He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising Star Award, in 1993, then went on to become one of the game's elite, captaining Collingwood between 1999 and 2007, winning the Norm Smith Medal for best player afield in the 2002 Grand Final despite playing in the losing team, only the third player in history to do so, the Brownlow Medal in 2003, winning Collingwood's Best and Fairest award, the Copeland Trophy, six times and named in the Collingwood Team of the Century. Buckley was selected in the All-Australian Team seven times and captained the Australian international rules football team against Ireland.