Walls claims Bucks made bad call

FORMER Brisbane coach Robert Walls says Nathan Buckley could have retired a four-time premiership captain had he stayed with the club instead of seeking a trade to Collingwood.

Walls says the Magpie coach would likely have been the captain of the allconquering Lions in the early 2000s — given Michael Voss was three years younger — if he had stayed in Queensland.

Brisbane won three in a row between 2001 and 2003 but Walls believes Buckley’s on-field impact would have been enough to lift the Lions over the line in their losing 2004 grand final against Port Adelaide.

“They won three premierships at Brisbane. Had he stayed at Brisbane, they would have won four of them with him,” Walls said.

“I will say this and people will disagree, but if he had stayed there, he would have been captain and not Vossy. Purely on the basis that he was three years older than Vossy. The year he played for Brisbane [in 1993] he was 21 and we went to the Morningside footy club for a celebration and Vossy was 18 years old that year.

“It just makes sense that Buckley would have got the nod ahead of Vossy.”

Walls revealed that without his intervention the Bears would have allowed Buckley to go straight from Port Adelaide in the SANFL to an AFL club of his choice at the end of 1992. Instead, the Bears held firm having secured him the year before as part of a Northern Territory zone access.

Buckley’s single year at the Lions was incredible, as he polled 14 Brownlow votes in 20 games, kicked 21 goals and averaged 22 possessions a game in 1993.

But Walls angrily denied the 26-year rumour the Lions tweaked their bestand-fairest voting to ensure Rising Star winner Buckley finished second behind eventual winner Michael McLean. Despite the theory the Bears wouldn’t reward a departing player with their club championship, Walls says he never penalised him in voting.

“What do I think about it? I would be amazed if that’s the case and it’s an absolute insult to Mick McLean because in the five years I coached Brisbane McLean won two best-andfairests and was one of the best people I have met in my life,” Walls said.

“It’s an insult for anyone to say he didn’t deserve to win the best-and-fairest.”

Buckley left for Collingwood at the end of the 1993 season.