Nathan Buckley becomes strong favourite to be inaugural Tasmania Devils coach

Nathan Buckley is loving life in the media, but admits the coaching bug is still there. And the Collingwood great could well be on the way to taking on footy’s newest and toughest job.

Nathan Buckley has roared into strong favouritism for the Tasmania Devils job, with chief executive Brendon Gale keen to continue talks which have the Pies legend admitting “there’s a chance” he will coach the club.

Gale told the Herald Sun on Monday night he was a huge fan of Buckley’s work coaching Collingwood and said the Devils would hand-pick a very short list of candidates including Buckley to progress their coaching search.

Buckley and Gale have already had a pair of meetings to discuss the Devils’ expansion, which have quickly morphed into serious questions about 52-year-old Buckley’s desire to secure the historic job.

Buckley isn’t ruling himself out of being the Devils’ first coach. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Buckley is seen within the Devils hierarchy as the perfect man for the job – with rare marketability, elite development skills, empathy for young players and the capacity to fast-track a young team into performance mode.

Geelong’s Chris Scott is another potential candidate with AFL support but Cats CEO Steve Hocking is already in informal talks with him on an extension past his current contract ending in 2026.

Tasmanian Chris Fagan, the reigning premiership coach, has already stated he will not coach another club beyond Brisbane, while John Longmire has declined overtures so far.

Gale told this masthead of the club’s interest in Buckley: “He is a football person, he’s not contracted to a club. Of course you would reach out and pick his brains and see what he thinks. So it’s exploratory,” he said.

“We won’t be taking it to the market. We will find a handful of people who can tick some boxes and clearly Nathan is one of them.

“I have always had a high regard for him. He did a very good job at Collingwood. It’s hard to win flags. It’s not easy coaching Collingwood. It’s a big club. It’s hard to coach and manage and lead and it wasn’t always smooth sailing (off the field) under his tenure so he was very successful there. We have really enjoyed our discussions and there will be more of them.

“We picked his brains about our programs and people then asked where are you at, where do you see yourself. Those discussions will continue.”

Buckley confirmed he was open to more discussions about what the role would look like.

“I’m still asking myself that question,” he told SEN Radio when asked if he might be the Devils coach.

“That coaching bug is still there. I’m really enjoying what I’m doing at the moment.

“An existing club versus the Devils, they are two very different propositions. So to understand more about the Devils is to understand whether you think it fits and whether you’re energised by it.

“That challenge is so different to what I have experienced. It’s fundamental, it’s what footy is all about is helping young men find their way through the early stages of their career. Picking senior players to come in and off-field staff that have experience and are passionate and want to grow something from the ground up. It’s a very different challenge and one that I’m still exploring.”

The Devils have not put a timeline on appointing their coach but are determined to play in the VFL in 2026, with the possibility their full-time coach takes over in the VFL in 2027 before their inclusion into the AFL in 2028.

Gale confirmed the Herald Sun’s report last week that the Devils would apply for extra soft cap allowance to secure more development coaches and fund an elite program that saw them relocating staff and coaches.

Brendon Gale remains on the hunt for Tassie’s first coach. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Yes, 100 per cent. All those levers are on the table,” he said.

It would allow the club to put in place a financial package for Buckley commensurate with the game’s best coaches, who are paid around $1 million a year and have 20 per cent of their salary exempt from the soft cap.

Securing Buckley would also be a huge shot in the arm for the team’s momentum to secure an official licence and allow the Devils to aggressively pitch to locals like Colby McKercher and Ryley Sanders, who are currently considering contract extensions.

“We are pretty keen to get into the VFL next year but we also want to attract players. When you are trying to put Tasmania on the radar it helps if those players know who they would be playing for,” Gale said.

Buckley said on Monday of coaching Tasmania: “There’s a chance”.

“This has come back around with Brendon’s comments. We met a couple of times last year.

“The initial (contact) was from him and then the second one was from me to understand the challenge that the Devils faced and how they are going to build that club. To put my two cents in, I suppose, and then to learn as much as I possibly could about it.”

Originally published as Nathan Buckley becomes strong favourite to be inaugural Tasmania Devils coach