measured, he's led the footy department really well, has been very trusting, is delegating really well, and he's done it super."

Sanderson would know all about the perils of trying to control everything as a senior coach, having led Adelaide for three seasons between 2012-14.

Nathan Buckley was all smiles at the Grand Final Parade. Picture: AFL Photos

THE ASSISTANTS

Justin Longmuir was poached from West Coast, Matthew Boyd – fresh from playing – was recruited in September, and former Geelong great and South Adelaide coach Garry Hocking followed a month later.

The impact of Longmuir on their backline has been profound. Along with Buckley's encouragement for the players to "be themselves", the defenders were directed to bring a more instinctive approach.

Longmuir helped simplify things; there was more clarity with what each defender needed to do, when they needed to do it, and how they could be more organised while they were doing it.

Hocking has also been a key factor in the turnaround of Jordan De Goey from pre-season bad boy to potential premiership lynchpin.

The new stoppage coach – along with Buckley – has helped De Goey open up and allow himself to be mentored after he previously baulked at the idea.

Buckley trusted the assistants to do their thing, and they trusted the players to do theirs. The result has been a happier group, released from the shackles of a complicated game plan and constant uncertainty.

Garry Hocking has impressed since joining the Pies. Picture: AFL Photos

THE FORMER CAPTAIN 

Nick Maxwell has admitted Mick Malthouse's exit from Collingwood at the end of 2011 could've been handled better.

In fact, he was one of a number of players who tried to save Malthouse from the Buckley takeover ahead of 2012, before retiring himself in 2014.

As a Malthouse supporter, Maxwell's return as Leadership and Culture Manager in November caused some remaining at the club from 2012 to raise eyebrows as to how the Maxwell-Buckley relationship would unfold.

It's been nothing but symmetry.

While not trying to get in the way of on-field tactics, Maxwell has challenged the football department at times and fast-tracked maturity among players.

"It's that attitude he's brought of not rolling over and not sooking about little things that go wrong," midfielder Tom Phillips told AFL.com.au on Friday.

"We've been able to embrace a lot of negativity this year. Being harder for longer both physically and mentally is something Nick's brought with him from his time at the (Melbourne) Storm."

Nick Maxwell heads up the Magpies' leadership and culture. Picture: AFL Photos

THE FITNESS GUY

In August, high performance manager Bill Davoren was a casualty of the Walsh review after four years.

Irishman Kevin White was appointed as his replacement. He was a familiar face, having been at the club for seven years after impressing while on an eight-month international sports science scholarship.

Things were difference from day one. White worked with skills acquisition coach Jamie Cassidy-McNamara to design drills that were "football-related" but weren't run at a high-risk intensity too early in the summer.

The young players were thrilled with an unassessed running session on day one instead of the usual time trial, while tackling and contested ball work featured early on.

The welcomed program shelved the monotony of cardio and weights sessions and kept the players guessing, but there was still nowhere to hide when things went wrong.

A group of players were late to a November session, which saw the entire list put through an additional 400m run at the end of a gruelling session as a punishment.

Bill Davoren (left), with Eddie McGuire and Nathan Buckley in 2017. Picture: AFL Photos

THE FUN

The personal overhaul of Buckley was a key factor in the Magpies finding a way to make things fun again. 

A year after the Tigers deeply evaluated just why they loved the game, the Pies followed suit with a more light-hearted approach that lifted the burden of a finals-free four-year period.

"'Bucks' is having fun and when the senior coach is having fun that just filters down through the whole group, the staff are having fun and the players are enjoying their footy, and it just feels like it's a fun environment," Sanderson said.

"Winning helps that, but from the top down, that's been an element that we've all enjoyed."

In meetings, there was more focus on the good things the players were doing rather than highlighting their deficiencies, or worrying about what the opposition were doing better.

"We're not trying to be anything else," defender James Aish said.

"We've just looked at what we're good at and we're going to do that as much as we can."

THE FAMILY

Inclusion has been a big part of the radical change at the Holden Centre.

Families have been engaged with regular email updates, there's been invitations extended to pre-match functions at home games, and, encouraged by former club captain Nick Maxwell, there's been an emphasis on post-match gatherings.

When the Pies played at the MCG this year and the players returned to the club for immediate recovery and a meal cooked by player chef Angela Wiegard, their families were invited too.

Particularly for the players with interstate-based support networks, it was a little gesture that made a big difference.

"Having Mum and Dad part of it and seeing them happy makes it more special - it's just good fun to have them know more people and be a part of it," South Australian Aish said.

"It helped them meet other parents and made it more enjoyable for them.

"Everyone's families are a massive part so if you can get them involved as much as possible, it really helps."