Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has suggested the only reason to sack a coach is if he has completely lost the faith of his players.
Nathan Buckley approaches the round 23 game against Melbourne at the MCG without knowing whether it will be his last in the job.
The Magpies are about to miss the finals for the fourth year in a row and Buckley is out of contract with a multi-faceted club review in its final stages.
McGuire said on Perth radio on Thursday that the club would not engage in knee-jerk reactions to media pressure.
"If I thought that sacking Nathan Buckley tomorrow would get us an extra kick he'd be gone in a heartbeat," he told WA TAB Radio.
But in a promising sign for Buckley, he added: "The only time that you sack a coach is if you've lost the players completely or there is something untoward that needs to be addressed".
Collingwood's series of close losses suggests Buckley still has the players but after six years in the role his future is in up in the air.
The board met on Tuesday night and McGuire reiterated that a decision on the coach won't be made until after the end of the season.
Buckley has been under intense pressure all season, especially after saying at the end of last year that he effectively expected to lose his job this year if he failed to steer the Magpies to the finals yet again.
The 2003 Brownlow medallist told reporters on Thursday that he would love to still coach the Magpies beyond this year, but would do whatever it took to ensure the club he loved was successful, even if that meant "stepping away".
"I love the club and want to see it succeed so whatever role I'm asked to play in that I'll play it," Buckley said.
"Whether it means stepping back and stepping away or whether it means stepping up, the club is not about me and it won't be about any other individual in the club. It's about what's going to give it the opportunity for sustained success so I'm totally committed to the footy club and doing what has to be done.
"I applaud management for the way they're going about it [the review] and taking the time it needs to make some pretty important decisions about what the future looks like."
Buckley hadn't given any thought to the upcoming clash with the Demons potentially being his last in charge of Collingwood.
"I've been really good at just looking after the next step and worrying about what is next. So for me, and personally and professionally in my role, I'm really focused on the next game," he said.
"You probably won't believe me when I say that I've spent the majority of the week [focusing] on Melbourne and trying to set up a plan and a mentality that's going to give us the best chance of performing and winning a game of footy on Saturday.
"Clearly on the other side of that you then lift your eyes a little bit and you're looking beyond that and next week is probably where there'll be stronger conversations about what the future of the club looks like where I fit in it."
Brodie Grundy (suspension) and Tyson Goldsack (soreness) are available for selection but Buckley all but ruled out a 2017 debut for exciting prospect Kayle Kirby who is the joint leading VFL goalkicker with 42 majors.
Melbourne have won their past four games against the Magpies, but Buckley downplayed that as motivation for his side to derail the Demons' finals aspirations.
Melbourne must beat Collingwood to guarantee themselves September action.
"They've given us plenty of trouble over recent years ... we'll have our hands full," Buckley said.
"It [motivation to win] is for us. It's always for us. You can look at external motivation, you can look at reasons why outside of yourself, but I'd prefer to look at the positive opportunities and intrinsic motivations, the things of why it's important to you. I think they're far more sustainable."
Ruckman Mason Cox's name has been thrown up in trade speculation recently but Buckley hopes the big American can form a dangerous tandem act with Grundy in the future.
"He's still developing and coming along really well," Buckley said of Cox.
"The last couple of games in that ruck position have been exciting and he's a better prospect now than he was 12 months ago and in 12 months' time he'll be better again."
