Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley remains uncertain about his aspirations to return to coaching but says “this is the first time” since finishing at the Pies that he’s wanted to explore the possibility further.
It comes as Buckley has been highly touted as one of the leading candidates for Melbourne’s vacant position following the dismissal of Simon Goodwin.
It also comes after initially-fancied premiership mentors John Longmire and Adam Simpson openly voiced their unwillingness to return to the coaching landscape next year amid newfound personal ventures.
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Buckley, 53, coached Collingwood between 2012 and 2021, including a grand final berth in 2018 and five finals appearances.
At the outset of Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night, asked point-blank by Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown if he wanted to coach next year, Buckley said: “I don’t know if I do or not. And I think I’ve been pretty transparent and clear with that.
“There’s a spot available now, and this is the first time that I’ve actually wanted to go further down the track to find out what that challenge would be, and whether it would fit for where I’m at in my life, as well.
“I’m going to explore it a little bit harder this time around.”
Buckley, who has now been out of coaching for almost four years, had a career 117-99-2 record with the Magpies after a 28-game, Brownlow Medal-winning playing career.
He was prompted on what that “exploration” looks like.
“It’s more to understand Melbourne’s challenge, and where they think they’re at, where they think they need to go forward. But before we get to all of this, I am but one of many candidates that will be really good options for Melbourne going forward,” he said.
“And they’ll go through their process, and they’ll choose the person that they think is best-placed to take them forward, whether that’s for the next three years, five years, whether they’re looking for 10 years.
“In the end, that’s their remit, to work that out. There’s multiple good options, there’s multiple good decisions. It’s not just one person, so I think that’s got to be really clear up front.”
Buckley acknowledged “it could be” a reality that senior coaching is ultimately done for him, despite externally shaping as a frontrunner in Melbourne’s process.
“But I’m stepping into a space, now, that I haven’t at this point. So, I’m just taking the next steps to explore it for myself, and obviously through the lens of one club at the moment,” he continued.
“I have kicked around with Tassie as well, to have a look at that. But that’s been dormant for probably six months. So, that’s as open as I can be about it.
“I’m going to be asked as I go along, and (I’ll) have a microphone in front of me every second day, but I’m not going to be giving blow-by-blows (updates) on Melbourne’s process on their system, on where we’re at in terms of our communication.
“I could think one thing this evening and think something different tomorrow evening. So, it wouldn’t be fair on me or them to try and do a blow-by-blow, because it will ebb and flow until either they or I or any other candidate gets to a final position.”
Brown proposed the idea that the “attractiveness” of the Demons’ win-now list might play a hand in Buckley’s desire to partake in their process.
“Ultimately, you’re really governed by the list that you have at hand,” Brown posed, to which Buckley replied: “Yes and no.”
Brown suggested that perhaps the state of West Coast’s list last year played a key hand in Buckley’s unwillingness to participate in the process that ultimately ended with Andrew McQualter winning the senior coach role.
“Was that because I didn’t like West Coast, or was it because I wasn’t ready?” Buckley answered.
“I took a call from Don Pyke (Eagles chief executive), but I said to him ‘I’m not in the space to consider that’, and I think I’m in a space to consider it now.
“You look at the list, but then you’ve got to consider what’s the state of your TPP (total player payments). I’ve been in a position where the TPP is not in a great state. Maybe it’s not a position I want to step into in that regard — I don’t know that yet.
“Then the other is where do you train? What’s the structure of your leadership? Because at the moment, it’s still quite transient.
“What are your plans going forward in terms of facilities and where you want to be? And where do you think you sit? When do you want to contend? I don’t have any answers to any of those questions.”
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