Nathan Buckley says it would be a fairytale to one day follow Mick Malthouse as Collingwood coach.
After retiring at the end of the 2007 season, the former Magpies skipper started the next phase of his working life as the AFL high performance coach at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
During a stellar 280-game career, including a record 161 matches as Collingwood captain, the 35-year-old Buckley had long been seen as prime coaching material.
And he spent much of his final season watching and learning from the sidelines as an ongoing hamstring injury restricted him to just five games.
“It’d be a fairytale to be the head coach of Collingwood,” Buckley told reporters at an AIS training camp in Canberra.
Buckley said the strong mentoring relationship between him and Malthouse would continue and may eventuate in the former captain taking over the top job.
“I’ve had a few chats with Mick about it,” he said.
“He’s a career coach and been very successful and has the (playing) list in tremendous shape for the next three or four years.
“I’d expect him to coach for at least that period.”
But for now Buckley is focused on moulding the careers of the nation’s most promising 15 and 16-year-old footballers.
“It’s excellent to be working with the best young talent in the country,” Buckley said.
“I’m doing a lot of watching and learning and listening to see how to educate them and best help them on their way to an AFL career.”
Buckley was approached by the AFL to fill the position shortly after retiring in October.
He’s working alongside Michael Voss, Luke Darcy and Jason McCartney at the camp this week.
McCartney praised both Buckley and Voss for moving into coaching.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that within a year or two they could be quite easily putting their hands up for senior coaching positions,” McCartney said.
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