NATHAN Buckley does not expect any light to be shed on his future until after the round 23 clash with Melbourne, despite a Collingwood board meeting scheduled for next Tuesday.
Businessman and Magpies board member Peter Murphy and general manager of football Geoff Walsh are set to reveal their findings from an internal club review at the meeting.
Buckley also hinted at his past comment about making his own decision on whether he wants to continue once he hears the review's outcome.
Collingwood is officially out of the finals race and a decision on whether Buckley continues as coach is fast coming, although it will not be publicly made until after the home and away season ends.
The Pies' win-loss record has progressively suffered since Buckley led them to a preliminary final in 2012 then another finals series a year later.
They are 13th with eight wins and a draw from 20 matches this season, after Buckley himself predicted the club would have to play finals for him to keep his job.
"We've said pretty consistently that the end of the season would be when those discussions take place, so I'm not really expecting anything until after the (round 23) Melbourne game," Buckley said.
"That'll come into consideration (missing finals for a fourth-straight season) and will all be part of the discussion the club has at the end of the year. I'm not thinking about where I'm working beyond here at the moment."
Buckley foreshadowed "three or four changes" to this Saturday's side to take on Geelong, but is yet to confirm whether Josh Daicos will make a debut. Tim Broomhead, who had 41 disposals in the VFL last weekend, is another contender.
Daniel Wells and Will Hoskin-Elliott are probable inclusions for the MCG clash after training well, but Buckley stayed mum on the son of club great Peter Daicos.
"He could be (selected), obviously being on the cusp (as) the carryover (player against Port Adelaide) last week and he's had really solid form through the VFL," Buckley said of Daicos.
"Our VFL program's been in good nick, so we know that the guys called upon will have opportunities to fulfill a role and they'll be in form.
"It's not all about kicks, marks and handballs, but it is about the ability to play a role for the side and continue to develop to a point where you're ready to take that step."
One player who will make way is forward-midfielder Jordan De Goey, who has undergone surgery to fix a hip flexor problem.
The injury bookends an interesting season for De Goey, who received a four-week, club-imposed suspension at the start of the year for covering up the fact he broke his right hand in a bar fight.
Buckley was impressed with how De Goey responded to the early controversy and envisions him becoming an "A-grade mid and a very dangerous forward" in the future.
"All of those events are opportunities to grow from and there's no doubt that we have seen Jordy mature and understand a little more about what professional sport is asking for," he said.
"It happens for different people at different times at different rates. We're all in a rush to see 20-year-olds become 30-year-olds in their head or emotionally before their time.
"But Jordy's a bull, he's an alpha male. He acts first and thinks later, and that's not a bad way to be on the football field for when you really need the heat on, and he's going to keep learning about himself as he goes along and he's tracking nicely."
