Collingwood has appointed Hawthorn assistant Craig McRae as its AFL senior coach for the next three years, replacing interim boss Robert Harvey who kept the seat warm after the Pies parted with Nathan Buckley mid-season.
The decision on McRae as Buckley's full time successor was ratified by the Magpies board this week, and officially announced via a Zoom press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
McRae reportedly beat out Richmond assistant Adam Kingsley and West Coast's Jaymie Graham for the Pies' top job.
McRae won three premierships during his 195-game career with the Brisbane Lions and retired after their Grand Final defeat to Port Adelaide in 2004.
It won't be the first time McRae has stepped foot in the Holden Centre after serving as the club's head of development from 2011 to 2016 and at the time working closely with several of Collingwood's current on-field senior crop.
The 47-year-old had an extensive coaching resume to present to the Collingwood coaching sub-committee, which also outlined his assistant coaching stints at the Lions, Richmond, and most recently Hawthorn.
McRae won the AFLCA assistant coach of the year and VFL coach of the year awards in 2019 in a year he led the Tigers to the VFL premiership.
"I'm pretty pumped," McRae opened with at Wednesday's official announcement. "Let's face it, this is a significant part of my journey, and it's been a long one.
"I have a role to play but so does every player and member of the football program. We will only rise together.
"Success is the product of a process. I have been fortunate to witness up close and share in some very successful programs and I know that teaching solid habits can build a winning habit of its own.
"The playing group that I've seen from afar appears to be very talented," he added. "Quite a few are new to the AFL and they will need nurturing but we should all -- rookie or veteran -- expect to be better in 2022 than we were in 2021.
"We're going to work hard to develop winning habits. I'm looking forward to getting to work and making this club rise up the ladder like we want it to do."
McRae will assume a rebuilding list at Collingwood after they offloaded several senior players in the preseason to relieve a bulging salary cap.
The Magpies unleashed nine debutants in 2021 on their way to finishing in its lower ever position (17th) on the ladder.
"I think there's a couple of little holes in our structure. I don't know everyone intimately enough, but we've got some work to do," McRae said.
"We're not happy with where we are on the ladder. We want to get better, and we'll find some opportunities within the trade period or draft to get those areas amended as best we can."
An understudy of Leigh Matthews, Mick Malthouse, Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson, McRae becomes the Magpies' third coach this century following Malthouse's tenure between 2000-2011 and Buckley's between 2012-2021.
"The success that Craig has been able to share in, as a player and a coach, and the quality of the programs he has worked in say a great deal about him," Collingwood president Mark Korda said.
"Craig has built an incredibly impressive and holistic coaching resume that says he is widely educated as a coach, one who teaches the game and develops players, builds connections, commands respect and has a sharp tactical eye.
"Given the course we set as a club 12 months ago, which was to recalibrate the AFL program and introduce a lot of young talent over a two or three-year period, we see it that Craig's attributes complement our profile extremely well."
McRae also said he wasn't ailed or deterred from pursuing the role despite Collingwood's board uncertainty and a looming potential challenge to Korda.
Former Lion and premiership teammate Justin Leppitsch -- who has been heavily linked to joining the black and white in a role yet to be confirmed -- gave McRae a glowing endorsement on SEN's Whateley.
"There wouldn't be a person who doesn't like 'Fly'," Leppitsch said. "He's lived through almost every scenario in footy from the high of the high to the low of the low."
"He's got that well rounded experience. He worked at the Melbourne Storm as well so he seen a lot of different sports in what he's done.
"It's not bad, is it? That's why it's a really mature appointment from Collingwood going down this path.
"It's almost saying 'what do we need at our footy club?'. They know what they need, they went out seeking it and they'll put the parts around that.
"That's what long term success is about."
After departing the Tigers at the end of their premiership-winning 2020 season and accepting a role on Hawthorn's coaching panel in 2021, McRae becomes the eighth active AFL coach to have worked under mastermind Alastair Clarkson.
"The ability to work under 'Clarko' was amazing, he's an incredible man," McRae said. "I've learned so much (and) he's someone I'm really keen to keeping in contact with."
Collingwood also revealed on Wednesday St Kilda great Robert Harvey -- who guided the Pies to a 2-7 record when steering the ship for the final nine games of this season -- and former Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson would be leaving the club after serving as long-standing assistants under Buckley's reign.
Carlton is now the only club actively seeking a new senior coach, after recently parting ways with David Teague.