GWS Giants defender Jack Buckley is tossing up whether to miss one of his team’s AFL games in order to watch his girlfriend Celeste Mucci compete at the Paris Olympics.
Buckley revealed the dilemma to Triple M this week, explaining he would have to skip one of the Giants’ games to see Mucci in action in Paris.
Mucci has qualified for Australia’s athletics team — she will compete in the 100m hurdles along with fellow Aussies Liz Clay and Michelle Jenneke.
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The 24-year-old recovered from hamstring surgery earlier this year and celebrated her qualification on Instagram.
She wrote: “Delayed but not denied – This year was the hardest physically & mentally to try qualify.
“After rupturing my hamstring tendon & getting surgery in February I did everything I could to get back healthy. Focus on yourself & you can achieve anything!!”
Mucci finished seventh in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
She is scheduled to compete in the 100m hurdles heats in Paris on Wednesday, August 7. The final is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 — the same day as the Giants’ Round 22 clash against the Brisbane Lions.
Buckley, 26, has emerged as a key member of the GWS backline after being picked up as a Category B rookie.
After winning their first five games of the season, the Giants have slid to seventh on the ladder and the game against Brisbane could prove pivotal in the race for a top eight finish.
Buckley revealed he was too nervous too ask GWS coach Adam Kingsley if he could miss a game to watch Mucci race.
“It is very exciting that Celeste made it, and we are all very excited to watch,” Buckley said on Triple M.
“I was in his (Kingsley’s) office a little while ago, and he does love his athletics, so I was actually too scared (laughing) to ask him.
“And he knew I was trying to ask him but was too scared to get it out.
“He picked up the fixture and sort of looked at who we had … (Brisbane in Round 22).
“So he said, ‘Nah mate you are not going’.
“I’m getting a lot of flak around it but unfortunately it is out of my hands. We will see.
“It is very unlikely and I’m also scared to ask him again.”
The Herald Sun reports the Giants would “almost certainly allow Buckley to fly” to Paris, with several examples of AFL clubs letting players miss games for family reasons this year.
Melbourne’s Ed Langdon, Collingwood’s Oleg Markov and Geelong’s Oisin Mullin all missed games for family weddings this season.
Langdon praised the Demons’ club culture for allowing him to travel to his sister’s wedding, that saw him miss his side’s loss to West Coast in Round 10.
“It’s a credit to ‘Goody’ (coach Simon Goodwin) and the culture we have built at our footy club that the club feels comfortable to let a player go mid-season if it is really important to them, which it was,” Langdon said.
“To have completely unwavering support from the club – it is a pretty special environment and culture to be a part of.
“They were super supportive from the get-go and we put a plan in place.”
The Paris Olympics begin on July 26 and run to August 11.