Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has revealed why decided to turn down a job offer from North Melbourne, claiming he “wouldn’t change a thing”.

Last year, Buckley stepped down as Magpies coach after nearly 10 years in the role. He had served as the club’s mentor since succeeding Mick Malthouse in 2012, with Collingwood winning 117 games under his guidance with a 54 per cent winning record.

But Channel 7 presenter James Brayshaw, who served as North Melbourne chairman for 10 years, came “pretty close” to securing Buckley’s services a couple of years earlier.

Speaking on Triple M Melbourne’s The Rush Hour with JB and Billy, Brayshaw asked Buckley whether he regretted turning down an offer to coach at North Melbourne in 2010.

“You were very strong when I turned that down,” Buckley quipped. “There was some strong language.

“Thankfully you still talk to me, so that’s good to know mate.”

Brayshaw continued: “I thought we were close, we were pretty close.”

Buckley explained that his devotion to Collingwood was the only thing that stopped him from putting pen to paper.

“I was just, and have been, so wedded to the Collingwood Football Club,” he explained.

“My affections are there, were always there, and so when that became available it was really hard to say no to.

“And I don’t regret that at all. Everyone wants to change something or other, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I really think that you only get out what you put in, and I’ve put in everything I’ve got.”

In 2018, Brayshaw revealed the Kangaroos coaching gig had “100 per cent” been Buckley’s if he wanted it.

“He couldn’t have been more impressive, I was always confident he was going to make an unbelievable AFL coach,” Brayshaw told Triple M's Rush Hour at the time.

“I also had a view that it maybe better not being Collingwood to start with because of the enormous heritage he had at the place.

“So I just said, ‘Maybe you’re better off starting somewhere else and one day going back and coaching Collingwood mightn’t be a bad result’.

“Anyway he was just fantastic. In the end he said, ‘Look, it’s a very flattering offer, I would love to do it, but I want to coach at Collingwood’.

“But even through the tough times for him (Buckley), I thought, thinking back on those meetings, this bloke has got so much going for him, and so much that I think is going to put him into the elite coach category.

“It might have taken a bit longer than I thought to happen, but this year he has been just so good.”

Since he stepped away from coaching last year, Buckley has appeared on Channel 10 reality show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.