76woodenspooners
Brownlow Medallist
It has been said that rivalries only really exist in the minds of the fans. Footy teams are only interested in their next opponent, of taking it one game at a time, blah, blah, blah.
Yeah, right. What rot!
Try telling that to Nathan Buckley who shares a historical personal rivalry with many of his opposite numbers.
Rivalry #1: The master and the apprentice: Malthouse @ Carlton
Reckon the coaches of Carlton and Collingwood will treat their round 2 fixture as "Just another game"? As sure as night follows day, that will be the rhetoric coming from both coaches in the pre game press conferences. And we'll all have a bit of a hearty chuckle to ourselves because we know damn well that's a load of A-grade codswallop.
No doubting that the passion for victory amongst the sellout crowd of these traditional rivals will be easily exceeded by the two senior coaches. Neither coach would bear to lose to the other. Make no mistake, this ain't no petty banter about bragging rights - the victor will happily walk away from this game the minute it ends. This rivalry is about pride. This rivalry is about vindication.
Oh, and a request that must surely unite Bucks, Mick, Collingwood and Blues fans alike: no draw please.
Rivalry #2: Lifetime adversaries: Hird @ Essendon
Nathan Buckley and James Hird first crossed paths a long time ago and their careers practically mirrored each other at their respective clubs. Both became long term captains that lead their team with distinction. Both were prodigious players in their own right - with Buckley's six club Best-and-Fairests to Hird's five. Both won a Brownlow. Both had enduring 250+ game careers. And both are favourite sons who were handed the keys to their respective club's coaches' box - Hird's was handed to him on a silver platter, Buckley was required to do an apprenticeship first.
Today, both men are figureheads of two of the league's powerhouse clubs. Surely the personal respect between these two men runs deep - both will have a strong desire to win their games against the other, but neither will feel any personal shame in losing.
As Captains, both men led their teams against each other for many epic ANZAC day clashes. They continue that tradition today from the coaches' box. Buckley took first blood with a one point victory in the 2012 ANZAC day game. Hird will be looking to square it up.
Rivalry #3: The nemesis: Voss @ Brisbane
A long time ago Nathan Buckley made that fateful decision to leave the Brisbane Bears in search of premiership glory with Collingwood. Buckley never did win a Premiership, but the bloke who went onto captain Brisbane during the same era, Micheal Voss (what a wonderful name for a nemesis), went on to win three of the things. And two of them were against a Nathan Buckley led Collingwood.
Fast Forward to 2013 and Voss - Buckley are at it again, having moved their jousts from out of the midfield and into the coaches' boxes. Their teams have been at either end of the ladder, and perhaps any rivalry has been lost on the fans. But we can be sure that both coach would take a bit of personal satisfaction out of a win against the other.
Rivalry #4: Best mates: Sanderson @ Adelaide
In public these two men will be battling each other in the home and away series for four points. But when the cameras have been packed up, the microphones switched off, and everybody has left work for the day for a drink at the pub - you can be sure that these two best mates will be battling for something so much bigger, the biggest prize in the history of any sport: bragging rights.
Rivalry #5: Siblings in the litter #1: Neeld @ Melbourne
Ask any Collingwood supporter over 115 years old about rivalries and they will assure you that there is none bigger than the Collingwood - Melbourne rivalry. Melbourne persist with clinging onto that past with the cringeworthy annual Queens Birthday clash. Melbourne always dig out their best performance from nowhere, but for Collingwood, any extra passion for that contest seems to have been long lost in the annuls of time.
However, we can be sure that today there is genuine rivalry between the coaches of these two teams.
At Collingwood, Buckley became the heir apparent under Malthouse, the favourite son of the club who was nurtured and automatically handed the reins as part of a succession plan. Contrastingly, Collingwood's Premiership midfield coach Mark Neeld toiled away, given no favours, and found himself with the top job at the struggling Melbourne football club.
If these two men have a shred of ego between them, they'll be fighting hard to win their contests and to vindicate their positions: Buckley with his right to have been handed the controls of a powerhouse footy club, and Neeld with the benefit of achieving his position through hard work and toil.
Rivalry #6: Siblings in the litter #2: Watters @ St Kilda
You have to go back a long time through history to when St Kilda had the wood over Collingwood. It was at a time of the new introduction of decimal currency, Robert Menzies had just resigned as our longest serving Prime Minister and Aboriginies were yet to be considered part of the official population of Australia.
There does exist a rivalry between the fans of these two clubs today, but it's a rivalry of a very one sided bitterness. Collingwood are very sure of their place given the results of the 2010 season.
Just as with Neeld, Watters toiled hard beside "golden boy" Buckley to help Malthouse achieve our 2010 and 2011 results. And just as with Neeld, Watters wasn't given any favours and had to earn his Senior Coaching gig. And just as with Hird, Voss, Sanderson, and Neeld - Watters lost to Buckley in the 2012 season. All of these men will be seeking to make amends in 2013.
Rivalry #7: Second choice: Scott @ North Melbourne
Nathan Buckley and Brad Scott passed each other through the revolving door of the then Lexus Centre at the end of 2009. Buckley was entering, having politely declined an offer to coach North Melbourne; Brad Scott was exiting having been North Melbourne's second choice coach.
One wonders if Buckley has ever laid awake at night, and in those dark hours of the early morning reflected upon that fateful decision years ago to leave Brisbane to join Collingwood for a better chance at Premiership success? One wonders if he's ever considered that the same thing could happen in his coaching career - that North Melbourne could achieve greater success than Collingwood? (you may laugh, as many would have in the early 90's at the prospect of Brisbane achieving any success). Buckley would do everything to ensure that this hoodoo scenario does not occur. And Scott will be doing everything to ensure that the folk who considered him the "second choice" coach were wrong. Scott won their first encounter in 2012 against the prevailing form. Buckley will be sure to want to make amends.
Yeah, right. What rot!
Try telling that to Nathan Buckley who shares a historical personal rivalry with many of his opposite numbers.
Rivalry #1: The master and the apprentice: Malthouse @ Carlton
Reckon the coaches of Carlton and Collingwood will treat their round 2 fixture as "Just another game"? As sure as night follows day, that will be the rhetoric coming from both coaches in the pre game press conferences. And we'll all have a bit of a hearty chuckle to ourselves because we know damn well that's a load of A-grade codswallop.
No doubting that the passion for victory amongst the sellout crowd of these traditional rivals will be easily exceeded by the two senior coaches. Neither coach would bear to lose to the other. Make no mistake, this ain't no petty banter about bragging rights - the victor will happily walk away from this game the minute it ends. This rivalry is about pride. This rivalry is about vindication.
Oh, and a request that must surely unite Bucks, Mick, Collingwood and Blues fans alike: no draw please.
Rivalry #2: Lifetime adversaries: Hird @ Essendon
Nathan Buckley and James Hird first crossed paths a long time ago and their careers practically mirrored each other at their respective clubs. Both became long term captains that lead their team with distinction. Both were prodigious players in their own right - with Buckley's six club Best-and-Fairests to Hird's five. Both won a Brownlow. Both had enduring 250+ game careers. And both are favourite sons who were handed the keys to their respective club's coaches' box - Hird's was handed to him on a silver platter, Buckley was required to do an apprenticeship first.
Today, both men are figureheads of two of the league's powerhouse clubs. Surely the personal respect between these two men runs deep - both will have a strong desire to win their games against the other, but neither will feel any personal shame in losing.
As Captains, both men led their teams against each other for many epic ANZAC day clashes. They continue that tradition today from the coaches' box. Buckley took first blood with a one point victory in the 2012 ANZAC day game. Hird will be looking to square it up.
Rivalry #3: The nemesis: Voss @ Brisbane
A long time ago Nathan Buckley made that fateful decision to leave the Brisbane Bears in search of premiership glory with Collingwood. Buckley never did win a Premiership, but the bloke who went onto captain Brisbane during the same era, Micheal Voss (what a wonderful name for a nemesis), went on to win three of the things. And two of them were against a Nathan Buckley led Collingwood.
Fast Forward to 2013 and Voss - Buckley are at it again, having moved their jousts from out of the midfield and into the coaches' boxes. Their teams have been at either end of the ladder, and perhaps any rivalry has been lost on the fans. But we can be sure that both coach would take a bit of personal satisfaction out of a win against the other.
Rivalry #4: Best mates: Sanderson @ Adelaide
In public these two men will be battling each other in the home and away series for four points. But when the cameras have been packed up, the microphones switched off, and everybody has left work for the day for a drink at the pub - you can be sure that these two best mates will be battling for something so much bigger, the biggest prize in the history of any sport: bragging rights.
Rivalry #5: Siblings in the litter #1: Neeld @ Melbourne
Ask any Collingwood supporter over 115 years old about rivalries and they will assure you that there is none bigger than the Collingwood - Melbourne rivalry. Melbourne persist with clinging onto that past with the cringeworthy annual Queens Birthday clash. Melbourne always dig out their best performance from nowhere, but for Collingwood, any extra passion for that contest seems to have been long lost in the annuls of time.
However, we can be sure that today there is genuine rivalry between the coaches of these two teams.
At Collingwood, Buckley became the heir apparent under Malthouse, the favourite son of the club who was nurtured and automatically handed the reins as part of a succession plan. Contrastingly, Collingwood's Premiership midfield coach Mark Neeld toiled away, given no favours, and found himself with the top job at the struggling Melbourne football club.
If these two men have a shred of ego between them, they'll be fighting hard to win their contests and to vindicate their positions: Buckley with his right to have been handed the controls of a powerhouse footy club, and Neeld with the benefit of achieving his position through hard work and toil.
Rivalry #6: Siblings in the litter #2: Watters @ St Kilda
You have to go back a long time through history to when St Kilda had the wood over Collingwood. It was at a time of the new introduction of decimal currency, Robert Menzies had just resigned as our longest serving Prime Minister and Aboriginies were yet to be considered part of the official population of Australia.
There does exist a rivalry between the fans of these two clubs today, but it's a rivalry of a very one sided bitterness. Collingwood are very sure of their place given the results of the 2010 season.
Just as with Neeld, Watters toiled hard beside "golden boy" Buckley to help Malthouse achieve our 2010 and 2011 results. And just as with Neeld, Watters wasn't given any favours and had to earn his Senior Coaching gig. And just as with Hird, Voss, Sanderson, and Neeld - Watters lost to Buckley in the 2012 season. All of these men will be seeking to make amends in 2013.
Rivalry #7: Second choice: Scott @ North Melbourne
Nathan Buckley and Brad Scott passed each other through the revolving door of the then Lexus Centre at the end of 2009. Buckley was entering, having politely declined an offer to coach North Melbourne; Brad Scott was exiting having been North Melbourne's second choice coach.
One wonders if Buckley has ever laid awake at night, and in those dark hours of the early morning reflected upon that fateful decision years ago to leave Brisbane to join Collingwood for a better chance at Premiership success? One wonders if he's ever considered that the same thing could happen in his coaching career - that North Melbourne could achieve greater success than Collingwood? (you may laugh, as many would have in the early 90's at the prospect of Brisbane achieving any success). Buckley would do everything to ensure that this hoodoo scenario does not occur. And Scott will be doing everything to ensure that the folk who considered him the "second choice" coach were wrong. Scott won their first encounter in 2012 against the prevailing form. Buckley will be sure to want to make amends.
