"I don't know what standard you're setting when you pick players like that" - Ex-Collingwood coach slams former player Jaidyn Stephenson
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley slammed North Melbourne's Jaidyn Stephenson for not showing support to his younger teammates. Buckley, a former coach of Stephenson, criticized the 25-year-old following an incident involving Jackson Archer in the Kangaroos' 103-65 loss to St Kilda on Saturday, May 4.
Archer (21) conceded a 50-meter penalty after a forgetful moment. The defender failed to give the ball back to Rown Marshall, dropping it on the turf instead.
The youngster walked off the ground after the incident, but his teammates failed to show support or rally around him. This lack of team spirit and support didn't go down well with Buckley and he made his disappointment known.
"Every single person at a football club can drive a spirit, connection and support. That kid (Archer) is beating himself up already, he doesn't need someone to come and rev him up," Buckley said via Fox Footy.
"He needs someone to say, 'hey, next time, we back you, we trust you and we're with you'."
Buckley also called on the Kangaroos to recruit more hardworking players like Archie instead of Jaidyn Stephenson, who he termed "inconsistent. He said:
"North need to back a kid like that who's going to give competitive efforts. Over, say, a Jaidyn Stephenson, who when he gets selected is inconsistent with his effort."
"I don't know what standard you're setting when you pick players like that."
North Melbourne has been poor this season and is the only winless side in the AFL. The Kangaroos are rock-bottom of the league table with a 0-8 record.
Jaidyn Stephenson's early-career success under Nathan Buckley at Collingwood
Jaidyn Stephenson was drafted by the Collingwood Magpies in 2017. Nathan Buckley was then coach of the Magpies, and he handed the forward his AFL debut in the opening round of the 2018 season.
Under Buckley's tutelage, he would go on to kick 38 goals in his debut campaign including two in the 2018 Grand Final against West Coast Eagles, winning the AFL Rising Star award in the process.
However, Stephenson spent only three seasons at the club before being traded to North Melbourne in 2021. He kicked 76 goals in 54 games for the Magpies.