Rate a 2007 retiree: Nathan Buckley

[Dry Rot]

I've always liked watching the Pies skipper in action - aside from that blood on the jumper incident, I thought he was terrific on and off the field for his team.

I really don't want to get into that Buckley v Voss v Hird crap, but I thought he was certainly one of the modern greats.

Thoughts?

[The Coon Dog]

I agree DR. He was fantastic as a player. I just thought he struggled to accept for a while that his team mates weren't as skilled as he was.

He was a terrific kick, particularly on the run.

It wouldn't have seemed right had he not won a Brownlow Medal.

I'm not really too sure why opposition supporters booed him like they did.

[LostDoggy]

I remember seeing him at Whitten Oval while at Brisbane and kicking a few goals mostly from 50m runs and 60m kicks.
Great player.
Can't stand him as a person. Smug, takes himself too serious, pies player, wouldn't have a clue how to laugh at himself.

[The Underdog]

Despite being an automaton with no personality (comment about Eddie on Footy Confidential notwithstanding) he will be remembered as an out and out champion.
A beautiful kick on either foot, strong over the ball, with good hands, a matchwinner who was impossible to stop on his day, the irony is that if he'd stayed at Brisbane he'd probably be a 3 time Premiership player. It's a shame I hated him so much and never really appreciated what he could do :o

[Twodogs]

Despite being an automaton with no personality (comment about Eddie on Footy Confidential notwithstanding) he will be remembered as an out and out champion.
A beautiful kick on either foot, strong over the ball, with good hands, a matchwinner who was impossible to stop on his day, the irony is that if he'd stayed at Brisbane he'd probably be a 3 time Premiership player. It's a shame I hated him so much and never really appreciated what he could do :o



What did he say?


I liked Bucks as a player but I really hope he goes into coaching and not the media-he's as boring as bat droppings to listen to.

[The Underdog]

He said if Eddie wasn't the president, he'd be the guy in the cheer squad in the Gold Jacket.
Funniest thing to ever come out of his mouth.
I reckon if he goes into coaching he'll be an uncompromising bastard though.

[mjp]

I remember seeing him at Whitten Oval while at Brisbane and kicking a few goals mostly from 50m runs and 60m kicks.
Great player.
Can't stand him as a person. Smug, takes himself too serious, pies player, wouldn't have a clue how to laugh at himself.


My missus hated Bucks before we moved to Melbourne. Since getting here though, and listening to him on the radio (I dont know what station, but I am a dedicated RRR listener!) she thinks he is a good fella - and further reckons he does laugh at himself.

He was a good footballer, who - I am sorry to say - is more highly regarded than he otherwise would be because he wore black and white stripes. I dont think he is/was a better player than Grant, Voss or Harvey, but suspect history will say that he was.

[The Underdog]

My missus hated Bucks before we moved to Melbourne. Since getting here though, and listening to him on the radio (I dont know what station, but I am a dedicated RRR listener!) she thinks he is a good fella - and further reckons he does laugh at himself.

He was a good footballer, who - I am sorry to say - is more highly regarded than he otherwise would be because he wore black and white stripes. I dont think he is/was a better player than Grant, Voss or Harvey, but suspect history will say that he was.

I wouldn't rate him as a better player than those 3 but he was their equal, which is saying something.

(Oh yeah RRR rules)

[Twodogs]

He's just got an awful flat monotone voice. Three words into a sentence and I'm thinking about someone else.



He's like that really boring priest on Father Ted.

[The Underdog]

He's just got an awful flat monotone voice. Three words into a sentence and I'm thinking about someone else.



He's like that really boring priest on Father Ted.

Yeah he was Vossy's equal as a footballer, but I fear he may be his equal as a commentator.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Whilst always admiring his phenomenal field kicking there was always part of me that felt he didn't win his own ball as well as a Harvey/Voss/Grant/Hird did, and that he got too many easy kicks out wide, or on the overlap - admittedly a player of his skill probably should be used like that, but I felt he over did it. And I never felt like he tore games apart in the last quarter or crunch time the way the others did

But maybe its just hard to view him objectively given all the accolades poured all over him by the media.

Clearly a gun

[The Underdog]

I don't think we should forget his contribution to the mullet in football either. He carried one for at least the first few seasons of his career.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Where does Riccutio fit into this list? Does he compare to Voss/Grant/Harvey/Hird?

Do we underrate him in Victoria?

Definitely does fit into that list in my eyes - and not sure if others underrate him, I dont

An amazing combination of skilled athleticism and physicality - not sure that quite sums it up but he was silky skilled and brutish all at the same time - I bet DR would have loved him?

The talk was that Colin Sylvia was going to turn into something like him - he shows glimpses but is a long way off

[LostDoggy]

He was a fantastic player, but I think that gets forgotten by a lot of people (myself included) when he gets the back page of a paper, a double spread lift out plus another few articles taking up 2 pages when he retires, for goodness sake, Grant barely even managed one page when he retired and neither won a flag. He gets so much media attention and adulation, today at Chadstone's AFL store they had a wall hero (I can't remember what they're called, the life size stickers they have of players) of him in the shop entrance..I couldn't escape him, he's everywhere.

[BulldogBelle]

Great player and captain for Collingwood, he leaves the game without something that he wanted so badly like our very own Chris Grant a Premiership Medal.

I keep thinking back to when he was at Brisbane...what might have been had he not left.

[firstdogonthemoon]

My missus hated Bucks before we moved to Melbourne. Since getting here though, and listening to him on the radio (I dont know what station, but I am a dedicated RRR listener!) she thinks he is a good fella - and further reckons he does laugh at himself.

He was a good footballer, who - I am sorry to say - is more highly regarded than he otherwise would be because he wore black and white stripes. I dont think he is/was a better player than Grant, Voss or Harvey, but suspect history will say that he was.

I was going to say something similar. He is overrated because of who he plays for but that doesnt mean he wasnt really really good. If Bucks had played for the dogs and Grant for the pies they would be saying something other than what they were saying which was...um..

you know what i mean.

[G-Mo77]

Funny you mention the Buckley/Grant thing.

I was talking about this today with a friend of mine. In terms of success Buckley and Grant are probably pretty even. ALthough Buckley has probably had more finals sucess even though he hasn't won one. As far as I'm concerned Grant has one a Brownlow!!!!!! :mad:

Now two champions pull the pin on their careers pretty close together. In the media Chris Grant gets a small mention in news reports and gets a couple of columns in the paper. Buckley announces his and there is top stories, front and back page reports in the paper, major announcements on radio. So why does Buckley get more attention because he plays for the media whores?

As far as I'm concerned Buckley has done nothing to be classed above a player like Chris Grant so why is he compared to the greats of this game? Because he played for a more popular side? Grant walks away so quietly only Bulldogs fans really seemed to notice had he played for the scum would he be rated more highly simply because he played for a more high profiled team?

That is Buckley in a nutshell right there a good player in the most popular club of the AFL so apparently he is one of the greats? Not in my book!