Eddie McGuire has hit back Mick Malthouse over the legendary coach's claim that he "panicked" by installing a coaching succession plan with Nathan Buckley in 2009.
The infamous rocky transition between Malthouse and Buckley has reared its ugly head once again this week after Hawthorn announced its own succession plan between Alastair Clarkson and Sam Mitchell.
Malthouse told Nine News Melbourne that he saw similarities between Hawthorn and Collingwood's coaching succession plans, revealing that he feared for Clarkson's future.
"The way I see it is two presidents [McGuire and Jeff Kennett] panicked in not wanting to lose former champions," he said.
"I meet with my player group regularly and that's all they talk about, but it's gone and you've got to let go of it.
"[Clarkson would] be feeling the pinch, make no mistake about it, we're all human.
"Outside of the players, the forgotten ones are the families. His family would be really stressed for him.
"You've got to take a backward step. The new bloke comes in, he takes that step and he becomes a part of that selection process more than you do, so you tend to get bypassed and that's very, very difficult."
McGuire, who was the president of Collingwood at the time, flatly denied that the club instilled a succession plan due to a fear of losing Buckley to a rival.
"It had nothing to do with Nathan Buckley," he told Nine News Melbourne.
"The whole succession plan at Collingwood was based on Mick Malthouse. The only discussions that were held were between me personally and Peter Sidwell, Mick's manager. Peter Sidwell then spoke to Mick and came back and said, 'This is something we should do'.
"Don't forget Mick was given a five-year contract: two as a coach and three more to stay on. We weren't looking to push Mick out, we were looking to maximise Mick as his longevity and the pressures around him and all the other things that were going on were there.
"The decision was made between Mick, his manager, me and then Gary Pert and the board and that's where it was. After that we decided who should come in and Nathan got the job.
"In these situations here's what happens: presidents love their clubs, they make decisions for the good of the club. Sometimes coaches go like they drop players every week."
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