It turns out Jordan De Goey isn’t the only Collingwood identity heading overseas to prepare for the business end of this year’s AFL season, with news reaching The Watsonia Bugle that club coach Nathan Buckley has also escaped the Melbourne football bubble so he can best prepare for a tilt at the premiership. It’s been widely reported over the last 18 months that Buckley has become more Zen in his approach to coaching and life, seemingly turning his back on his previous approach of just always asking for more, more and more. So, we guess it makes sense that Zen Bucks would take some time to mentally rejuvenate and find some balance.

While the exact location of Buckley’s retreat remains a mystery, a source close to the Collingwood legend insists that “Bucks has just slipped away for a couple of days to clear his mind. Ultimately, he wants to find his true centre, which could be quite valuable ahead of the biggest game of the season. Personally, I think the true centre should be Steele Sidebottom, but maybe Bucks wants to play him on the wing instead?”

This latest development shows just how far Collingwood are willing to travel – literally and metaphorically – in an attempt to secure their 16th VFL/AFL premiership, after falling agonisingly short in last year’s Grand Final against the West Coast Eagles. The inside source said, “Bucks always denies that he meditates on that Dom Sheed goal from last year’s GF. He tells me that ‘constantly looking back prevents the mind from moving forward’, but I’m not entirely sure that’s true. Maybe he’ll return from this little retreat with a decent answer for me.

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