Fan at centre of Nathan Buckley fist-bump reveals what happened when the two crossed paths

The fan at the centre of the Nathan Buckley fist-bump has revealed exactly what happened when the two crossed paths at Adelaide Oval and how close he came to completing what would have been a disastrous handshake.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley. Picture: Getty Images

The fan on the receiving end of Nathan Buckley’s post-match fist-bump has revealed the Collingwood coach declined his offer of a handshake that would’ve landed the Magpies in hot water again.

The supporter was David Hamzy, a lifelong Collingwood supporter and Club 42 coterie member who has attended the past 33 Copeland Trophy nights.

Hamzy lives in Melbourne but has been in Adelaide the past five weeks – after serving a self-quarantine period and undergoing three COVID tests – to care for his elderly parents.

The AFL pored over Fox Footy footage of the exchange at Adelaide Oval and said Buckley was in the clear because the league was satisfied that no handshake occurred.

Buckley confirmed it was a ‘fist bump’ and said that he knew Hamzy.

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Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has been cleared of a fist-bump with a fan on Tuesday night. Picture: Matt Turner/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Over 20 years ago he said he was watching football in a bar, defended me to a group of patrons, was subsequently set on and bashed losing his sense of taste and smell,” Buckley tweeted.

The Magpies tragic revealed the incident occurred in Sydney back in 1996, following a clash that the Swans won by 34 points.

Hamzy was in the SCG stands that day as Buckley kicked two goals from 28 disposals and Tony Lockett was best-afield with 8.5.

“Unfortunately that night I had a bit too much to drink, and I had an argument with another Collingwood fan because she thought as a footballer (Buckley) didn’t do anywhere near as much as he should,” Hamzy said.

I simply wanted to acknowledge his presence.

— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) August 12, 2020

WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

“The situation was I had an argument with her and got booted out of this well-known joint in Kings Cross.

“I was walking down the street and I bumped into this bloke, and he turned around and hit me.

“I was in a hospital for three days in a coma and nearly dead, so it was a pretty hairy situation.”

He awoke with no recollection of the incident, which ended up before the courts.

“The only good thing about getting hit was I remember nothing of it, so I’ve never had a nightmare about it or anything like that,” Hamzy said.

“Bucks has got a great memory because I wasn’t sure if he’d remember the story.

“He did hear that something happened to me but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

“I spoke to him about it about six months or a year later, and he thought it was a broken arm or something minor compared to almost dying.

“It’s only been the past few years where I’ve touched base with him again.”

Hamzy was relieved Buckley remembered the AFL’s strict protocols and thrilled the coach singled him out after Tuesday night’s victory.

“I’m glad he remembered about the handshake (that you’re not supposed to), because being in Adelaide you can basically do whatever you like over here,” Hamzy said.

“The only restriction is having a certain number of people in a bar or restaurant, but you can handshake and whatever else.

“And I forgot about that, so I offered my hand and that’s when he fist-bumped, so we did the right thing.

“I’ve got the Herald Sun on my phone and I read ‘potential Buckley breach’ and once I started reading I realised ‘Hey, that’s me! You’ve got to be kidding me.’

“I knew we didn’t shake hands anyway, so I was confident I wasn’t going to get pinged for that.”

Collingwood was fined $50,000 (half suspended) only two weeks ago after Buckley and assistant coach Brenton Sanderson played a tennis match with Alicia Molik.

A second offence would’ve had the Magpies on the brink of losing premiership points.

Hamzy contacted the club on Wednesday to pass on his details to Buckley in the hope of discussing the incident at Adelaide Oval.

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“The amount of emails and phone calls I’ve had today from my friends, they think I’m a fricken hero but I don’t view it that way, I can tell you,” Hamzy said.

“I’m a bit angry about it, to be honest. Not because of me but because of him.

“To think it could have been a $75,000 fine or whatever, that’s totally unfair.

“He’s a legendary player and a great guy.

“A lot of people have thought previously he’s arrogant, but I do know of a lot of non-Collingwood supporters the past couple of years that have really come around.”

Originally published as Fan at centre of Nathan Buckley fist-bump reveals what happened when the two crossed paths