Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley has ruled himself out of the Essendon coaching race as the Bombers begin the search for their third senior boss in four seasons after acrimonious parting ways with Ben Rutten.
Essendon confirmed Rutten’s sacking on Sunday to cap a week of horror for the club, including board upheaval that culminated in David Barham taking over as chairman and his 11th-hour pursuit Alastair Clarkson backfired after he opted to join North Melbourne.
The Bombers’ season ended with a 66-point loss to Richmond on Saturday night, with Essendon finishing 15th on the ladder with seven wins in a dramatic drop from last year’s finals appearance.
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Barham revealed on Sunday that the club are targeting a “more experienced” manager to take over, but Buckley will not be among those candidates.
Buckley and Rutten embrace (Image: Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia
Asked by Fox Footy if Demons great Garry Lyon would take his phone call, Buckley said: “No.
“But I would give them a chat about what I think they needed, and I certainly hope they don’t think that just changing the type of senior coach is going to make a difference, because it’s not.
“I would give them this advice: changing the senior coaching role is not going to get you from where you were to where you want to be.”
Lyon asked him again if within that phone call they could turn him around, Buckley replied, “No.”
Buckley added that he believes the disharmony of the Bombers compromises their sale to potential coaches.
Bombers sack Rutten: Press conference | 18:48
“In general, if you’re a potential senior coach, you’re taking any opportunity you get. There are many who would say, ‘if you give me the chance, I’ll make it work,'” Buckley said.
“But I think Essendon now has to sell to somebody because they have to show the person who’s going to come in that they’ve got their ducks in a row, and I don’t think they have time.”
Buckley left Collingwood midway through last season after 10 years as senior coach, leading the club to five finals during that period.
The Brownlow medalist revealed earlier this year that he will not be coaching an AFL club in 2023, declaring he “doesn’t feel the need to put that stress back into my life at the moment”.