One of Fitzroy’s most loyal and well-liked players, Sam Buckley, will reach his 100-game milestone this weekend, capping off nine great years at the club. Sam is also a proud member of the Reds Foundation.

Since kicking Fitzroy Juniors' only goal in the club’s debut season, Sam has been a passionate and committed servant of Fitzroy, both on and off the field.

Bucks, an old-school Fitzroy supporter who switched to the Saints post-merger, first joined the Fitzroy Reds in 2003, playing in the reserves where he has played the vast majority of his Roys games.

One former coach of the Reds described Bucks as "a completely one-sided left footer with an awful hooking technique and floppy running style, but he still managed to find the goals pretty regularly and holds his own in marking contests".

Bucks — once dubbed 'rainbow' for wearing every colour at training — devotion to football has also seen him play a season in the two-club Scottish AFL and in 2008 after sustaining a knee injury in the previous year’s finals coached the Fitzroy reserves, who narrowly missed the finals.

He was a good coach, keeping to the philosophy that Reserves football is not rocket science, but was controversially censored by senior officials after delivering one too many 'colourful' quarter time sprays.

One ruckman described the outbursts, often directed at him, as "soul-destroying". Other than annoying opponents — a Rupo player once threw mud in his eye because he wanted to hit him but restrained himself. Bucks loves a goal, even running to the boundary to kick the impossible.

Sam enjoyed his best preseason over the summer becoming a fitness fanatic with his hard work paying dividends in 2011 already kicking 17 goals in eight games. Club legend Peter Hille said Bucks was an integral part of the club. "He has brought the same effervescence, eccentricity and love of officialdom to both his cricket and football over many years", Hille said. "Proudly Red and very Fitzroy".

Former coach Chris Tehan remembers Bucks' big, goofy smile, not short of a cheeky sledge and uproariously social in the after match. "He has also got a fiercely competitive streak — kicked three clutch goals in a low scoring dogfight against Peninsula in the famous 'cum all over them game' at Pirate land, with no bench to call on (apart from Ragsy who had less mobility than the bench he was sitting on) and good mate Jono Coyne again in hospital and seemingly near death because someone bumped into him" CT said. It was later revealed Coyne had suffered a strained heart-string.

Bucks was famously left out of the 2004 reserves first-semi team due to "ongoing floppiness" concerns. "After years of sookiness, he has bounced back to new heights of fitness and drinking abstinence and even commands senior games these days", he said.

"A popular and magnetic Fitzroy sporting character, he has contributed enormously to the club and its culture. Well done on 100 games on the field and 5000 raucous ones off it!"

Off the field Bucks is committed to ensuring everyone has a good time, spearheading the club’s most successful mid-year ball last year despite not turning up because of work.

The Reds Foundation, club and its supporters would like to congratulate Bucks on reaching the holy milestone and wish him luck this week in the big game against his one of his 'favourite', of which he has numerous, opponents.

Rich Willingham, Canberra