27 Simon Buckley

Choose another player Ball, Luke - [12] Beams, Dayne - [17] Blair, Jarryd - [11] Brown, Nathan - [16] Buckley, Simon - [27] Ceglar, Jonathon - [29] Clarke, Martin - [9] Cloke, Travis - [32] Dawes, Chris - [31] Didak, Alan - [4] Elliott, Jamie - [35] Fasolo, Alex - [1] Gault, Corey - [44] Goldsack, Tyson - [6] Johnson, Ben - [26] Jolly, Darren - [18] Keeffe, Lachlan - [23] Krakouer, Andrew - [3] Macaffer, Brent - [30] Maxwell, Nick - [5] O'Brien, Heritier - [8] Paine, Jackson - [33] Pendlebury, Scott - [10] Reid, Ben - [20] Rounds, Luke - [14] Seedsman, Paul - [40] Shaw, Heath - [39] Sidebottom, Steele - [22] Sinclair, Ben - [28] Swan, Dane - [36] Tarrant, Chris - [2] Thomas, Dale - [13] Thomas, Josh - [24] Toovey, Alan - [34] Ugle, Kirk - [37] Wellingham, Sharrod - [21] Witts, Jarrod - [15] Wood, Cameron - [19] Yagmoor, Peter - [38] Young, Tom - [25]

The Player - A half back flanker on the fringe of Collingwood's best 22. Has hovered on the edge of selection in his two years at the club after crossing from Melbourne. Is a nice kick of the ball, and is potent on the run from outside the arc. Will be looking to cement a senior position in 2012.

2011
Rewarded for his patience with selection the first round against the Power, and didn’t look out of place at half back. Displayed his penchant for long range goals, making him the ideal replacement for Ben Johnson when the veteran was injured.

Struggled to string senior games together due to the strength of the Collingwood line up, but his form when in the side suggested that he has what it takes to match it with the best. Regularly gathered in excess of 20 possessions, finding 26 against the eventual premier Geelong in round eight.

Last appeared in round 22 against the Brisbane Lions, when he made headlines after an errant kick landed him in hot water with coach Mick Malthouse.

2010
Played in the opening match of the NAB Cup against St Kilda but could not win a look in from there on. Was named as an emergency seven times, illustrating how close he was to senior selection.

Sat out three weeks with a club imposed suspension, and played a total of 10 matches in the VFL, mostly off half back and occasionally in the midfield. Named in the VFL best on seven occasions.

2009
Played only one senior match (round one against the Roos) when he damaged his groin. Subsequently struggled with a hip injury that restricted him to four matches for the Casey Scorpions in the VFL.

Was delisted by Melbourne at the end of the season. Collingwood gave him an AFL lifeline when they drafted him with pick No 85 in the National Draft.

2008
Enjoyed his best season for Melbourne. Played 14 games in a struggling outfit, missing only three games after round eight. Dipped below 14 disposals only once, and had over 30 disposals twice in the last three rounds. Earned his first Brownlow vote in round 17 against North Melbourne (27 disposals).

2007
Broke into the struggling Demons outfit in round 14 against Carlton and held his place for the next five weeks. His season peaked in round 16 against the Kangaroos (15 disposals, one goal). Played 13 VFL matches for Sandringham.

2006
Played eight VFL senior matches (including two finals) and 10 in the reserves for Sandringham (Melbourne’s then-VFL affiliate). Was named in the best on three occasions in the reserves.

2005
Played for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup U18s, where he averaged 16.7 disposals and 3.1 inside 50s. Played for Victoria against the Allies (20 disposals, nine handball receives) in a curtain raiser to the 2005 Sydney v West Coast Grand Final.

Impressed at the state screening, particularly in the 20-metre sprint. Drafted to Melbourne with pick No 53 in the National Draft.

AFL Debut
Round 14 2007 (Melbourne v Carlton) at the MCG.

Collingwood Debut
Round 1 2011 v Port Adelaide at Docklands Stadium

Draft History
2005 AFL Draft 4th round selection (Melbourne) No. 53 overall;
2009 AFL Draft 6th round selection (Collingwood) No. 85 overall.