i never said he wasn't a fan of sorts
when i was a kid i had a favourite side in the sanfl, the wafl, the vfa etc etc but i wasn't really invested as such
but you may be right, he might have been a really keen fan. i just have my doubts
i doubt he was a real invested demon fan
as a kid he lived all over australia but i don't think victoria
like most interstate kids he would have had his best favourite local team where he lived and picked melbourne as a sort of quasi vfl team as the vfl was seen as the heart of footy (he was already 18 when the vfl became the afl)
but that's just a bit of a guess
p.s. because it was all stitched up before trade week and was a secret buckley went into the trade period claiming he just wanted to go to collingwood. obviously he was happy to go to collingwood because they had offered him a motza and bears had the trade details all locked up.
buckley originally got picked bears via zoning concession. didn't want to go. stood out for a year playing sanfl for port.
bears then did a deal promising him an out (in 1 year) if he came to them, hoping they could turn him around.
but buckley stayed determined to get to a melb club so bears starting talking to clubs looking for best deal
afl (and everyone) was unaware of deal brewing with filth
bears did a secret deal with the filth well before trade period
said they could pick any 2 players (except for a protected 10) plus get pies first pick (ended up as pick 12 and a scott brother)
was all stitched up before trade week
buckley was ok with this because his priority was a melbourne club and premiership chances
and lol as you know won zero flags at pies whilst bears got the threepeat (filth losing 2 of those gfs)