Nathan Buckley.Credit:Getty Images
The financial concern in a season of turmoil for the Magpies was that only 24,397 supporters showed up - the lowest crowd they have had at the MCG for five years,excluding last year’s COVID-19 impacted season. This indicated that Magpie members and supporters may have tired of the club’s messaging which had been that finals remained on the agenda despiteblooding five debutants this season after a tumultuous off-season.
Buckley has declared he wants to go on next year but football-department chief Graham Wright maintained on Saturday discussions will not begin until after the mid-season bye.
Speaking pre-match,Wright said wins were not the be-all and end-all in determining whether Buckley was reappointed. But he said the timeline on discussions would remain as is,that being later in the season,as agreed upon in February. He conceded the Magpies had the option of making a decision earlier which would end potentially unsettling speculation but added:“It does but is that the right thing? We all said let’s revisit that in the back half of the year,” he said on Triple M.
As the Magpies begin to deal with a 1-6 win-loss record - their worst start to a season since 2005 and with a match against lowly North Melbourne next Saturday - Buckley dismissed claims speculation over his future was a distraction for the players. He said he was happy with the contract timeline and dismissed suggestions there was a “disconnect” between he and the club.
Graham Wright and Nathan Buckley.Credit:Getty Images
“No and the commentary around there being a disconnect around the football club in regards to my tenure ... go back and listen the interviews,(president)Mark Korda has spoken,(chief executive) Mark Anderson has spoken,and I have spoken,Wrighty in some shape or form,we are really clear on the timelines. You have already got the answers to your questions on that,” he said.
“Everyone has expectations. We expected to perform better today and we expected to win. We knew that we were coming up against a side that was playing some pretty good footy. I think the general expectation on us has been a lot greater than our capacity. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to be doing better. I am disappointed.“