Buckley had the misfortune to begin his career with Collingwood at the wrong time in that club’s life cycle. Had he stayed with Brisbane,or gone to North Melbourne and played alongside Wayne Carey,he would have multiple premierships to his name;it is fascinating to ponder whether he would have captained Brisbane,rather than Voss (subsequently viewed as the more natural captain),and how we – pundits,and public – would view him had he not made the fatal Collingwood call.
That said,he earned more notoriety and renown as a Collingwood player and has a larger footprint on the code as a result of choosing to ply his trade – including the coaching stint – with the Magpies.
But if the Hall of Fame does take into account the player’s presence in the game and what the player meant to the club and game – the late Trevor Barker,for instance,personified the Saints of the ’70s and ’80s –the poignancy of Buckley’s near misses and the dignity he carried throughout his travails will have little bearing on whether he gets the legend gong.
The AFL’s policy is to admit about 10 per cent of Hall of Famers as legends,with just one selected every two years,and there is a renewed push to admit deceased greats of the game who have been overlooked,including coaches and champions from South Australia (Fos Williams,Jack Oatey,Ken Farmer) and Western Australia (George Doig,Bill Walker,John Todd).
Carey and Gary Ablett senior are clear-cut legends on football deeds,but their ascension has been postponed indefinitely due to off-field shortcomings. Jason Dunstall will be made a legend in due course,having retired more than two decades ago.
Vossmight make legend on the back of being the alpha player of those premiership sides and Hird,once the drugs saga recedes from memory,will be judged on a similar plane as Voss – he just may need to wait a little bit longer. Chris Judd would stand a decent chance of legend-dom,too.
Of the current players,only Dustin Martin and Lance Franklin shape as probable future legends. Nat Fyfe,despite two Brownlows,hasn’t quite reached that station yet.
Collingwood’s Dick Lee,who won the VFL goalkicking six times and blazed a trail for all subsequent full-forwards,could well be elevated to legend in the coming years,more than 90 after he finished.
At best case,thus,Buckley will be waiting for decades before he is even considered for legend. The case for him making it – which some within football do – is that premierships should not be a measure,any more than they were for Bob Skilton (who did have three Brownlows,not one),and Kevin Murray (Fitzroy).
If he is among Collingwood’s greatest few post-war footballers,he is still not in the company of Carey,Tony Lockett,Matthews,Dunstall and is now beneath Franklin,Martin and both Abletts.
As with his quest for that flag,Buckley could well just fall a kick short.
Not that it ultimately matters. Within the game and those who follow it,his story – and impact on the code – will reverberate stronger and for longer than quite a number who get the legend nod.