Jordan Lewis has urged Collingwood to release the shackles and play a more exciting brand of football in the weeks ahead.
The Pies are languishing in 16th spot on the ladder, having just won two of the their first nine games this season.
They kicked the first three goals against Sydney last week, but only kicked one more major for the rest of the game to lose comfortably.
Amid reports around Nathan Buckley’s future as well as a potential board challenge, there’s plenty of distractions off the field at the club, but Lewis wants to see a shift in how they shape up on the field.
Labelling their current game plan “boring to watch”, Lewis said there were clear improvements that could be made to “release the shackles” of the side.
“I sort of point to how they play,” he said on AFL Nation.
“How they play can change a lot and clearly Nathan Buckley has changed tact, I watched them against Sydney and there was no freedom about the way they played. They were quite boring.
“If you wanted to defend against Collingwood, it’s pretty easy, you set yourself up down the line and put your contest players down there.
“You weren’t really stretched defensively. There’s been a lot of talk off the field, but when it’s game day and the weekend comes around, release the shackles.
“Play with some freedom, use the open side and when you get the chance with the ball, challenge with the ball. You might not win and might be going down a different path, but at least make it exciting to watch because they’re boring to watch.
“Last week against Sydney, after the first quarter they showed nothing from a defensively and offensive point of view.
“If you’re a fan, you have everything going on in the background with the club, you still on the weekend just watch to see your side have a crack.
“I love the first quarter, but it dropped away after that. For me there’s a big improvement about how they play – whether that’s Nathan Buckley or the assistant coaches, I still want to see them play better and I think they can.”
Collingwood will be chasing their third win of the season when they host Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday.