Footy great Nathan Buckley left ‘humbled, flattered, embarrassed and grateful’ as he donates memorabilia to Collingwood Museum

Nathan Buckley has admitted he was left ‘humbled, flattered, embarrassed and grateful’ after memorabilia from his playing days was put on display at Collingwood’s Museum.

On Tuesday, Collingwood honored their club legend by opening the Nathan Buckley Magpie Legend Exhibition at the AIA Vitality Centre.

The collection includes some of the 53-year-old’s most prized awards and memorabilia from his distinguished playing career, including his 2003 Brownlow Medal and the 2002 Grand Final jersey in which he won the Norm Smith Medal.

“To try and put three and a half decades of dedication into a space like this, it’s great that the club is doing this,” Buckley said.

The seven-time All-Australian is one of the Magpies’ greatest players and most respected coaches. The former midfielder scored 263 goals in 260 games between 1994 and 2007. Buckley would later take on a coaching role at the club, overseeing 218 matches. AFL games, winning 117 of those matches.

The collection also includes all six of his Copeland Trophies, the All-Australian Award and his AFL Hall of Fame certificates.

Buckley has donated a range of memorabilia to the collection, including his 2002 grand finale

“To be part of this is extremely humbling,” he added. “Where would you like your collection to be, the Copelands and the All-Australians, where would you like it to be in 100 years? This is where it started, where it was earned, and where it would always come back to.

“I’m extremely grateful to the club and (historian) Michael Roberts has done a fantastic job.

‘Humbled, flattered, embarrassed, grateful and very grateful that the club allowed me to come and watch with my family.’

Earlier this year, Buckley was forced to buy back some of his most valuable assets at auction, including premiership medals and show jumping horses.

It came after he had to part with his memorabilia as part of his divorce settlement with his ex-wife Tania. The couple had split in 2020 after 18 years of marriage.

His belongings fetched almost $200,000 at auction, after which the former midfielder bought back his 2003 Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith Medal.

Collingwood had also purchased a number of items at the auction, including worn shirts, shorts and socks and a pair of his boots. It is understood his match-worn jersey from the 2002 grand final fetched $16,000.

“It’s really a blessing in disguise the way it all turned out. It probably would have been collecting dust if not for everything going on,” Buckley said.

“It’s where everything should and needs to be settled.

‘The club have done a great job and they have bought a few items at auction and it is quite a complete collection.

“At the end of the day it’s the club that has to do what they want and I think ultimately these things are gathered and earned mainly through wearing the Collingwood Guernsey.”

Opening the exhibition, Magpies president Jeff Browne said: ‘We are so pleased to unveil an exhibition of one of our club greats and we welcome Nathan and his family to our club,’ said Collingwood president Jeff Browne.

“Nathan left a historic mark on our club as a player and as a coach, and this exhibition allows us all to reflect and celebrate his contribution, which will be remembered for many lifetimes to come.

“With more than 100 items on display, our members and supporters and the entire AFL community can enjoy one of the largest AFL player collections in our club museum.

‘We would like to thank Nathan for his generous donation to our Club and look forward to welcoming everyone to the exhibition in the coming year.’

More to follow…