Nathan Buckley Blitzes Somerville

Ex-Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley inspired a packed audience at Somerville Cricket Club’s annual Sports/Business luncheon. Sharing his journey from humble beginnings to AFL stardom, Buckley captivated attendees while helping the club raise crucial funds for player development and infrastructure.

Written by the Somerville Swooper

In front of a capacity audience, ex-Collingwood champion and coach Nathan Buckley was the keynote speaker at a Sports/Business luncheon hosted by Somerville Cricket Club on November 22nd.

L-R Event host Shaun Graf, SCC President Adrian Ridout, SCC Coach Jason Nagel, Nathan Buckley, Ex Collingwood Assistant Coach Craig Black & Event organiser Matt Page

The event was hosted by ex-Australian cricketer, long-term Cricket Operations Manager for Cricket Victoria, and Somerville Cricket Club Life Member Shaun Graf.

The event is a long-standing tradition in the Somerville community, with previous presenters including Rodney Hogg, Darren Berry, Brad Hodge, Dermott Brereton, and Sam Newman.

35 year Somerville team scorer Alan Ryder and Nathan Buckley

Buckley captivated the audience by tracing his journey, which started in Darwin and culminated in a glorious career at Collingwood FC, where he won the 2003 Brownlow Medal before continuing on to coach the club from 2012 to 2021.

Rather than focusing on his achievements, Buckley recounted how tough it was moving from place to place as a child and how his reasonably small stature showed no indication of what the future held. He also indicated that when in the AFL system, over time, he realised that he had to embrace the varying abilities and personalities in order to achieve the success his club and supporters all wanted.

The event continues to present an opportunity for Somerville Cricket Club to raise much-needed funds to invest in player development and infrastructure improvements. A number of local businesses purchased a table for 10 and also put up products and services for auction or raffle. Once again, this support shows what a fabulous business community we have.

Next generation of leaders coming through: Blake Simmonds, Caleb Debnam & Jack Hayden

Running any club in these difficult times is not easy. However, the support received for this event and in general is positioning Somerville Cricket Club for future success on and off the field. On November 17th, the MPCA women’s team had the first-ever live match-day broadcast on Peninsula Radio Station RPP FM, and the positive vibes throughout the club’s 16 teams are extremely high.

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