Geelong coach Chris Scott has backed Nathan Buckley after Tasmania overlooked him for the inaugural head coaching role.
Speaking for the first time since the Devils announced Ken Hinkley was announced as coach on Monday, Scott backed Buckley, who has worked as an assistant at the Cats in 2026 and has been transparent in his desire to land the gig.
“I suspect if Tassie get the chance to talk publicly about it, they would say similar things to me – that he was an outstanding candidate and would've been a great Tasmanian coach, that fit just wasn't quite as good as the other guy who happens to be someone who has coached for 15 years in the AFL.,” Scott said.
“Sometimes, there's no shame in running second, let's assume, there's no shame in that.”
Speaking on Fox Footy on Monday night, Buckley said he had yet to receive feedback about why he missed out but spoke openly about his endeavours.
Scott praised the former Collingwood coach's honesty.
“My casual observation without having thought about it too much is it speaks to how secure he is in his ability and position in the game,” Scott said.
“It seems to me it is quite rare that a coach puts their hand up and say ‘this is something I want' and is prepared to go through the process.
“He didn't only go through the process, he went back to work which has been a real positive for us. I suspect it won't happen that much so if you like his way of going about it, make the most of it now, I don't suspect it will happen too often.
“And I kind of understand why especially if you're a younger coach the last thing you want to do is be part of a process where you put yourself on the line, especially if you do it a number of times with the probability being you're going to miss out irrespective of how good a job you do.
“The perception is there must be a good reason you didn't get the job when I think the reality is more likely you could be a fantastic candidate, you're just not the right fit at that point in time.”
Scott also provided an update on injured pair Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron, with Holmes a shot at returning if the Cats make a finals run and Cameron some chance to play late in the home and away season.
Holmes went under the knife for his ankle injury in recent days.
“So I think there is only two outcomes post-surgery that I am aware of in my time in footy. It was either a disaster and they found more than they had hoped, or the surgeon is really happy and it went well,” Scott said.
“It is the latter this time. It went as expected, Max is actually really optimistic and positive. So is Jeremy, for that matter.
“So this is one where I can actually talk about them concurrently, because they basically have the same return to play period. Jeremy is a bit more likely to come back before Max, but it is pretty tight.
“So we are just leaving all options on the table, it is one where we would be really straight forward if it was clear that it was season over, but it is not the case for either of them.
“Again, it gives us some room for optimism.”
