Footy legend Nathan Buckley looks fit enough to play in the AFL as he steps out with his glamorous girlfriend
He hasn’t played a game of AFL for 17 years, but Collingwood great Nathan Buckley looked like he could get a spot in the Magpies side as he was spotted with girlfriend Brodie Ryan in Melbourne recently.
The former Pies star and coach was seen getting a coffee with his partner in South Yarra this week, both of them clad in exercise gear that showed off the hard work they’ve put into their physiques.
Buckley and Ryan also cut fine figures when they hit the red carpet for the Brownlow Medal count in Melbourne late last month.
‘I’m proud to attend with him and proud of all of his achievements but he’s just a hottie so I like being on his arm,’ Ryan said.
‘He’s going to scrub up really well this year and he’s being dressed by Bianca and Peter Jackson.
‘There aren’t many opportunities in anyone’s life outside of a wedding day or a deb ball to dress up and feel like a princess for a night.’
Buckley and Ryan started dating in June 2022, with the socialite rejecting any attempt to stereotype her as a footy WAG.
‘I’m an independent woman and I’m my own person,’ she said in October that year.
Nathan Buckley and his girlfriend Brodie Ryan were the picture of physical health when they stepped out in South Yarra earlier this week
Buckley was known as one of the fittest players in the game during his playing career and he hasn’t taken any shortcuts with his exercise regime in retirement
‘If he wasn’t who he was we’d still love our time together in a chilled environment and are in our element making dinner at home.
‘We have such a normal relationship and we intend to keep it that way.’
Their relationship followed Buckley’s split with his ex, Alex Pike, who he started dating in early 2021 after separating from ex-wife Tania Minnici after 18 years together.
The Magpies great turned TV commentator was known for being one of the fittest men in the game during his playing days, and he has kept himself in great shape since bringing his 280-game AFL career to a close in 2007.
Earlier this year he shared some of his exercise tips ahead of the Masters Games in Alice Springs, concentrating on the benefits of lifting weights.
‘Throwing around some iron can help prevent injury and give yourself the best chance to perform,’ he wrote on Instagram.
The couple turned plenty of heads on the Brownlow Medal red carpet last month
‘It all comes back to the basics … Whether you’re lifting a little or a lot, it’ll help you to be more robust and ready to go.’
The post featured a clip of Buckley working out his chest and biceps in the gym, and he also put up others stressing the importance of cardio exercise on a treadmill, bike or rowing machine, as well as stretching regularly.
Last month the 52-year-old made a tough confession about his ‘disgraceful’ behaviour when he was among the best players in the game.
‘The guy that had tears running down his cheeks was thankful that it was raining periodically, because he never wanted to show weakness, never wanted to show vulnerability,’ Buckley said.
‘And I reckon if people did know, they’d be like, “Err… freak”.’
Buckley said he rarely asked for help, which would often leave him isolated, and that his attitude on and off the pitch was ‘disgraceful’.
‘It was partly a protective mechanism,’ he said.
