Nathan Buckley Biography

Collingwood great Nathan Buckley will present the Norm Smith Medal on Grand Final day this year, while three-time premiership player Bachar Houli has been announced as the premiership cup ambassador for 2022.

Nathan Buckley, Kane Cornes and Brad Scott join the All Australian selection panel for the 2022 AFL season.

Adam Treloar expects to mend feces with former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley in the future, following his acrimonious trade from the Magpies at the end of 2020.

"There is going to be a time that we do talk because that love and care that I do have for him is always going to be there; it's never not going to be there," Treloar said.

"There was a time when mentally I was really struggling and I will always appreciate the love and support and the care that he gave me."

Nathan Buckley will return to the media in 2022, working in roles for Fox Footy and SEN.

The former Collingwood coach says hasn't missed coaching but won't rule out a return to the coaches' box in the future.

"I feel really content with where things have gone and where they've settled. I don't spend a lot of time looking back; I look forward and I'm really positive about the opportunities that are ahead of me, both through Fox and SEN," Buckley said.

"I think I would coach again, but I really don't know. Planning and projecting forward is a big part of who I've been – being ambitious and achieve this, achieve that – I'm probably wanting to go about it a different way, really sit in this space, enjoy the moment for what it is without really projecting too far."

After parting ways with Collingwood as head coach, Nathan Buckley lands a new job in the media at Fox Footy.

"The crew at Fox Footy get the game and relate it well to the viewers, I'm looking forward to being a part of that," Buckley said.

"There are a lot of well-respected people in the industry and it will be fun to share what is happening and why with the panel and of course the viewers at home."

Collingwood sends off outgoing coach Nathan Buckley in the best way possible, defeating premiership favourites Melbourne by 17 points in his final game as coach of the club.

Nathan Buckley steps down as coach of Collingwood.

Buckley's future as coach of the club had been at the forefront of speculation with his contract expiring at the end of this season and with the Magpies sitting on a 4-8 record after 12 games in 2021.

"In the end, it was clear that there was an appetite for change in the program. We had a general sense that it was time for something different and it was time for something new and it was time for something fresh," Buckley said.

"The question was whether I was up for it and whether the club viewed me as a longer-term person to do it for the next three to five years. I can't categorically say that I want to be here for the next five years, for instance. I think that the candidate that the club will end up looking for should be someone who has those fresh eyes and fresh ideas."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley admits he needed to be better during a 2017 media conference about Heritier Lumumba's claims of racism at the club, claims which have been backed up by other former Magpies in Leon Davis and Andrew Krakouer.

"We don't want people to ever feel like they're diminished or vilified or seen as less than in our environment. If that is their experience, then it needs to be acknowledged. And for that, I think the club has said it apologises unreservedly.

"Obviously, I have been a part of this club for a long time so I don't like the fact that people have felt that way and I've got to - we've all got to - listen and learn more to the experiences and acknowledge them rather than dismissing them."

Collingwood is likely to wait until 2021 to extend Nathan Buckley's contract.

"Bucks is contracted already until the end of next season and doing a great job. I've had the benefit of working with many great coaches across my career and Bucks is a ripper in terms of both style and his expertise and experience," Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said.

"I'm a massive rap on Bucks but we're just in the moment and given that he's got next season as well we're all just living in the moment and trying to ensure we get the best out of the 2020 season, and that includes player contracts as well."

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley and assistant coach Brenton Sanderson agree to pay a $25,000 fine (that was imposed on the club) after breaching the AFL's COVID-19 rules by playing a tennis match together.

"We let the club down in that regard by our miscommunication and not being diligent enough in our understanding of what we could and couldn't do," Buckley said.

"There has been almost weekly updates or changes to what has occurred and I'm not making an excuse but that is the reality that clubs are facing and there's probably some of the slip-ups have stemmed from that, but I need to be better, we need to be better."

Collingwood has referred former player Heritier Lumumba's racism allegations to the club's integrity committee, saying it "could not fully appreciate the personal impact of his experiences" during his time at the club.

Earlier this month, Lumumba posted on social media that he wasn't interested in sitting down with his former teammate and coach Nathan Buckley after he offered to "reach out" to Lumumba before they acknowledge some "fundamental facts".

He continued: "Why a public acknowledgment? Because I have been discredited publicly. I don't want a private handshake. I want justice for how I was treated. That includes correcting public denials about my account of the racism and isolation I faced.

"Collingwood needs to acknowledge the following: They did not have the cultural competence and organisational literacy to deal with a real culture of racism at the club, of which I was a victim for a number of years."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says he wants former Magpie Heritier Lumumba to return to the club to see how much its environment has improved.

Buckley's impassioned plea to Lumumba followed club president Eddie McGuire's comments a night earlier of his same intention to speak to him.

The animosity between Lumumba and his old team continues to be played out publicly, even with him living in Los Angeles and four years passing since he retired from the AFL. The 33-year-old, who played in Collingwood's 2010 premiership, this week again raised accusations of racism from his time at the club, including alleging he was nicknamed "chimp".

Lumumba's relationship with Buckley was fractured in the aftermath of that incident, with the coach saying his player had thrown McGuire "under the bus" with his public condemnation of him.

"We have a disgruntled ex-player in this particular issue of racism. I speak for the club generally but I have to speak for myself. I'm not comfortable with the fact Harry, sorry, Heritier, feels like he's been belittled and diminished in our environment. I haven't spoken to 'H' since 2014 (but) I'd love to speak to him again," Buckley said.

Simon Black will present the 2019 Norm Smith medal to the player judged best afield in the 2019 Grand Final.

The Norm Smith Medal is traditionally presented by a previous winner in chronological order.

Following that, it's actually Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley's turn after his 2002 win but, as he is a chance of coaching on the last Saturday of September, Black will do the honours.

Nathan Buckley publicly hits back at former mentor Mick Malthouse for the first time after the latter's Hall of Fame induction.

Malthouse fired a barb at Buckley when he said that he refused to take up a coaching director's role at Collingwood at the end of 2011 because his successor, Buckley, would have made it difficult for him to perform the role properly.

"Mick and I don't get on. He doesn't want to know about me because I'm now an enemy in his eyes, and he will rewrite history to make sure that was always the case," Buckley said.

"But I think I understand Mick. He was a young kid scrapping to put that next meal on the plate and that drove him. That was his attitude through his whole life.

"I think, understanding that, I can see the positive in who he is and what he has been able to do, let alone the numbers."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley slams supporters who booed Anzac Medal winner Scott Pendlebury after a fiery end to a thrilling victory over Essendon.

The final siren of the hotly contested Anzac Day clash was met by a series of boos by Bomber fans after a host of contentious late umpiring decisions.

Those boos continued when Pendlebury went to accept his Anzac Medal, after another brilliant individual display that featured 38 disposals and six tackles.

"Shame on anyone that booed a champion," Buckley said to start off his speech on the ground while accepting the Anzac Day trophy.

Speaking after the match, the Collingwood coach continued to convey his disappointment.

"I hope that I would've been strong enough if an Essendon player had won the medal in that exact same moment and our Collingwood faithful had responded that way," Buckley said.

"I hope I would have been strong enough to say the same thing and I think I would have. I don't like it, but that's just my opinion."

Nathan Buckley extends his contract with Collingwood to remain as head coach of the club until the end of the 2021 season.

"We're not at our destination, (in) 22 days we start that next chapter. What we're absolutely sure about is that Bucks is the person that's going to lead us through the next three seasons," Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says is him and the club are closing in on a new two-year deal.

The mooted deal would take his tenure to 10 seasons in charge of the Magpies, equalling Leigh Matthews' time at the helm.

"I don't think there's any value in leaving it later in the year," Buckley said.

"I love the club, I still want to be there, and I get the sense they're pretty happy for me to continue in due course."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has taken three months' leave and won't return to work full-time until mid-January.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the Pies coach would "come back for a little while in between" to attend to a couple of commitments before spearheading the Pies' 2019 campaign in the new year.

"You can go flat out, you can red-line it as much as you want to, but you need to get a break … It does make a huge difference," McGuire said.

Nathan Buckley's effort to lift his Magpies from 13th to potentially this year's premier has seen him recognised as the AFL Coaches' Association Coach of the Year.

It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Buckley, who faced the prospect of losing his job last season as a club-wide review and scrutiny of his own job put everyone on notice.

"I would like to acknowledge the football club for their faith (in me). Obviously, there was a review process 12 months ago and it could have gone either way," Buckley said.

"Perception is king generally, and the perception from inside the club was that we had enough of a positive direction … to stay the course with most of our people."

AFL legend Malcolm Blight and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley are on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to opinions on rule changes proposing the implementation of zones.

"Our game is choking itself to death," Blight told Adelaide radio station 5AA.

"Change is coming. If you don't like it, resign and go and join the unemployment queue."

But Buckley fears the change would kill the flow of the game.

"I don't like it. I think it will be a blight on the game," Buckley told SEN radio.

"I think if we go to zones, we're going to be waiting for players to get back in the zones. And how often do you want to do that?

"Every time there's a stoppage in the forward 50, we're waiting for three pairs of players to go and get back in the opposite 50. That's what the product is likely to descend into."

Scott Pendlebury opens up about the pressure on Collingwood in 2017 amid uncertainty over Nathan Buckley's future, with players fearing the coach could be sacked at any moment.

"I wouldn't have been shocked either way if round three he was re-signed, or round three he had have got the arse because you just didn't know," Pendlebury said.

"There was just so much pressure on this football club. Credit to how he handled himself last year, I thought he was brilliant."

As he prepares for the 2018 season as coach of Collingwood, Nathan Buckley is marking 25 years of involvement in the AFL.

"I’m still in love with the game," Buckley said.

"I’ve fallen out of love with the game outside the game. I’ve become a bit cynical about it all.

"There’s aspects of it you don't enjoy but like anything in life, if you focus on the things you don't like, you’re heading south real quick."

Emerging Pies midfielder Tom Phillips says Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has changed his approach heading into 2018.

"I think he's much more relaxed, he's not as full on and I guess overbearing as he's been in that coaching role for the last few years," Phillips said.

"He's definitely taken a step back and really trusting and relying (on his assistant coaches).

"Credit to Bucks, he's really at this stage got a pretty fresh mind, I reckon."

Collingwood reappoints Nathan Buckley as coach for the next two seasons following a review of the club's football department.

The 45-year-old has survived four consecutive seasons without a finals appearance to take his coaching stint at the Magpies into its seventh season.

"I was suitably humbled and a little bit nervous to be honest," Buckley said about the review.

"I think in many ways we got the expectations wrong. We have to got to get the decisions right and we have to get the process right and then the results will come."

Nathan Buckley says he wants to coach Collingwood in 2018, but expects more clarity on his future next week as the Magpies assess his position at the club.

"Yeah I do," Buckley said when asked if he wanted to stay on as coach.

"I love the club and want to see it succeed, so whatever role I'm asked to play in that I'll play it. 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. I'm totally committed to the footy club and what needs to be done."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley expresses sadness that Heritier Lumumba harbours such bitter memories of his AFL career at the club.

In an explosive, soon-to-be released documentary about Lumumba's life, the 2010 All Australian defender accuses Buckley of lacking "sensitivity and emotional intelligence".

Lumumba also accused the Pies of racism, claiming he was called "Chimp" around the club.

"It's a bit sad, in many ways, that ‘H’ feels that way about his experiences in the game," Buckley said.

"He's been a great contributor to our footy club for a decade, for his 199 games (for Collingwood), and I shared those times with him as a player and then as a coach.

"I suppose I'd echo the sentiments of the club, just hoping that he's doing well and that he can still see the positives of his experience as an AFL footballer as well."

Asked whether he lacked emotional intelligence, as Lumumba had suggested, Buckley dryly remarked: "He wouldn't be the first bloke to think that."

Dockers coach Ross Lyon details why Fremantle released a strongly worded statement shooting down a report he showed interest in replacing Nathan Buckley as Collingwood coach.

"It's about more than myself. It struck at the heart of my commitment to the rebuild and what we're doing – we've got a lot of exciting young players, we're all working very hard and it was very undermining," Lyon told Channel Seven.

"I really wanted to have a strong statement and call it for what it was, a blatant fabrication."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley lashes out at the media after a report that Fremantle coach Ross Lyon had approached Collingwood about coaching the club in 2018.

Perth broadcaster Brad Hardie made the sensational claim on 6PR radio and the story has since been angrily rebutted by the Dockers.

Buckley echoed Lyon's disappointment that the story was aired and said Hardie should be held to account for it.

"You guys know the ones (reporters) that do the due diligence and do your work and support your suppositions with fact, and you also know the ones that take leaps of faith. You've got to hold those blokes to account," Buckley said.

"How can you let someone come up with absolute fabrications, who's in your industry? That's the key question."

Collingwood CEO CEO Gary Pert informs the players in a pre-training meeting that Nathan Buckley will remain coach of the club until at least the end of the season.

The Magpies currently sit 15th on the ladder and media speculation has been intense of Buckley's future at the club.

"It just helps us maintain our focus week-by-week over the next seven-week period," Buckley said of the board's decision.

"It was my intention and understanding all along so I suppose it is good to be validated by the board."

Scott Pendlebury has emphatically thrown his support behind Nathan Buckley, saying he wants the under-pressure coach at Collingwood beyond 2017.

The Magpies, with a 5-8 win-loss record, are on the brink of sliding out of finals contention and missing the top eight for a fourth-straight season.

"He’s got the whole group behind him. We’ve been doing a lot right but just haven’t been getting the right result," Pendlebury said.

"I’m a big fan of the way he coaches.

"If he was to leave at the end of the year, he’ll be leaving right as he has got this group ready to make a real crack at it."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley admits he will not seek an extension on his contract if he does not feel he is the right man to lead the club.

"I think one thing that people seem to forget is it's a two-way street," Buckley told Channel Nine.

"The club has a decision on me to whether they think I'm the man for the job, but I've also got a decision to think whether I'm going to put my hand up (and) whether I actually think that I'm getting the job done that I want to get as well.

"I've got confidence in myself but the fact is, that's a judgement that I have to make as well.

"It's not a fait accompli that we just rollover."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley maintains he has no regrets over saying a top-eight finish is the benchmark for the Pies and his coaching performance this season, believing his struggling side can still feature in the finals.

Pressure continues to mount on Buckley's position as coach, particularly given his public admission last August that a fourth straight season out of the finals could spell the end of his coaching career at the club.

"I've always had fairly high expectations," Buckley said.

"I'm not saying we're high performing at the moment, but high performers everywhere always put a little bit more pressure on themselves than others do. It's a reality in the industry."

Collingwood vice-captain Taylor Adams says it hurts to see the growing burden of pressure placed on coach Nathan Buckley.

Speculation has mounted over the future of the coach, who is desperate to steer the Pies' season back on track with the club languishing in 13th spot.

"He won't get sacked – that is absolutely not going to happen," Adams told RSN radio.

"The way he carried himself around the footy club leading up to the game and post-game was exceptional.

"He handles it so well, but he is only human."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says the club won't be panicked into sacking coach Nathan Buckley after a poor start to the season.

Pressure is mounting on Buckley after an Anzac Day loss to Essendon left the Magpies with a 1-4 record to sit 13th on the AFL ladder.

"Every time I've looked to Nathan Buckley as a player, as a person, as a coach - he has never let me or the Collingwood Football Club down," McGuire told Triple M Melbourne.

"There has been no greater servant of the Collingwood Football Club.

"There is no better person to have our club's future in his hands than Nathan Buckley."

Nathan Buckley's decision to bench skipper Scott Pendlebury during a crucial period of Collingwood's loss to St Kilda is lambasted by Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling.

"Can I say if there wasn't an injury to Scott Pendlebury ... I can't believe that he's sat 14 minutes on the bench in the third quarter in a game that was there to be won," Ling told 3AW.

"That is unbelievable. The bloke's a star. Get him on the ground. You've got to have your captain and your superstar on the ground ... unless he is injured."

A frustrated Buckley said post-game that Pendlebury "probably wasn't as sharp" as he had been in previous games.

"We put a lot of emphasis on our leaders and we ask a lot of them," Buckley said.

"If you're going to be a leader in this caper, you've got to keep buttering up and backing up.

"Pendles, more often than not, he brings the right intent and energy. He was probably a little bit quieter tonight."

Nathan Buckley admits there is "no way" he will remain as coach of Collingwood if the Magpies miss the finals for a fourth consecutive season in 2017.

"We need a little bit of luck, we need to be harder, we need to be more consistent — these are all things that we know are going to be the difference between us maximising our potential. It's not a talent thing," Buckley said.

"I'm on the hook flat out, we're all on the hook flat out for it and it's really important for us to make this work."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley admits the pressure is mounting on him to deliver sustained on-field success.

Now in his fifth season as the Magpies' senior coach, Buckley signed a one-year contract extension earlier this year, tying him to the club until the end of 2017.

Since their fourth-placed finish in 2012, the Pies have ended each season in a lower spot on the ladder and have not featured in finals since 2013.

"Absolutely I feel pressure but I can't allow it to stress me because if it stresses me, it stresses the players (and) if it stresses the players, it stresses the club," Buckley told Fox Footy.

"And if you introduce that to your preparation let alone your performance, you're not going to optimise it.

"There are things that … we've done well over the last couple of years that are coming through in our players and in our performances, but we're still not as consistent as we'd like to be."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says he doesn't think Nathan Buckley would be part of the mid-season Lin Jong meeting at the Holden Centre if he had his time again.

A Collingwood party that included Buckley met with the out-of-contract Jong at the club's headquarters recently to discuss the midfielder possibly crossing to the Magpies in October's trade period.

"Nathan called me but it's played out in a public space and I know Nathan has said that if he had his time over he'd do it again but I don't think he would," Beveridge said.

"Ultimately if our list manager Jason McCartney came to me – which he wouldn't – and said, 'Hey, let's meet a player at the Whitten Oval', I'd say, 'Hang on, mate. I'm keen to talk to him but it's too risky to do it here.'

"Maybe Nathan has been led up the wrong path there as well because he's assertive enough and mature enough to make a better decision than that."

Lin Jong is reported to have toured Collingwood's HQ in a move that Magpies coach Nathan Buckley admits would be upsetting to Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.

"If I was in Bevo's shoes, you wouldn't be happy," Buckley said.

"As a senior coach, I can put myself in Bevo's shoes. I can understand where he would be, how he would be feeling about it, and then I'd ask questions over that side. I'd ask questions at our side as well."

However, Buckley said his club's actions weren't out of step with what regularly occurred across the competition.

"I think it's dog eat dog, so to speak," Buckley said.

"There still are morals and mores that are expected and accepted, and we'd like to believe that we follow those."

Nathan Buckley has dismissed talk about tumultuous events of years past, insisting he's totally focused on righting the Magpies' wobbly ship this season.

On Channel Nine, revelations of an eight-player group that went to Malthouse and asked him to stay at the club were re-heated.

That group only included one player still at the club - injured midfielder Dane Swan.

As he prepared to fly to Queensland for the crunch clash, Buckley dismissed the reports as irrelevant.

"I understand the interest. But it was five or six years ago. It's not really going to help us this weekend," he said of Malthouse's intervention.

"If it happened I didn't know about it at the time and I don't know if it's categorically true."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has revealed an awkward 'wrong number' moment when trying to offer support to beleaguered Richmond counterpart Damien Hardwick.

Buckley said on Thursday that AFL Coaches' Association chief Mark Brayshaw had mistakenly given the Collingwood mentor the phone number of Hardwick's wife, Danielle.

"Why Mark Brayshaw has got my wife's number, I'm not too sure," Hardwick laughed when asked about the incident.

Despite the initial error, Buckley's well-meaning call was a positive sign of the times, according the Richmond coach.

"Look, we want to kill each other on the weekend but I think as a group of men we've started to understand," Hardwick said.

"We're all in these situations at some stage so we lean on each other a lot more than we used to."

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley signs a new contract with Collingwood, tying him to the club until the end of 2017.

The Magpies coach was contracted until the end of this season, but president Eddie McGuire confirmed that Buckley had agreed to a one-year contract extension.

"Nathan has done exactly as the board has requested of him, and as a result of that we're delighted to extend Nathan's contract," McGuire said.

Buckley spoke at the club's season launch, expressing his confidence that the Pies are on the track towards success.

"We believe we've got a great football program in place. I'm absolutely sure of it," Buckley said.

"I'm not afraid of the hard work. I'm not afraid of the hard decisions, but I'm also looking forward to being rewarded for those in the near future."

Nathan Buckley is eager to continue in his role beyond 2016 but he says a contract extension before the start of next season is not a pressing issue.

"It's not front of mind for me," Buckley said.

"We're really clear on the direction we're going and on the things we want to shine a light on to improve us. I'm really clear on that. I'm a part of it, I'm not all of it.

"I love the footy club and I hope I can give as much benefit in my role as best as I possibly can and that I can do it for as long as I can because I love it."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has scoffed at questions about coach Nathan Buckley's future.

Buckley's contract runs until the end of the 2016 season, but McGuire wasn't keen to discuss what the 42-year-old needed to deliver to keep his job.

"Well, he can finish off his contract in the first place, we don't talk about coaches at Collingwood like that … no, not answering that question," McGuire said.

"I'm not reluctant to get involved, mate, because I'll make the decision and it's not time to make any decisions regarding the coach."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is in doubt to fulfil his duties against Melbourne at the MCG on Monday after suffering a hamstring tear while playing touch football.

Buckley had surgery on Wednesday evening after tearing his left hamstring from the bone on Tuesday afternoon.

"Clearly, the end to my playing career taught me very little," Buckley said.

"I'm still confusing ambition with ability and my ropey hamstrings are still reminding me of that mistake."

Following the sacking of Mick Malthouse as coach of Carlton, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley predicts his coaching career will probably end with the sack, just as it did for his former Magpies coach.

"Nine out of 10 coaches finish their careers sacked, I would have thought," Buckley said.

"You very rarely get a chance to jump on the horse and ride off into the sunset.

"I'm not expecting to when my time comes."

Buckley says the ugly circumstances at Carlton will not hurt Malthouse's standing in the game.

"When the dust settles, Mick's 30-year coaching career and his 43 years in the game will stand the test of time," Buckley said.

"That's his legacy.

"I don't think his reputation has been tarnished."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley reveals that he met with Brad Sewell at the end of 2014 to see if he was interested in extending his career at the Magpies.

The discussion didn't go past an initial meeting and Sewell officially announced his retirement at Hawthorn's best and fairest on October 4, delivering an emotional departure speech in which he paid tribute to many at the club.

"We spoke to him about what his plans were and what he wanted to do," Buckley said.

"Having that chat with him was worthwhile. He's been a warrior."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is critical of Adelaide for the way it handled Brenton Sanderson's sacking.

"I think Sando's been dealt a really harsh card because the club didn't put that support around him." Buckley said.

"They (the Crows) were unable to handle the circumstances that no-one would've foreseen. It wasn't just personnel in the coaching staff. It was draft picks (too).

"The consistency at the management level has not been there and I think Sando's been an unfortunate victim in all of that."

James Hird fronts a specially convened gathering of coaches on Thursday to deal exclusively with his re-admission to coach Essendon in 2015.

The meeting was held at the Bayside home of interim AFL Coaches Association CEO Mark Brayshaw.

While most, if not all, coaches were aware of the meeting, only three attended – Collingwood's Nathan Buckley, Western Bulldogs' Brendan McCartney and Gold Coast's Guy McKenna.

They were joined by Brayshaw and Essendon general manager of football Performance Neil Craig.

"It was a good meeting, all part of James reconnecting with the coaches association." Brayshaw said on The Footy Show.

"He's had 12 months out, done his time, and what we had was a warm and robust conversation, a very mature conversation."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has proposed an mid-season draft to allow clubs to fix seasons wrecked by injury.

But in a twist, he suggests only allowing players outside the AFL to be drafted when long-term injuries at AFL clubs arise.

"I like the (mid-season draft) idea more outside of the current playing pool," Buckley said.

"You've got blokes who are killing it at Diamond Valley or in the SANFL, or in the WAFL and they might have just missed out on being drafted or a rookie-listed player.

"But they've had a really great start to the season. You say ... 'We've got this guy we want to give a crack to'."

Travis Cloke says Pies coach Nathan Buckley has the full support of the playing group after the club lost their fifth game in six games.

"'Bucks' has been fantastic this year," Cloke said.

"He's pushing us in the right direction. Finals is still within our reach.

"Morale's great and I can't believe that's even getting tossed up. I don't know why people are questioning Bucks. It's quite disappointing."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley signs two-year deal to remain at the head of the club club until 2016.

"I'm honoured by the faith shown in me by the board. It's a privilege to coach Collingwood," Buckley said.

"What is important now is that we continue to work hard together and continue to build, with a new young group, something enduring to add to the rich history of this club."

Scott Burns talks about life as an assistant coach under former teammate and current Collingwood head coach Nathan Buckley.

"He's [Buckley] formed certain philosophies that were probably different from when we played alongside each other. I'm still learning a lot of things in that regard," Burns said.

"There are lot of similar ideas and philosophies on how the game should be played but we've got some subtle differences as well.

"I'm not saying that we challenge each other but certainly points are brought up at times and we discuss things."

Ben Johnson opens up on the relationship between Collingwood's 'Rat Pack' and coach Nathan Buckley.

The 'Rat Pack' comprised of several Magpies players namely Johnson, Dane Swan, Alan Didak and Heath Shaw.

"Me and 'Dids' were coming to the end of our careers anyway. Heath was traded (to Greater Western Sydney), which was a bit of a shock, but that's the game," Johnson said.

"Bucks has always got along really well with us. Me and Dids probably played a hundred games with him as our captain, and we had a good relationship with him.

"Bucks was certainly grumpier on the field than as a coach. He's a pretty tame coach, he keeps his head, and he's very approachable. Bucks' door is always open to every player.

"If there was ever an issue, we'd talk about it like grown men. Exactly the same as I did with Mick (Malthouse). I've had arguments with both – more with Mick – but we'd work it out."

Ex-Magpie Heath Shaw defends former teammate Darren Jolly's tirade at Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, saying he too often had strong opinions about the club.

"If we thought that something was going to improve the club then we'd obviously our hand up and say it," Shaw said.

"Whether he (Buckley) took that on board or not, that's up to him.

"At the end of the day, we're there to win games of footy and we're there to improve.

"So it was never going to be anything that was against the club."

As his AFL career comes to an end, Darren Jolly accuses Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley of being a coward after failing to be picked up in the rookie draft.

"He [Buckley] probably found it a lot harder accepting that I had opinions about things and would give feedback on certain things that potentially he didn't like,'' Jolly told Fairfax Media.

''The day he told me I was no longer needed at the club and they weren't going to renew my contract, the reasons he was giving me were all excuses, and that was probably the main disappointment; that he couldn't man up and tell me face-to-face why I wasn't going to be at the club.''

Buckley responds by saying that Jolly refused to acknowledge the reality of his aging body.

"It is the worst time of a career when you're going down the other side and it is difficult to manage," Buckley said on SEN radio.

"Darren struggled with his body. He found that tough to deal with and that's the reality.

"It's not something you get used to, but when (director of football) Rodney Eade and I sat down and offered him our views, the ears were closed pretty quickly. It wasn't long, it was forthright and it ended pretty quickly."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire downplays the reported rift between Harry O'Brien and coach Nathan Buckley.

"Everybody has had a couple of days' break to just chill out and have a bit of a think about things, and you come back together.," McGuire said.

"These are people who genuinely like each other, respect each other, work together, have a common goal … and that's to win the premiership."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley refuses to deny reports of a rift between himself and defender Harry O'Brien who was dropped from the side to face Carlton.

"I have conversations with players multiple times every day, and we don't feel the need to play it out in public," Buckley said.

"So if there's an issue, I won't be talking about it."

Harry O'Brien spends the weekend in Port Douglas amid reports of a conflict between himself and coach Nathan Buckley.

"I won't be discussing it at all," Buckley said when quizzed about his relationship with O'Brien.

"I have questions and comments and discussions and topics with players internally every day of every.

"The issue with Harry or any issue with any other players will remain in-house."

Nathan Buckley finishes as the victor against former coach and mentor Mick Malthouse in their first against each other as head coach of Collingwood and Carlton respectively.

"The win itself was excellent. I said to the players, 'I enjoyed that win'," Buckley said after the 17-point win.

"After losing both games to Carlton last year, we've identified the first three weeks as opportunities for us against sides we weren't able to beat in 2012.

"To the players' credit, they've been able to execute the plan."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley apologises to Brad Scott and Lindsay Thomas for his controversial remarks following Thomas' bump on Ben Reid.

"When you cast aspersions over opposition players it's never a good thing, but when that criticism is wrong it makes it even worse," Scott said.

"To Nathan's eternal credit he's called me (and) he's apologised to me, which I didn't think he had to do.

"He apologised to me and to our football club, but more importantly he rang Lindsay Thomas and apologised to him. So I think that speaks volumes for the type of person he is."

As Collingwood prepares to face a new-look Carlton under Mick Malthouse, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley says he has great respect for his former coach and mentor.

"There's plenty of people keen to drum that up and make it an adversarial relationship," Buckley said.

"I have nothing but respect for Mick, I played under him a number of years as his captain and worked under him as an assistant coach in the plan to eventually become senior coach."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says Lindsay Thomas is lucky to have escaped sanction for his bump on Ben Reid.

"Lindsay has got away with one,'' Buckley told radio station Triple M.

"But that happens - sometimes you get good decisions, you get bad decisions, you get lucky ones, you get unlucky ones.

"That's footy. I have no animosity at all towards anyone at North or anything that's happened. I think there's a grey area in the tribunal and it's up to others to discuss that.''

A war of words erupts between Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and North Melbourne coach Brad Scott after a bump by Lindsay Thomas leaves Ben Reid concussed from a head clash.

"It was off the ball and it was unprovoked. We'll see how it settles," Buckley said.

"Commentary like that doesn't help. I don't know what incident Nathan Buckley saw, but a head clash is a head clash," Scott replied angrily.

"'Bucks' should just keep his opinions to himself when it comes to things that will be taken care of by the powers that be."

Thomas is subsequently cleared by the Match Review Panel.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says he has no doubt the new sliding rule will be frustrating for him, the players and umpires.

"I think the balance of the slide rule versus the head high will be fascinating," Buckley said.

"I'll be tearing my hair out, I've got no doubt about it. Players will be scratching their heads and the umpires will find it very hard to adjudicate that."

Nathan Buckley admits he wasn't the best person to lead the Magpies in 1999 when he was captain.

"I was in that position in 1999 and it was a mistake at the time," Buckley told SEN radio.

"You need to have empathy at times but I had tunnel vision. Being captain didn't sit uncomfortably with me, but it was clearly wrong.

"I was nowhere near leader and the decisions you make for leadership are crucial because they set up the way the group moderates."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says the vagueness of claims made by the Australian Crime Commission regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport has damaged the reputation of the game as a whole.

"I think all of us have seen it watered down in the past week or so, to the point where there's an element of frustration," he said.

"If you're going to make those claims, be specific about them, because you have tarnished the sport and you have brought individuals of great quality and reputation into disrepute.

"That's not good for the code and we need to fix it."

A new book reveals Mick Malthouse hosed down a 2011 player revolt at Collingwood that wanted to keep him as coach despite Nathan Buckley being groomed to take over the senior position.

"They loved Mick, they needed Mick, and they weren't prepared to stand back and do nothing as he was replaced," the book read.

"Especially after winning a premiership. 'I would like to take it to management and the board', said the player.

"Mick's heart thumped inside his chest and echoed in his mind. 'What an amazing gesture,' he thought. But what a disaster it would be."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has been warned by the AFL for approaching the umpires during the Magpies' qualifying final loss to Hawthorn.

Wayne Carey has called Nathan Buckley to clarify comments made about the Magpies' playing group being divided over his tenure as head coach of the club.

"I'm really disappointed that stuff like that is discussed and brought in to the public arena," Buckley said.

"As most people have said, there's going to be times where the players aren't necessarily 100 per cent happy with the environment at the time."

Wayne Carey says there is disharmony at Collingwood over head coach Nathan Buckley.

"It is rife out there that a bunch of the players, let's say six or seven of them, don't get along with Buckley," Carey claimed.

"I don't make a comment like that without a little bit of fact and [the information has come] from people very close to the Collingwood footy club."

Nathan Buckley, however, says there is no disenchantment with his coaching.

"I've had no awareness or understanding … nothing has cropped up like that," Buckley said.

"Ultimately, our performances on the field will either control or blow this up."

Nathan Buckley has dismissed suggestions he has a fractured relationship with former coach and boss Mick Malthouse.

"You won't hear a bad word coming out of my mouth about Mick Malthouse and I hope you wouldn't hear one from Mick in return," Buckley said.

"What I have learnt from him is his ability to build an environment that allows any individual to optimise their talent [and] to optimise themselves as a person."

Nathan Buckley admits he had doubts about taking over as coach from Mick Malthouse with the Magpies continuing to blossom under their former coach.

"They were only ever thoughts in my own head. I didn't want to divulge them to anyone for fear it would be seen as a lack of confidence or a lack of belief," Buckley told the Herald Sun.

"Despite those quiet moments that I had wondering 'Is this the right thing for the footy club?', I knew the deal was in place and not one person was under any illusions of what the future looked like."

Nathan Buckley, James Hird, Mark Ricciuto and Michael Voss are inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.

Collingwood forward Travis Cloke gave a mid-season assurance to assistant coach Nathan Buckley that he wanted to play for him beyond 2010 despite contract negotiations stalling until the end of the season.

"I spoke to Bucks midway through the year when we started negotiations and said, 'Bucks, I will be here. I understand you're taking over in 12 months' time and I want to be part of this. I think we're in a great position as club'," Cloke said.

"Bucks is a fanatic on and off the field and his football brain's amazing. He's added a new dimension to our team."

Wayne Carey has says Collingwood midfielder Dane Swan could well be a superior player to Nathan Buckley.

"A couple of Collingwood players are now saying he's the best player they have ever played with and seen, and they are pretty big wraps for a club that's had the ilk of Nathan Buckley," Carey said.

"He's been in awesome form for three years now and is the favourite to win the Brownlow. You would have to say Dane Swan is on a par with Gary Ablett and (Chris) Judd. I think he's a superstar."

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says that Nathan Buckley is not yet ready to become Collingwood's senior coach.

"Nathan has got a lot to learn and that's why he would be the first to admit the role he is going to play in the next two seasons is important to him and for his growth," Malthouse said.

"Coaching the (Victorian Country) under-16s, that's a mile off coaching anything else and he admits that. He has a great appetite to learn."

Collingwood midfielder Shane O'Bree says he can't wait to see former skipper Nathan Buckley grow as an assistant coach.

"He is adjusting very well. Initially it was going to be different because he has played with the majority of the team," O'Bree said.

"With the way he speaks and how clear he is when explaining a drill, I can't wait until game day to see how he performs then and I'm sure he will be really good."

Nathan Buckley adjusts to life in familiar surroundings as a coach instead of a player in his new role as assistant coach of Collingwood.

"I was walking out to watch the boys setting off to do the 2km and I remembered what it felt like as a player," Buckley said.

"It's familiar surroundings, but obviously it's very different role and responsibility. It's all about relationships. Whether you're playing with them or coaching, the whole idea is to try and and help them be the best they can be and mould it into a successful unit."

Nathan Buckley will not fill the void left by the departure of former Collingwood assistant Brad Scott who has taken up the head coaching position at North Melbourne until next season.

"If I was at the club now and had been part of the club, I'd be recommending that the current coaches can fill the void that Brad has left," Buckley said.

"There's a lot of leadership in the playing group that I reckon will be able to cover that as well."

Nathan Buckley introduces a new kicking test to be used at the NAB AFL Draft camp to assess a player's kicking.

"The feedback from the clubs and the research the AFL has done over the last 24 months has highlighted the need for trying to measure the kicking in some way. To add to what recruiters see in games and decision making aspects etc. This is a good measure of technique and result as much as anything," Buckley said.

Magpie captain Nick Maxwell says newly appointed assistant coach Nathan Buckley will have to adjust to being a coach to his former teammates.

"I suppose he has got a challenge of changing his relationships a little bit. He's a mate and a teammate to a lot of players," Maxwell said.

"Now he's got to look into being a coach. He's got a couple years to develop those relationships and change them a bit."

Darren Crocker says Nathan Buckley's decision to go to Collingwood hasn't change his attitude to wanting to be North senior coach.

"The Nathan Buckley thing really has not been at the forefront of my thinking anyway," Crocker said.

"Since I got the job, it has always been what I can do in the 10 weeks I got given with these guys.

"I have been steadfast in that, I have now got five weeks to go and we are just full steam ahead with what we need to be doing to become a better team by the end of the season."

Nathan Buckley and Jason McCartney were influential in the poaching of NRL star Karmichael Hunt by the Gold Coast.

Buckley and McCartney were employed by the league's game development department to verify Hunt's skills.

"Technically he's very good," McCartney told the Herald Sun.

"He kicked the ball really well that day ... This was only a very brief session, but he just had a bit of a kick, then we put him in the middle and Bucks and I just kicked the footy into his hands and then from either side. He just had to turn, handball off and kick.

"He's very coachable. One of the things we noticed straight away was his natural reaction to want to grab the ball on the chest with a rugby technique. And we said to him that in our game we encourage people to use their hands. Straight away he made the adjustment."

Nathan Buckley cancels an interview with Richmond, confirming that he will be named as an assistant coach at Collingwood.

Mick Malthouse to become director of coaching in 2012, when new assistant Nathan Buckley will take over the reins at Collingwood.

"This is a wonderful day for the Collingwood football club, with two of the most respected people in football uniting to secure our future success," Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said.

"This arrangement could not have come together without enormous goodwill from Mick and Nathan, two of the greatest servants in the club's history."

Nathan Buckley was eager to be involved in one of football's most innovative coaching arrangements once Mick Malthouse gave the deal his seal of approval.

"Since I met with Mick early last week and again on the weekend it was evident it to me that it was something he was prepared to embrace," Buckley said.

"Something that he thought was a great idea for the football club, for me and for his continuation as a very strong leader at the Collingwood Football Club.

"It really was an opportunity that, once that hurdle was overcome as far as getting Mick's tick of approval, because that was the only thing that it was going to take for me to know that this was a valid alternative, it was really very easy for me."

North Melbourne says it will not be continuing talks to Nathan Buckley regarding the head coaching position at the club after Buckley declined an offer made to him.

"North Melbourne wishes Nathan all the best with whatever career path he chooses to take," the Kangaroos said in a statement issued tonight.

"The club will continue its search for a senior coach for 2010 and beyond."

Former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley agrees to be interviewed by Richmond for coaching job next week.

Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley met on Monday in an attempt to consider a coaching future together at Collingwood.

Michael Malthouse and Nathan Buckley are increasingly likely to work together again at Collingwood next year.

It is understood they have come to an in-principle arrangement with the club for Malthouse to continue as senior coach, with Buckley his senior assistant.

It is believed they are acceptable to a handover of responsibilities at the end of 2011, when Buckley would become senior coach.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has accepted in principle a deal that would see him work next season with Nathan Buckley.

North Melbourne will widen its search for a new coach if its preferred candidate, Nathan Buckley, cannot commit to the job within two weeks.

"I have spoken to Nathan very recently," North Melbourne president James Brayshaw said on Triple M radio.

"I said, 'Nathan, do you wish to coach senior football next year? Because if you do, we would like to talk to you about that. We think we are a great fit for you.

''If you don't want to coach AFL football next year, please let us know ASAP so we can move on'."

North Melbourne chief executive Eugene Arocca has confirmed that president James Brayshaw will meet with Nathan Buckley regarding the club's senior post.

"We don't have a specific timeframe on when he'll give his answer," Arocca said.

"In the next 48 hours there'll be a meeting and what will flow from that meeting will depend on the content of that meeting."

Collingwood coach Michael Malthouse says he would be comfortable working with Nathan Buckley if Buckley served as an assistant under his guide.

"I work with anyone, I've worked with Nathan in the Australian side," Malthouse said.

"I've had a variety of assistant coaches ... regardless of who they are, they're given responsibilities because I think that they are people that you can trust.

"They trust me, they go forward because I give them opportunity and that's the way it works. It matters not who the assistant coaches are."

There appear to be four main suitors for retired Collingwood champion Nathan Buckley's services as coach.

North Melbourne has all but categorically declared him the Kangaroos' most wanted man. Richmond is planning to interview him. And Collingwood seems determined to retain its longest-serving captain.

He has been touted as Nathan Buckley's right-hand man, but Geelong is confident assistant coach Brenton Sanderson will stay.

After re-signing senior coach Mark Thompson for two more years a fortnight ago, the Cats began discussions with their assistant coaches, in particular Sanderson, who has been linked to Buckley through his long-time friendship with the Collingwood champion.

"We have spoken to Sando in a fairly informal way and he is very keen to stay and we are very keen for him to stay," Geelong football operations manager Neil Balme said.

"We will go through the process now and I would be surprised if he were to go somewhere."

North Melbourne caretaker coach Darren Crocker can see why Nathan Buckley is being considered for the position of head coach at the Kangaroos, but he is not concerned.

"He's obviously got a fair bit of appeal to him with the elite player that he was, the elite preparer and the way he went about things," Crocker said.

"He would be a real positive for any organisation to get hold of. What he would bring to this football club, I don't know, and whether it's the right ingredient for this football club, I can't really answer that question.

"For me, it's what I can provide this football club and provide the people here for the next 10 weeks, both from a staff perspective and a player perspective."

Nathan Buckley had his first audition for the Richmond coaching position yesterday under the watchful eye of Tigers president Gary March.

As part of a successful Channel Seven community initiative, Buckley coached a team of South Melbourne District Auskick kids against a side tutored by four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews.

Nathan Buckley has confirmed his interest in discussing with Richmond and North Melbourne their vacant coaching positions.

Buckley said last night he was keen to talk about the senior roles at both clubs, after spending 10 days on an AFL-funded study trip in the US.

"They will go through a process that they allocate and I would like to have a chat to them and find out where they are situated," Buckley said.

Lions coach Michael Voss says Nathan Buckley has the right stuff to make it as a senior coach.

"He's had the pressure of being the captain of the Collingwood Football Club and he's had that constant pressure since the day he walked into the Brisbane Bears back in 1992," Voss said.

"If there's anyone who's able to step up ... it will be Nathan."

Recently departed North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley says Nathan Buckley would be a good appointment to lead the Kangaroos in the AFL in 2010.

North Melbourne legend Glenn Archer urges his club to chase Nathan Buckley as coach of the Kangaroos in 2010 .

"Buckley's obviously number one in everyone's mind, but I'm sure they're not just going to look at Buckley, they'll look at a few guys and go through some sort of a process," Archer said.

"But why Nathan would probably be on top of their list would be the off-field stuff - he can bring so many supporters and sponsors, and just drag money in to the footy club.

"And unfortunately, for a team like North, you've got to look at both sides of the fence - on-field and off-field - when you're looking at a coach."

Eddie McGuire says Nathan Buckley is worth the $800,000 North Melbourne will reportedly offer him to coach next season.

"At North Melbourne, if you got somebody like a Nathan Buckley, you'd have to pay him that amount of money because that's what he's worth, and he'd bring that to you in spades," McGuire said.

Former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley is the standout at the top of North Melbourne's wish-list to takeover as coach after Dean Laidley took the club by surprise by quitting yesterday.

Club insiders have indicated they would go as hard as they possibly could to entice the Brownlow medallist to Arden Street.

The AFL's most watched coach-in-waiting, Nathan Buckley, is furthering his coaching education this week with American college football team Notre Dame.

Buckley was due to arrive at Notre Dame yesterday with AFL officials on an AFL-sponsored trip that will enable him to meet senior Notre Dame officials, including the head coach of the famed "Fighting Irish", Charlie Weis.

"It's part of Nathan's personal development to be better prepared to be involved in football at some stage down the track," Buckley's manager, Craig Kelly, said.

First-year coach Michael Voss urged Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley to follow his instincts and take a senior role next year.

"He will have a very definite thought about what he thinks the right way to go about it is. If he thinks that's next year, then go for it," Voss said.

"If he's ready to do it, go for it. You have to back yourself in eventually. You don't want to do it flippantly without any background at all. But if you have got a belief you can do it, then back yourself in, because that takes courage also to be able to do that."

Former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley has set his sights on coaching at an AFL club next season.

"I definitely want to be involved in coaching at AFL level next year," Buckley said.

"As the year progresses and the closer it gets to the end, until I know what's available, all I'm doing is preparing myself as best I can.�

AIS/AFL assistant coach Nathan Buckley says the South African tour squad will learn valuable life lessons.

Buckley will travel overseas with the squad for the second year running, with the young guns set to visit cities and remote parts of the country as part of their development as potential AFL stars.

Collingwood great Nathan Buckley has taken the next step in his coaching career with the League confirming he will guide the Victorian Country under-16 side this year.

Buckley will coach the squad in the lead-up to the 2009 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships, to be held at the AFL's western Sydney facility in July.

Eddie McGuire has pledged his commitment to coach Mick Malthouse and warned Nathan Buckley was not necessarily the heir apparent.

Nathan Buckley is tight-lipped about the prospect of his coaching career beginning with Mick Malthouse.

Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley may work together in 2010 as current and future coach.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire indicated yesterday that he had already considered the possibility.

AFL greats Kevin Bartlett and Nathan Buckley believe tribunal got it wrong when it suspended Collingwood's new captain Nick Maxwell.

Nathan Buckley has logged his support for Nick Maxwell and the bump, further clouding an issue that has divided the football community.

Buckley begins an unofficial coaching apprenticeship as the AFL's high-performance coach.

His responsibilities will include the development and promotion of young athletes as well as the implementation of coaching and leadership strategies.

Buckley believes that accepting the role will help with his move into the AFL coaching ranks should the opportunity arise saying "I'd be better placed and more rounded, with a greater understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, and ready to have a crack."