GWS Giants defender Jack Buckley has revealed he was “too scared” to ask coach Adam Kingsley if he could miss a game to watch his girlfriend Celeste Mucci compete at the Paris Olympics.
Mucci qualified for Australia’s athletics team and will run in the 100m hurdles, along with Liz Clay and Michelle Jenneke.
The 24-year-old booked her ticket as the 36th best athlete on times — with only the top 40 being selected.
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It capped a brilliant return from a serious hamstring injury in February that nearly ended her Olympic dream.
Mucci will run in the 100m hurdles heats in Paris on Wednesday, August 7, but it’s unlikely that her boyfriend will be in the stands watching.
The final is scheduled for Saturday, August 10 — the same day as the Giants’ Round 22 clash against the Brisbane Lions.
Buckley said he tried to broach the subject with his coach, but chickened out before Kingsley denied the request.
“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 to ask him.
“And he knew I was trying to ask him but I was too scared to get it out.
“He picked up the fixture and sort of looked at who we had in … (Brisbane in Round 22).
“So he said, ‘Nah mate you are not going’.”
Buckley also said he is getting a bit of heat from Mucci, but didn’t entirely rule out making a last-minute trip.
“I’m getting a lot of flak around it but, unfortunately, it is out of my hands, although we will see,” he said.
“It is very unlikely and I’m also scared to ask him again as you could imagine.”
If Buckley did end up going to Paris, he would be the fourth player granted leave from their clubs for an overseas trip this season.
Geelong’s Oisin Mullin, Collingwood’s Oleg Markov and Melbourne’s Ed Langdon all missed games this year for a family wedding.
“I would have thought the Olympics is a bit above a wedding,” Buckley added.
The Giants have bounced back from indifferent form to win their past two matches, including a comeback victory over Carlton.
They are up to seventh on the ladder ahead of this weekend’s clash against Gold Coast.
Buckley is a key part of the Giants’ defence, especially in the absence of teammate Sam Taylor, who remains sidelined after undergoing surgery on a ruptured testicle.