Nathan Buckley joins Chris Scott at Geelong; Tarryn Thomas’ path cleared to AFL return

Buckley joins Geelong, but not out of race for Tasmanian gig

AFL great Nathan Buckley will return to coaching next season – at Geelong.

The club confirmed on Tuesday that Buckley will be a full-time assistant to Chris Scott.

The Cats’ general manager of football Andrew Mackie said Buckley, 53, would be an invaluable addition to the club.

“We are excited to add Nathan to our club and, more specifically, to our coaching group. He is respected and highly regarded across the football industry and brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective,” Mackie said.

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“In speaking with Nathan, it was clear he had a strong appetite to return to coaching, and we look forward to welcoming him to our football program to work closely with our players and staff.”

Buckley was senior coach at Collingwood from 2012 until his departure through the 2021 season, guiding the Magpies into five finals campaigns, including the 2018 grand final. He has spent the past four years working in the media, and is expected to continue some work at Fox Footy, where he is a respected analyst.

He joins a Geelong team determined to again challenge for the premiership, having fallen at the final hurdle to the Brisbane Lions last month.

The 2002 Norm Smith medallist and 2003 Brownlow medallist has been heavily touted as the maiden senior coach of the Tasmania Devils, should they enter the league in 2028.

Buckley has the option of spending a year with the Cats, before turning his attention to the Devils – should he be appointed to the top role.

The Devils went as far as issuing a statement on Tuesday congratulating Buckley on his appointment at Geelong, and viewing it as a “positive step” in his potential return to a senior coaching role in the future.

“Tasmania Football Club acknowledges and congratulates Nathan Buckley on his appointment to Geelong Football Club,” the statement read.

“It is great to see individuals of Nathan’s calibre back coaching and if he wishes to coach at AFL level again we see this as a very positive step.”

Buckley has met with Devils chief executive Brendon Gale, and has openly expressed his interest in joining the club.

Buckley also interviewed last month for the vacant Melbourne coaching role, but was overlooked when the Demons opted for Cats assistant Steven King. He later said he found the potential of being the Devils’ inaugural coach more attractive.

“I only know my side of it. And that is ultimately that I had to risk sacrificing an opportunity to coach Melbourne, to keep an opportunity to coach Tasmania because the timelines just didn’t match up,” Buckley told Fox Footy.

“Melbourne, rightfully, made the decision on a coach that absolutely was all-in and wanted to do the job and that was Steven King. So, they’ve very much made the right call. I was more attracted to the Tasmania job than I was to the Melbourne job.”

The Cats recently extended Scott’s tenure until the end of 2029. Scott, too, had been linked to the Devils job.

- Jon Pierik

Tarryn Thomas eligible for AFL return

Tarryn Thomas’s attempt to resurrect his AFL career has cleared another hurdle after the league declared him eligible to be picked up as a free agent or via the national draft.

The AFL said former North Melbourne star Thomas, now 25, had successfully completed an “extensive behavioural change program” following a series of complaints to the league relating to his inappropriate behaviour towards women.

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Thomas was sacked by North and suspended for 18 matches after the AFL found him guilty in February 2024 of inappropriate behaviour towards a female.

The Saints released a statement in August 2024 saying they were not interested in pursuing Thomas after reports surfaced that club officials had met with him.

He was declared eligible at the start of this year to play state league football with a non-aligned AFL club, but not be on an AFL list. However, his attempts to return via Swan Districts in the WAFL or the now-defunct Northern Bullants in the VFL were unsuccessful, with the backlash at the prospect of him returning significant.

The AFL sent its clubs a memo which said: “Mr Thomas is now permitted to play in the VFL and other second tier competitions without restriction... the AFL is satisfied that Mr Thomas has continued to comply with the conditions previously imposed on him, including completing his behavioural change program. He remains subject to a good behaviour undertaking imposed by the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria until 21 November 2025.”

Thomas avoided a criminal conviction in November 2024 when police dropped a charge of using a telecommunications service to harass a woman.

North Melbourne used pick No.8 in 2018 to select Thomas as a graduate of their Next Generation Academy program. His most recent senior match was in round 24, 2023.

- Peter Ryan

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