For the first time this year Nathan Buckley has faced the media.
Buckley sat down with AFL Media’s Cal Twomey in a wide-ranging interview that was more than timely considering the upheaval and controversy that has swept through the Holden Centre since the completion of the 2020 season.
Buckley’s coaching future is set to dominate the footy news cycle this season, a fact that he acknowledges and has addressed.
“I don't feel like I have to be the senior coach going forward if that's the best thing for the club and I feel that I can still impact and help the club move towards contending consistently and winning flags well then I'll put my hand up,” he said.
“And if the club felt it was better to go in another direction then I would understand that. That conversation will be held in good faith and it's not something that we'll be addressing until later in the year.”
So that’s the pressing question the revamped Collingwood board must answer: Is it time to move away from Buckley after 10 years and go in a different direction?
If Buckley’s time at Collingwood is up, unquestionably he would be an in-demand signature for multiple rival clubs.
What if, and I know it seems fanciful, we as an industry were open to the idea of clubs trading coaches like we have become accustomed to in the frenzied post-season trade period involving the players.
If as an industry, we were open to this, like the NFL were when Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was sent to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for $8 million cash, two first-round picks and two second-round picks back in 2002. It would be fascinating.
How does Buckley plus a first-round draft pick to Hawthorn for Alastair Clarkson sound?
After 16 years at the helm of the Hawks, and facing the daunting prospect of rebuilding the list and starting from scratch, the opportunity for Clarkson to join another Victorian powerhouse, who are in the AFL window, would surely be enticing.
Clarkson coaching Collingwood would be box office.
And for Buckley, who is nearly five years younger than Clarkson, he would have the time and patience to revamp the Hawthorn list and get them back in premiership contention within three years. His massive profile and would be a commercial hit at Hawthorn as the club starts a new era at its new $100 million dollar training base in Dingley.
The ability to trade coaches would have far-reaching positive ramifications for coaches, who due to the pandemic have lost nearly all of their bargaining power.
The fact any club can sack a coach and only be liable for six months of the remaining contract is frightening.
It’s clear both Buckley and Clarkson are coming to an end at their respective clubs. Why can’t we be mature enough to consider allowing clubs the ability to trade its coaches?
Hawthorn fans would you give Clarkson and a first-round draft pick to Collingwood for Buckley?
It’s a win-win for both and the industry in general.