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THE one certainty amid so many unanswered questions is that Nathan Buckley will be given the chance to transform Collingwood in his own uncompromising image.
Buckley will almost certainly be handed a contract extension over the summer that will solidify his position of power.
But before then a man who many believed - no, expected - would turn the 2010 flag into a dynasty faces decisions that could define his tenure at Collingwood.
Some of them involve favourite sons, and some of them could see the Pies actually take a step back before they march forward again.
Nearly 12 months after Geoff Walsh first put the issue of culture on the agenda, it is time for Buckley to act.
No point asking pointed questions about culture, and environment, and personnel at Collingwood then staying with the status quo.
No point privately bemoaning the influence of troublesome elements at Collingwood then keeping them when you have the chance to cut deep.
First the tough decisions.
Heath Shaw has two years on his contract and a reputation as one of the AFL's elite small defenders.
Brain snap ... Heath Shaw gives away a free-kick to Angus Monfries. Source: News Limited
But his on-field histrionics will not change now if they haven't over a decade, and his meeting-room interjections and objections are a thing of legend at Collingwood.
It would still be a massive call to trade him.
The trade period will see how desperate Buckley is to clear out the Rat Pack element at Collingwood.
Dale Thomas has stalled contract talks until season's end, with the Pies now feeling those discussions will leak into the free agency period.
They want to keep him, but not at any cost.
Especially given the compensation selection for Thomas would be potentially as high as pick 11.
Let him go and the Pies will have picks 10 and 11 to go with the three top-20 picks from the last national draft, a perfect platform for renewal if not outright rebuilding.
When the Pies cried out for missing troops in recent months, it was the lack of mid-sized defender Alan Toovey which they bemoaned as much as the hard-running Thomas.
It has been made crystal-clear in negotiations that the Pies are up against offers as long as five years, and cash they are not prepared to come anywhere near meeting.
Given he is a restricted free agent, rivals including Carlton and Hawthorn would have to blow the Pies out of the water with an offer they are not prepared to match.
Would Collingwood prefer to accept pick 11 and a spare $500,000 in its salary cap for a player who finished equal 10th in the best-and-fairest last season and played only five games this year.
His best seasons saw him finish top-three in the Copeland Trophy in a premiership year before winning All-Australian honours the following year, but for all his gifts there are questions over his body that mean the Pies will not pay overs.
Some questions at Collingwood are easier.
As much as Andrew Krakouer wants to extend a career full of remarkable twists and turns, he hasn't shown the determination to put actions into words.
He has missed too many training sessions and games with last-minute excuses for Buckley to be able to rely upon him for another season.
As much as Alan Didak's return to the senior side was rousing, surely Buckley will decide the future is Jamie Elliott rather than a 30-year-old with just 16 games in two years to his name.
Darren Jolly is a proud man with huge belief in his ability. But he has already been told he is no longer required at the Pies.
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