But Buckley shouldn't spare himself and his coaching panel when examining the carcass of Collingwood-on-Sunday, either. While the performance was awful enough for the coach to question the collective effort, at least one mystifying selection call contributed to the scale of the 64-point defeat that has confirmed a sharp descent from a team that had harboured delusions of top-four grandeur.

Specifically, Buckley erred at selection by dropping Lachie Keeffe and in asking Nick Maxwell to play on Essendon's rangy key forward Jake Carlisle. Jake has been receiving advice from Wayne Carey, but no one could have imagined he would produce Carey-like numbers (19 marks, eight contested, four goals) for the first time in his fledgling forward career. In a match in which the teams had almost equal forward entries, Carlisle turned a likely arm wrestle into a rout.

Bear in mind that this was the same Carlisle who had been so out of touch earlier this year that there were calls for Mark Thompson to switch Carlisle and Michael Hurley back to their 2013 roles in defence and attack. The same Carlisle floundered on Anzac Day against a similar Collingwood defence, with one important difference - this time, Buckley and co opted to play only one bona fide key defender, Jack Frost.

Credit belongs to the defiant Thompson, too, for sticking with Carlisle in attack, given Jake, a natural defender, contributed just six goals in his first 11 games. His four goals and eight contested marks doubled previous highs this year.

Maxwell, who had missed the previous five matches with a calf injury and played only once in the VFL, was given the uncomfortable role as a key back against Carlisle, who, at 198 centimetres, towers over him. It was clear from very early in that contest that the 2010 premiership captain literally wasn't up to the task, and that Collingwood was a tall defender short. The folly of the decision was underscored when Maxwell hurt his ankle and remained on, though Buckley insisted the ex-skipper was OK.

Where was Keeffe? He'd been banished to the VFL at Victoria Park a day earlier, having performed poorly against the Gold Coast  - a narrow loss that was mainly sheeted home to Collingwood's familiar failings of shonky kicking and conversion. If Keeffe was lost in some contests that afternoon, it should be noted that he wasn't protected by Maxwell playing the role in which he  excels - as the ''third man'' in aerial contests. Keeffe was dropped, while Clinton Young arguably dropped the four points.

Keeffe's eclipse by the Suns might have warranted him being dumped if Nathan Brown or Ben Reid were available. Alas for the Pies, Brown is done (for season 2014) and Reid underdone - the latter resumed in the twos on Saturday.

Contrast Buckley's decision to drop Keeffe with Alastair Clarkson's handling of Ryan Schoenmakers during 2011 and especially 2012. Schoenmakers consistently struggled on the ''monsters'' such as Tom Hawkins and Travis Cloke. Yet, Clarkson - recognising that he had no other tall back - kept playing Schoenmakers, in the apparent belief that a) the lad would improve and b) that Josh Gibson was better deployed in a Maxwell-style role than directly matched to the monsters. Ben Stratton is also adept as the third man.

Gibson, the best in the game as the ''third'' or extra defender, is simply too small for the beasts. Collectively, however, the Gibson-Schoenmakers-Stratton combo was enough to restrict most sides pre-Brian Lake's arrival - only Geelong really nutted the Hawks by rag-dolling Schoenmakers.

Clarkson's logic was that the structure had to be maintained, even if one player was slightly miscast. Collingwood's problem without Keeffe was twofold - it rendered Maxwell ineffective and still left Carlisle with a mismatch. The selection clanger also deprived the Pies of flexibility - they couldn't, for instance, swap Frost on to Carlisle, because Jack was needed on 201-centimetre Joe Daniher.

No one asked Buckley about his Keeffe selection blunder. The other obvious question was why Ben Kennedy started as the sub following his best game yet against the Suns. The unofficial explanation is that Kennedy was sore and the Pies worried about the kid lasting a full game.

Buckley's other contentious selection was Jarryd Blair. It's all very well for Blair to perform the one percenters. How about the 99 percenters of winning the ball and using it? He must have run out of chances, albeit there is increasingly stiff competition for omissions at Collingwood. Henceforth, the Pie selectors should err on the side of skill - they rank 15th for kicking efficiency differential, ahead of the Dogs, Giants and Saints.

Buckley's virtuosity as a media performer, willingness to face the cameras, make hard calls and even to accept blame on occasion have worked in his favour.  But just as Collingwood has no excuse for getting dismembered by an Essendon without Jobe Watson, Brendon Goddard and Michael Hibberd, Buckley has none for his own clangers in defence.