[1] They had three children: a daughter, Sharyn, and two sons, Mark and Stephen, each of whom later played at Carlton.
He made his debut with the First XVII on 4 August 1956 – in place of the selected back pocket, Vin English[2] – in the round 16 match against Collingwood, which Carlton won 12.12 (84) to 9.17 (71).
Port Melbourne made the 1967 Grand Final, but could not overcome Dandenong, coached by ex-St Kilda footballer Alan Morrow.
The match, regarded as one of the controversial and violent grand finals in history,[3] almost ended in the second quarter when Buckley threatened to lead his team-mates off the field in protest against the umpiring.
In all he played 49 games for Port Melbourne, kicked 8 goals, and finished third in the club's best an fairest in 1967.