Footy great Nathan Buckley takes savage swipe at a North Melbourne player he used to coach

Footy legend Nathan Buckley has taken a surprising swipe at one of his former players during a discussion about North Melbourne’s ongoing struggles this season.

The Kangaroos have started the 2024 season 0-8, continuing their form that has seen just twelve wins from their last 92 matches.

Buckley questioned the attitude of some players before turning his attention to Jaidyn Stephenson.

Buckley was unhappy with the lack of support for youngster Jackson Archer after he gave away a penalty.

Buckley judged Stephenson (pictured) harshly and said his effort was inconsistent

The 21-year-old walked off the field shortly afterwards and no one went over to talk to him.

‘Who is responsible for the spirit in a football club and a team?’ Buckley said on Fox Footy.

“I thought he (Jackson Archer) turned himself inside out. He doesn’t have the most talent on the football field, but he does have some crack.

‘In this case he had the ball in his hands and dropped it and was awarded a 50-metre penalty. The child comes to the couch, it is his turn to turn.

‘I was watching this from the commentary box and not a single person on the bench, not a single player, not a single staff member, not a single coach came near him.

‘Where was the support? Where was the ghost? ‘Clarko is in the penalty area, the senior coach is not responsible for everything.

‘Everyone at a football club can be a spirit, a connection and a support. That kid (Archer) is already beating himself up, he doesn’t need anyone coming and egging him on,” Buckley said.

“He needs someone to say, ‘Hey, next time. We support you, we trust you and we have your back.”

“For North, they need to back a guy like that who is going to put in a competitive effort over, say, Jaidyn Stephenson, who, if selected, will not match his efforts.

“I don’t know what standard you set when you choose players like that.”

Buckley and Stephenson have not been close since former Collingwood coach showed Stephenson the door in 2020.

The former Magpies coach showed Stephenson the door in 2020

After the move, Stephenson took the exit to Buckley and the Collingwood club.

“It all happened very quickly on my end,” Stephenson told Trade Radio.

“I got a call from my manager about a week before the trading period started and he said, ‘I think they’re putting you in the trade.’ I was shocked.

‘I thought I was going to be on the front foot and called Bucks. He said he had to look for a trade and they would facilitate it.

“He just said he doesn’t know if I allowed myself to open up to the group, which I don’t necessarily agree with, but if he saw it that way, he’s the coach.

“But I’ll definitely endear myself to my new teammates and coaches if that’s what he thought was my problem.”