“You must get there”: Buckley outlines his frustrations with absent duo and Victorian club

Nathan Buckley has passionately outlined why he believes club best and fairests are “sacrosanct” events that should be attended by all players and staff.

It comes as Port Adelaide ruckman Ivan Soldo missed his club’s B&F, instead choosing to attend an engagement party in another state. Soldo had also requested a trade out of the Power after just one season, though now seems likely to stay.

Similarly, Melbourne star Christian Petracca opted not to attend, instead attending a Red Bull training camp in Austria.

The former Collingwood coach explained why the Power and Demons would have every right to be frustrated with their decisions.

“I cannot for the life of me fathom why a player who has represented a club and shared the blood, sweat and tears of that season with his teammates does not go to a best and fairest,” Buckley told SEN Breakfast.

“That is the culmination of the last 12 months of work. Just go. It makes no sense not to go. You can work your schedule around it.

“That is of one a handful of days or occasions that you should be there for the football club.

“Individuals and their sense of self worth or they’re wounded in some shape or another, get over it. You’ve signed on to a football club. You’ve signed on to a group of people to commit mind, body and soul and your talent alongside everyone else’s talent to win a premiership and to further the club.

“Best and fairests are sacrosanct. You must get there.”

Similarly, St Kilda told Josh Battle not to attend their B&F after his call to move to Hawthorn as a free agent.

Buckley was similarly harsh on the Saints, saying they should have brought Battle back into the camp for the night to celebrate 2024.

“St Kilda shouldn’t be telling any of their players that represented them in 2024 not to come. That night is a celebration of the year that was and everyone who was involved in that year should be brought in to celebrate the year that was,” Buckley said.

“I understand that it is a moment in time to the future of the club and the building of the club, but just because someone chooses to move on, do they tell the delisted players not to come? Of course not.

“There are things you can and can’t control, best and fairests should be sacrosanct – that is a celebration of the last campaign.

“I know we want to project forward, but it is to pull everyone in to say thank you. It is a significant way to tie off the last campaign.”