‘Huge twist’ in decision about Nathan Buckley’s future at Collingwood

Collingwood’s decision on Nathan Buckley’s future was dramatically altered after the 10-year coaching veteran declared he wants to continue in the job on Wednesday.

Buckley, who is out of contract at season’s end, said “yes” four times in a landscape-shifting press conference after being asked if he wanted to remain as the Magpies mentor in 2022.

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While Buckley insisted he’d asked the club to delay the decision until the second half of the season so it was clear to all involved if he was the right man for the job, AFL 360 hosts Mark Robinson and Gerard Whateley said the 48-year-old had put the onus on the club’s decision makers by declaring his hand.

“It’s a huge twist,” Robinson said on Fox Footy.

“I’m glad to hear Nathan Buckley wants to coach … they’re playing a game of tennis and he has rifled a forehand down the line and it’s now Collingwood waiting to play it back.

“They’re not going to play it back … until Round 15-16. It will be hot on the agenda. That’s where it will heat up.

“Buckley has told Collingwood he wants to coach and now it is up to Graham Wright, Paul Licuria, Peter Murphy and Mark Anderson to decide on his future. That’s where it lands. In the meantime everyone will have an opinion from this weekend until Round 15.”

Whateley believed the “terms of engagement” had dramatically changed after Buckley’s bold declaration.

“If Buckley is chips in, I’m resigning him immediately,” he said.

“If they believe that Buckley is the man to rebuild, stop this sideshow. If they believe it. Clearly they don’t believe it because they would sign him,” Robinson added.

Collingwood now know Buckley’s intention is to coach in 2021 if they want him.

“They didn’t have a decision to make until now because Bucks hadn’t tipped his hand, they didn’t know what they were dealing with,” Whateley said.

“They didn’t know his level of commitment and level of determination. They didn’t know his intensions, he has now made that perfectly clear.

“Mark Anderson told us last night that they didn’t know and it was really clear it was going to be at the back-end of the season.”

Buckley opted not to be drawn into a conversation about how “desperate” he was to coach Collingwood next year during an appearance on AFL 360 last week, saying he was “really focused on what I’m doing right now”.

But speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he declared he wanted to coach the Magpies next year and would begin negotiations “two-thirds of the way through the year”.

“Do I want to continue? The short answer is yes. Do I want to coach? Yes,” Buckley said.

Pressed on whether that was beyond this year and at Collingwood, Buckley answered “yes” twice before adding: “As we’ve been really consistent with – and there still comes questions with it – is that we’ll have that conversation in the back-half of the year. That’s what I want to do, because regardless of what I think I want to do for Nathan Buckley, the only thing that matters is what’s best for the Collingwood footy club.

“Every day that I’m here – and our performances or otherwise, or our growth or otherwise, the connection of the playing group or otherwise, the environment of the football department is going to be part of determining whether I’m the best person to be at the helm in the senior coach (role).

“There’s plenty of other leadership roles, there’s plenty of other impactful positions at a football club in a football program that makes a difference. The one that gets scrutinised heavily is my role as a senior coaching role – and I understand that.

“But whatever transpires, when we sit down and have that conversation – it‘s probably going to be two-thirds of the way through the year on the other side of halfway – (it) will be about what’s best for the football club. There’s plenty of water to go under the bridge that is going to give us more information, me more information, on what the best course of action that the club can take going forward.”

Whateley and Robinson were split on the impact of Buckley’s comments.

“It’s a much bigger decision for Collingwood now that Buckley has said that I ain’t walking,” Whateley said.

“I don’t think that gives Buckley hand. I think Buckley lost hand,” Robinson replied.

“They’ve let them know. Collingwood will be deciding on Buckley rather than Bucks talking to them about what he wants to do. I think the footy club have got hand and he will be judged on what happens from now on.”

Former Magpies recruiter Matt Rendell has tipped Buckley’s exit after the Magpies fell to a 1-5 record with a 24-point defeat against Essendon on ANZAC Day.

“If I’m any judge after watching that, and unless something changes massively, I can’t see how Bucks will be coaching the team next year,” he told SEN.

“He might be saying he wants to do it, he might be saying he wants to do it, but he’s put the talk to bed.

“I’m going to say that he won’t be coaching them next year on what I saw on Sunday.”