“As soon as next year”: Buckley makes bold call on rising Dogs star Darcy

Western Bulldogs young gun Sam Darcy was utterly immense against North Melbourne on Sunday.

The 21-year-old kicked seven goals from 20 disposals and took nine marks in his side’s 96-point win over the Roos which was just his 26th game at AFL level.

This season Darcy has booted 35 goals, which is second at the club behind Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (43), and is averaging 12 disposals, five marks and a tick under seven hit-outs.

His most recent performance was certainly not lost on the footy world and has compelled Buckley to predict that the former No.2 draft pick could be the AFL’s best player as quickly as next season.

“My opinion of footballers in general, if you can find a competitive aerial player in the front half of the field, he is as valuable a commodity as you are ever going to find,” Buckley said on SEN Breakfast.

“Sam Darcy, for me, is the youngest, brightest key forward. I love Josh Treacy and the way he’s going about it, but Sam Darcy can ruck, he can go behind the ball if you need him to. He’s probably the forward version of a Mac Andrew.

“Seeing him do what he did yesterday, it just struck me as I was watching this kid - and he’s still a kid, he’s still developing and growing - but this kid could be the best player in the competition as soon as next year.

“As soon as next year!”

With that comment in mind, Kane Cornes immediately wondered what the Bulldogs might have to pay the 208cm talent who comes out of contract at the end of next season.

“He’s out of contract at the end of next year,” Cornes said of the son of former Dogs captain Luke.

“If he’s going to be the best player in the game, what are the Dogs going to have to pay him?

“I know that there’s the (Darcy) name and the loyalty but in the end it’s still a business and the offers that will come for him are going to be upwards of $1.5 million (per year), aren’t they?”

Buckley then pondered just how valuable a player with Darcy’s traits is to an AFL team.

He rates a tall marking forward who possesses such athleticism while being armed with the ability to play in other roles as perhaps the most beneficial skillset an emerging player can have.

“If you were building a team from scratch…,” he said further.

“I’ll throw five players up - Sam Darcy, Mac Andrew, Harley Reid, Tom De Koning and Darcy Jones. You’ve got a tall marking forward, a marking intercept defender, a goal-kicking bull midfielder, a combative ruckman and aerial force, and you’ve got a quality high small forward.

“Out of those I would go Sam Darcy at one, Mac Andrew second, I would put Reid third and then you’d fight it out for the ruck and the high forward.

“If you find a marking player in front of the ball, that is a considerable piece of a puzzle to put in place. He needs to be a competitor and Sam Darcy seems a nice kid, but he’s got the right fire and competitiveness. I think he’s got a really good balance.

“You talk about what the Dogs are going to do, obviously knowing his mum and dad, he’s been brought up the right way. He’s a really good person, he’s really humble, he’s really well balanced.

“That’s also the character piece which is going to play in to long-term arrangements and deals as well.”

Darcy and the Dogs currently sit sixth on the ladder ahead of a massive Round 24 fixture against GWS in Ballarat on Sunday.

A win would sew up a finals spot while a loss would likely then depend on the Fremantle v Port Adelaide match later that day.