“First couple of years were bloody tough”: Buckley opens up on coaching days in response to Swan, Shaw comments

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has opened up on his first seasons at the helm of the Magpies, admitting the coaching transition from Mick Malthouse was “bloody tough”.

A war of words erupted last week when Saints great Nick Riewoldt declared Buckley would be a “fantastic acquisition” to coach the Tasmanian Devils expansion club when they enter the AFL in 2028.

“I think at times the reason ‘Bucks’ gets a bit of a bad rap as a coach is because of a certain segment of Collingwood players that like to hang it on him from time to time. The Rat Pack, they like to hang it on Bucks... I think it would be a great acquisition (to Tasmania), football person, a big personality and he’s very well-balanced as a person,” Riewoldt told the Footy Talk podcast.

The so-called Rat Pack was a group of Magpies consisting of Dane Swan, Heath Shaw, Alan Didak, Dale Thomas and Ben Johnson.

Both Swan and Shaw fired back on Riewoldt’s sentiment via their respective podcasts.

“With all due respect, what the f--k would Nick Riewoldt know about Nathan Buckley being a coach?” Swan said on Hump Day with Swanny and Friends.

Shaw said there was no falsity in what Riewoldt said, but added: “Yeah, but obviously it is personal as well (for me) because he traded me.

“The whole team didn’t get traded – it was just you (Thomas), me, and a couple of mates.

“I think he (Buckley) was the one who had an issue with us because we got the ultimate glory (a premiership).

“At least those two have something in common, Bucks and Nick Riewoldt, they’re not premiership players … that’s probably why they’re hanging out and talking up each other.”

Buckley took over at the Pies in 2012 from Malthouse, who had just led Collingwood to a Grand Final and a premiership the year before that.

Shaw was traded from the Magpies at the end of 2013, while Thomas left at the same time.

Kane Cornes asked Buckley on SEN Breakfast: “Were you offended by the players you coached, I guess, speaking from my view, speaking so disrespectfully about you and your time at Collingwood?”

Buckley, now 51, opened up on his struggles of the time while insisting he has no bad blood with his former players.

“No, not really,” he responded.

“I think first and foremost, when you get an opportunity like that to advertise your pod, people are going hard these days, you have to understand what is really happening. If there is a topical issue I think it comes to light.

“But I did listen to Swanny because I suppose the relationships you’ve formed, whether they’re good, bad or different, I see those boys, Swanny, Heater, Dids, Daisy, Benny Johnson are probably the guys we’re talking about, the Rat Pack.

“I see those guys regularly enough, we front up and have good chats. But reflecting on what Heater was saying in particular, those first couple of years were bloody tough years.

“It was a really challenging environment for players and coaches alike in ’12 and ’13, there was no mandate for change for that coaching handover but it did take place… I was a young coach trying to find my way and going from a teammate-teammate relationship to a coach-player relationship is more challenging for some than others.

“I hope the boys are okay 10 years down the track.”

Buckley refused to rule out a play to be Tasmania’s first coach when asked about the prospect late in May.

He finished up with Collingwood midway through the 2021 season with a win percentage of 54.13 from 2018 games in charge.