Nathan Buckley hurts hamstring in Carlton Draft game

Nathan Buckley’s return to the footy field has been undone by an early injury. Jonathan Brown’s reaction summed it up best.

Buckey at the quarter-time huddle. Photo: Simon McEvoy.

A shake of the head. A look of frustration.

Eight minutes into his return to football with Nilma Darnum on Sunday, Nathan Buckley pinged his left hamstring.

He’d led out from full forward and laid a tackle – and got up grabbing his left hammy.

“Is he going off because of the rain?” A wag in the crowd yelled as Bucks gingerly headed for the interchange bench.

Nearby, former AFL star Jonathan Brown, can in hand, saw the whole thing.

“Oh no, he’s done his hammy,” Browny said.

A big crowd turned up at Darnum, near Drouin, to see the Collingwood legend play his first match in 17 years.

Looking fit, he didn’t miss a target in the warm-up and he moved well as Nilma Darnum attacked numerous times in the first five minutes.

Buckley looked on from the bench for the remainder of the first term but was hopeful of returning to the field.

Nilma Darnum, up against Catani, was looking to snap a 35-game losing streak.

Scores are level at quarter time, 0.4 apiece.