Another huge name exits North Melbourne coaching race
Updated . First published at
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has dropped out of the race to become the next North Melbourne coach, according to The Age’s Sam McClure.
Buckley’s exit from the vacancy means the Kangaroos have seemingly overlooked all the experienced coaches on the market, including premiership coaches and club greats John Longmire and Adam Simpson.
Nathan Buckley, Geelong assistant coach. Getty Images
The Age is reporting that Buckley made the call not to pursue the position after initially agreeing to present for the job on Saturday and that North will now likely head down the path of an untried coach.
It comes after they shockingly sacked coach Alastair Clarkson with a year to run on his contract following the 2026 season.
Simpson, the 2018 West Coast premiership coach, will return to the media in 2027, while Longmire, the 2012 Sydney premiership coach, has taken up a key role at Essendon under their new coach Mark McVeigh.
Fremantle assistant coach Jaymie Graham and Hawthorn assistant David Hale are seen as the frontrunners for the Roos role, while Hawthorn’s Daniel Giansiracusa and North Melbourne’s Xavier Clarke remain in the mix.
Graham made it to the final stages of the coaching searches at both Carlton and Essendon, with reports that the Blues would have chosen him if not for their second half of the season emergence under interim coach Josh Fraser, who won the job.
Buckley has confirmed that he will return to Geelong as an assistant coach in 2027.
The Collingwood legend has applied for head coaching roles with Tasmania, Melbourne and North Melbourne in the last 12 months, but was not a part of the Carlton or Essendon processes.
The Devils ultimately chose former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley, while the Dees went with Steven King at the end of 2025.
Buckley took the Pies to the 2018 grand final and fell agonisingly short of glory against West Coast.
After departing Collingwood in 2021, he entered the media and took a break from coaching, before joining the Cats as an assistant coach for the 2026 season.
It’s been an enormous year of coaching turnover in the AFL, with Michael Voss, Brad Scott, Alastair Clarkson and recently Chris Fagan departing.
Fagan stood down at the Lions following the club’s three-peat, meaning Brisbane will now have to select a new head coach for 2027.
Existing assistant coaches Cam Bruce and Danny Daly are seen as most likely to take up the role.
