Buckley fulfilled despite no flag

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley says he is working hard for a maiden premiership but even if he does not win one, missing out will not define him.

Buckley ended his press conference after Sunday’s 24point win over Carlton by firing back at a News Corp article suggesting there was an emptiness inside him, simply because he had not triumphed in a grand final as a player or senior coach.

“My life is very far from empty — I don’t have a flag but I will be working towards it,” Buckley said.

“That’s not going to define me, whether I get it or not. My life is very full and I’m very fortunate I’ve got a lot of love and got a great club, and great group of boys and I’m looking forward to whatever the next couple of months brings.”

The Magpies went a long way to securing another finals berth in a match that had a huge build-up and the intensity of a knockout final.

Buckley said the club felt the significance of the game leading into it and was determined to beat the Blues.

“We were really looking forward to the contest and there’s obviously a bit of spark that it’s a Carlton-Collingwood game,” he said.

“I was hearing from mates of mine I didn’t even know barracked for Carlton over the last couple of days and they were looking forward to the game and thought they were going to go well.

“I’ll be getting back to them in the next 24 hours.

“That was the strongest performance we’ve put together over the last five or six weeks.”