Nine months after leaving the Magpies, Nathan Buckley introduced Fox Footy’s coverage of Collingwood’s Round 1 clash against St Kilda – and new Magpies coach Craig McRae was full of praise for his predecessor.
Buckley left after 10 years at the helm of the Magpies in the middle of the 2021 season.
And now working as a commentator for Fox Footy, Buckley was given the opportunity to interview the man he replaced – McRae.
But there was no animosity between the duo as McRae paid Buckley quite a few compliments.
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“I’ll not just pump you here Bucks, but your defensive style was something the players installed,” he said before the game.
“We have to somehow remove them and attack them a little bit more. The defensive nature was really strong in this group.
Following McRae’s joke that Buckley could “loosen up a bit”, co-host Nick Riewoldt took the plunge.
“We’ll have a relaxed Collingwood coach after years and years of grumpy Collingwood coaches. We had Mick (Malthouse), he had (hand gesture for Buckley),” he laughed.
McRae was all smiles as he admitted to nerves before his first game as senior AFL coach.
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“I’m pretty nervous, I have to admit … the last few hours I’ve probably been a little nervous,” he revealed.
Asked if there was a tone of jealousy or regret after his resignation last June, Buckley said he wanted to see the Magpies do well in 2022.
“I do not know what the 22nd Collingwood side will look like,” he admitted.
“I want to see them do well. There is no part of me who does not want to see that.
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