Craig McRae is the Senior Coach of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
McRae played at the highest level for 10 years and following his retirement worked as a secondary school teacher before focussing on a career as a coach in the AFL. He coached in development and assistant roles for 15 years before being appointed Senior Coach of Collingwood ahead of the 2022 season.
His unique style of coaching based on connection, care and genuine love for one another has seen Australia’s biggest sporting club turn its fortunes around in the space of 12 months, going from a second-last, 17th-placed side in 2021 to completing the 2022 season in third place on the ladder – missing out on the Grand Final by the narrowest of margins. McRae’s fresh energy and game plan made the Magpies exciting to watch for all football fans across Australia and his authenticity, calmness and upbeat approach to coaching instilled a strong belief in his playing group.
