{"id":319858,"date":"2025-12-01T04:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/319858\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T04:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T04:14:10","slug":"nathan-buckley-eyes-eventual-senior-coaching-job-after-first-day-at-geelong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/319858\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathan Buckley eyes eventual senior coaching job after first day at Geelong"},"content":{"rendered":"

The desire to return to senior coaching still drives Nathan Buckley<\/a> and motivated him to take up an assistant role at AFL<\/a> grand finalists Geelong<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Former Collingwood<\/a> coach Buckley has never hidden his interest in returning to the fray and missed out on the Melbourne job to Steven King.<\/a><\/p>\n

Geelong announced Buckley\u2019s appointment as midfield coach last month<\/a>, in a role that looms as a stepping stone towards the vacant head coach role at incoming expansion team Tasmania.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t shirk the question when asked if returning to senior coaching was still on his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould I have stepped into this if I didn\u2019t want to get back into the main role? I don\u2019t think I would have,\u201d Buckley said on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis opportunity is \u2014 look, I pinched myself when it came around. It happened really quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yes, I think I determined over the last 18 months and moreso over the last couple of months before this opportunity became available, that I\u2019d love to get back into the team environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd already, the early stages \u2014 I\u2019ve got a smile on my face to jump out of bed, get involved with a group that are working towards being better, supporting each other. It\u2019s what footy clubs are all about and I\u2019m loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckley was cagey on Tasmania., insisting he hadn\u2019t thought much about it recently.<\/p>\n

\"NathanNathan Buckley is back in the AFL coaching ranks with Geelong. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s a big week for Tassie footy club and getting that stadium and the licence over the line,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m an observer watching that and I suppose, optimistic about what that means for both Tassie footy and the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckley has enjoyed working under former adversary Chris Scott and loves the athleticism of a midfield led by Max Holmes and Bailey Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obviously a program that I\u2019ve respected from afar for a long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo to be able to get a look under the bonnet and then obviously play a role and contribute where I can is something that I\u2019ve been energised and excited by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckley, who lost the 2018 grand final as a coach and the 2002 and 2003 deciders as a player, was confident Geelong\u2019s grand final defeat to the Brisbane Lions wouldn\u2019t prove a burden.<\/p>\n

He noted he\u2019d been more ready to move on than Geelong\u2019s other coaches, given he wasn\u2019t involved in the defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were some questions that I threw on the table that maybe they weren\u2019t ready to have to approach or to answer a couple of weeks ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I mean I\u2019ve been involved in programs that have gone really well but you\u2019ve lost your last game at the pointy end \u2014 and that takes a little bit of dealing with.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut from what I\u2019ve seen and what I\u2019ve gathered, this group are already getting to work and looking forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckley will also work with midfielder Tanner Bruhn as he restarts his career.<\/p>\n

Bruhn, 23, was stood down from playing by the AFL and missed all last season due to rape and intentional sexual touching charges that were dropped in November.<\/a><\/p>\n

He will look to build on his 36 games for Geelong across 2023 and 2024, following 30 for GWS in 2021-22.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a few chats with the young fella and it\u2019s obviously been a challenging period for him and everyone else in the situation as well,\u201d Buckley said.<\/p>\n

\u201c… Tanner\u2019s a young man who has the world at his feet, and being able to reconcile his last 12-to-18 months is something that will be a challenge for him, but something that he\u2019ll get lots of support around.\u201d<\/p>\n

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2 min read<\/p>\n

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