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Ugly Magpies feud continues in AFL

3 minute read

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and former coach Mick Malthouse have exchanged more public barbs, entertaining the AFL world.

Eddie McGuire and Mick Malthouse exchanged more public barbs on Monday as the extraordinary fallout continued from Collingwood's Friday the 13th AFL shocker against Carlton.

Simmering tensions between two of the highest-profile figures in the game have erupted into a public feud that almost overshadows the Magpies' serious on-field problems early in the season.

Also on Monday, Collingwood football director Rodney Eade strongly denied a claim by former North Melbourne captain Wayne Carey that new Magpies coach Nathan Buckley had a rift with half a dozen players.

Under a 2009 succession plan brokered by McGuire, Buckley has taken over from Malthouse as Collingwood coach.

Malthouse was originally going to remain as football director, but resigned immediately after last October's grand final loss to Geelong.

In another dramatic day for the Magpies:

* McGuire angrily rebuked Malthouse on Triple M for comments the former coach had made the previous day.

Malthouse had brought up an umpiring decision and singled out Dane Swan and Chris Tarrant for last year's grand final loss.

Malthouse had also said Collingwood might not have lost Leon Davis if he had remained coach.

"I love Mick and I've supported him 100 per cent, but I tell you what, he wouldn't have a friend at Collingwood today. He hasn't missed anyone," McGuire said of the criticism.

* Malthouse went on 3AW, denying McGuire's accusation that he had criticised Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh.

The ex-coach also strongly defended his relationship with the Collingwood players.

"I love that player group, they bled for our football club, they bled for me," Malthouse said.

* Malthouse's daughter Danielle Kearney added another twist when she went on twitter to say "I don't know how Eddie McGuire sleeps at night. #lies".

She later added that Collingwood are "a fantastic club", but was "sick of hearing lies 2day".

* Swan told Channel Nine he had no problem with Malthouse's criticism of his grand final performance.

"He's probably right, so it doesn't worry me," Swan said.

* Carey said on Sunday that several players were unhappy with Buckley, but Eade told Fox Footy's AFL 360 program on Monday night that he had seen no signs of discontent.

"No-one even spoke about it, so I think it was just totally disregarded," Eade said.

"Where that comes from, I've got no idea."

Eade added that Buckley had handled the Friday night's loss well and was not being distracted by the McGuire-Malthouse feud.

* McGuire told Fox Footy's On The Couch program Monday night that his public exchange with Malthouse might have started with a misunderstanding.

The Magpies president had said after Friday's game that their game was "middle class", something that had been put to Malthouse on Sunday as a criticism of the game plan late last season.

Malthouse bit at the suggestion, but McGuire said he had not meant to criticise the former coach.

McGuire also defended his determination to keep Malthouse as happy as possible through last season.

"I didn't care if I had to stand on my head in the middle of Bourke St and blow my socks off to get a result for Collingwood, I was prepared to do anything that was required," he said.

McGuire added he felt "frustration" about the nasty postscript to the succession plan.

"We really worked on this thing because we wanted Mick to have a home and to be part of Collingwood forever," he said.

* The saga will continue on Tuesday morning, when Buckley gives his weekly media conference.

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