At 21 years of age and with just 20 senior AFL matches under his belt, the emerging midfielder not only is feeling more confident on the field but also off it.
“The last few years we’ve had around 21 new players come to the club,” Buckley said.
“This is only my fourth year coming up but there are probably 20 or so guys coming up that are younger than I am.
“I’ve probably got to start stepping up my leadership skills because there are a lot of young blokes at the club at the moment.”
That youth, Buckley says, will be one of the key ingredients in helping lift Melbourne back up the table in coming seasons.
After a poor 2008, the former Sandringham Dragon said the players needed to move on.
“We sat down at the start of pre-season and we jotted down things we could be excited about and getting good draft picks was something we could look forward to,” he said.
“We know we’re going to get a few really good players out of this draft and that’s really exciting for the club and hopefully they can develop pretty quickly and help us out.”
Last year Buckley played 14 matches after debuting in 2007 with six senior appearances.
Those who watched the Demons closely last year would have noticed that, despite his team often facing a deficit on the scoreboard, Buckley was prepared to back himself.
The athletic youngster has added more bulk this summer to reach what he believes to be an ideal 92 kilos. And he is even better prepared to face the AFL’s best after impressing late last year, when he played the last nine games of the season.
“The more games you play the more confident you get,” he said.
Buckley thinks could have best season yet, having not missed a beat during training.
The teenage frame now gone, Buckley is reaping the benefit of another injury-free summer. He usually chases home the likes of Nathan Jones and Clint Bartram in the club’s pre-season runs and says he is aiming to play every game of 2009.
“The results are showing,” he said of an uninterrupted summer program.
“I’m lifting more than I ever have in the gym and I’m feeling fitter.
“Most of the blokes are lifting heavier weights and running better times than this time last year, so hopefully there are better times ahead for us.”
A couple of retirements and the departure of Chris Johnson might have further opened doors, although the signs were there last year that Buckley is ready to assume a more prominent role in the Demons’ line-up.
“I’ve been training in the midfield again all pre-season,” he said.
“From what I know I’ll have the same role as last year, maybe playing on a wing and spending a bit of time in the centre and across half-back.
“I’m hoping to now develop into an inside player as well so I have both tools.”
