Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has confirmed that he told North Melbourne CEO Ben Amarfio that he would “absolutely not” consider training again in 2023.
Buckley and Amarfio were photographed during a walk this week, the same week the Kangaroos broke up with David Noble after 38 games at the helm.
Speaking to Fox Footy’s Best On Ground, Buckley said he had been catching up with Amarfio from time to time throughout the year.
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“He’s been going through the doorbell, he’s been doing it a little bit, so I’ve been consulting with him to see how he’s doing. We’re great teammates,” Buckley said.
“He asked me if I wanted to train next year, I said no, I’m not interested in training at all.
“That was a very short part of our conversation on the walk and then we started negotiating how we were both going in our lives.”
Buckley also criticized those who targeted Amarfio and the club for separating from Noble after just 38 games, despite previous calls to send him to pack his bags.
“It’s hard for him. All this talk about you have to let go of this coach, who has failed here, then you make the call and the club starts to be criticized for being weak for letting a guy go because he’s only coached 38 games.” , he said.
“She is OK. I think we, as the media, need to have some responsibility and accountability for how we see this.
“You can’t push for a decision, then that decision happens and then criticize it. I think it’s a difficult position to be in, but that’s what you take on when you’re in a higher position … when you’re not winning , it is difficult”.