Nathan Buckley quits Collingwood coaching role after decade at the helm
Nathan Buckley has ended speculation about his future at Collingwood, quitting the role during a morning press conference.
BY SEB MOTTRAM
Nathan Buckley has announced his resignation as Collingwood coach, ending a span of almost 10 years in charge of the Magpies.
Buckley is one of the highest profile coaches in the AFL and the news on Wednesday morning came as a shock to the football community. It was delivered just days after Collingwood’s gutsy win away from home over Adelaide.
Buckley will travel with Collingwood to Sydney, to coach the team a final time against Melbourne, in the annual Queen’s Birthday match to be played on Monday.
Senior assistant coach and St Kilda great Robert Harvey will coach the side for the remainder of the season, after the club's bye in Round 14. .
Collingwood’s poor performances to start the season led to pressure mounting on Buckley in his 10th season as coach. Yet solid performances against Port Adelaide, Geelong and Adelaide in recent weeks gave hope Buckley might see out the season in the top job.
However, Buckley acknowledged “the time has come,” saying “there’s no doubt this is the best thing for the footy club".
“I am so grateful for the role that the club has played in my life and all the people within it," he said during a virtual press conference.
"It has definitely shaped the person I am and now I will go into the blue skies of whatever the rest of my life looks like, and I have got two young men to put all of my focus into and be the best daddy I can, and get on with living the best life I can beyond that,” Buckley said.
“I will always be a Collingwood supporter and looking from outside in and wishing that the club does its best and is prospering at any opportunity. That is where I will sit beyond Monday.”
Buckley said he has been in regular contact with Collingwood CEO Mark Anderson and football manager Graham Wright, with the three mutually agreeing now was the best time for the club and Buckley to go different ways.
He spoke to the playing group before addressing the media in a lengthy press conference on Wednesday morning, expressing his gratitude for his journey with the football club.
“The main message was that I was grateful to be a part of this football club for so long,” Buckley said.
“We look out for one another so much and have this shared passion and commitment to be as good as we possibly can be.
"To walk away from that is difficult, that’s what I’m going to miss the most, walking through the doors and sharing this journey with these great people.”
Wright confirmed the club would immediately begin the process of searching for a new senior coach.
Buckley refused to rule out returning to coaching in the future.
