Nathan Buckley has first formal interview with Tasmania Devils, John Longmire and Ken Hinkley expected to follow
Geelong assistant Nathan Buckley met with the Tassie Devils coaching selection panel this week and the club are expected to fill the position by the end of the season.
It was the first time the four-man panel – Devils chairman Grant O’Brien, chief executive Brendon Gale, people and culture manager Lauren Jauncey and director of football Alastair Lynch – had sat down as a group to interview a potential coach.
Three competition sources confirmed that this capture is the beginning of a formal process that will take months.
Gale has been open about the need for an experienced coach as the Tassie Devils prepare to enter the AFL in 2028, with other star-studded candidates for a key role including first-year Sydney Swans coach John Longmire and long-serving Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.
The Devils team has yet to officially speak with Longmire or Hinkley, but the two are expected to be part of the process.
Collingwood star Buckley returned from his media role at Geelong this season, where he impressed as midfield coach, and became an assistant coach.
This was his first return to coaching at a club after a 10-year stint as Collingwood’s senior coach. He coached the Magpies immediately following their 2018 title win and took them to preliminary finals in 2012 and 2019.
Hinkley finished his tenure as Port Adelaide’s coach with a 59.6 per cent win percentage at the end of last season, while Longmire ends his time at the Swans with a 62.4 per cent win percentage at the end of 2024. Longmire coached the team to five grand finals, including their relay win in 2012.
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