‘I want to coach again’: Nathan Buckley on Dees race, why Tassie job was ‘more attractive’

Nathan Buckley has declared he was more interested in the Tasmanian coaching role than Melbourne’s.

But the Magpies great is glad he went through the Demons process to help him work out “I want to coach again” and believes they made the right decision by choosing Steven King.

Buckley went deep in Melbourne’s coaching race in an appointment originally set for preliminary final week, before the club fast-tracked an announcement of King as its man last Friday.

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Buckley told the Demons he needed more time before he could commit to anything ahead of a meeting with Devils heavyweights Brendon Gale, Alastair Lynch and Grant O’Brien on Tuesday.

“I only know my side of it. And that is ultimately that I had to risk sacrificing an opportunity to coach Melbourne, to keep an opportunity

to coach Tasmania, because the timelines just didn’t match up,” Buckley told Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night.

“Melbourne, rightfully, made the decision on a coach that absolutely was all-in and wanted to do the job and that was Steven King.

“So they’ve very much made the right call.

“I was more attracted to the Tasmania job than I was to the Melbourne job.”

The former Collingwood coach, who guided the Magpies to the 2018 Grand Final and two additional preliminary finals, admitted he was surprised how quickly the Melbourne process moved.

But Buckley accepted it was an “easy” call for the Demons given his uncertainty.

“In the end, I said: ‘Can I have a couple more days?’ That was enough for them to say: ‘No, we’ve got our guy, we’re not going to wait’. I’m fine with that,” he added.

“I put myself in Melbourne’s shoes, it came down to two guys: One who says he’s absolutely keen …the other guy says: ‘Can you just wait three days or so?’

“I think it’s a really easy decision for Melbourne.”

Buckley said the prospect of leading a club from its inception and being Tassie’s inaugural coach made the job more appealing including ongoing conversations with the club chief executive Gale.

“Behind the scenes I’ve had a few chats with Brendan and been involved in the process for a couple of years. An opportunity to build something from scratch is something that doesn’t come around that often,” he said.

“Prosecuting the Melbourne case and where I sit in my coaching career, I do want to coach again and I haven’t really been able to say that until probably about a month ago.

“I’d love to be involved in the Tassie process and that journey. I’ll have a chat with them tomorrow and see if that’s involved in a more official capacity.”

Of course, the Devils’ AFL license and planned entry into the competition in 2028 is still pending on a stadium deal.

Buckley added he’s “absolutely” glad he went through the Melbourne process to help crystallise his own plans.

“As I’ve said openly, I was prosecuting (Melbourne) and my interest and my gut feel around a coaching opportunity. I was able to work out my side of it — the yes, this is what I’d like to do again,” he said.

“I’ve still got to find the right fit and I’ve still got to get the opportunity to have a club believe I can help them along their journey.

“But this side of it I’m a lot clearer on now than I was a month ago.”

Buckley coached Collingwood in 218 games from 2012 to 2021 with a 54 per cent win rate during that time.