North Melbourne chairman’s son Jack Buckley now a Giant
JACK Buckley once switched allegiances from North Melbourne to Richmond, drawing the ire of his father, Ben — the Kangaroos chairman. But dad will have to give son a leave pass after GWS picked him in the rookie draft.
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WHEN Jack Buckley was growing up he decided to switch his support from North Melbourne to Richmond.
It didn’t last long. His father told him Santa doesn’t bring presents to Tigers supporters.
It should be noted that Jack’s father is Ben Buckley, who played 74 games for North before going on to be chief operating officer at the AFL and chief executive of Football Federation Australia before returning to the Kangaroos as the club’s current chairman.
Those family loyalties will be tested again after Jack was taken by GWS Giants as a locally-zoned category B rookie on Monday night.
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“My first passion is for the Kangaroos and for them to be successful but we are extremely excited about the opportunity for Jack,” Buckley senior said.
“You can put aside your loyalties to see your son try to match it with the best in the country. I think in this day and age it’s easy to manage those potential conflicts.”
Jack has stayed faithful to the Kangaroos as long as he could but six games for the Giants reserves in the NEAFL wet his appetite for the big time and for the AFL’s newest club.
“I’m a Giant now and North is off my radar now,” Jack said.
“I’m a Giant through and through. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even though I was in the Swans’ Academy, GWS has been my preference to where I end up. I know they are a very talented list but I don’t look at that.
“All I can do is work on what I can control and if I take care of that things will happen from there.”
Jack was part of the Sydney Swans’ academy as a junior and took a break from the game in his mid-teens before returning just to it two years ago. The 20-year-old’s improvement in that time has been dramatic.
“I went from under 19 to the premier division and then it was an even bigger jump to the NEAFL,” Jack said.
“You’re playing against AFL listed players. It was good to see I could stack up at that level. It took a couple of games to get used and there is still a bit of a gap there but there are moments when I can perform. The next jump is to the AFL level, I can’t wait to get started. I love the game more than ever now and just want to take it as far as I can.”
Buckley senior and his family have lived in Sydney for more than a decade and while his heart beats blue and white he has an admiration for what GWS has achieved in such a short time.
“Having lived in Sydney we’ve seen the birth of the Giants and know a lot of the people well,” Buckley said.
“We’ve seen the club come from nothing to where they are today and that’s exciting for AFL footy in Sydney. We will take a big interest in not only how Jack is going but the how the team is performing. It’s very exciting we’re thrilled for Jack and excited about what the prospects are, we’re very proud of him and look forward to him hopefully get a game.”