Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has revealed he shouldn’t have confirmed that he has met with out-of-contract Gold Coast forward Tom Lynch.

Buckley stated he met with Lynch “a while back” on Channel Nine’s Footy Classified, but this morning, he expressed some regret with how he handled the interview.

BUCKLEY ADMITS MAGPIES HAVE MET WITH LYNCH

“I think out of all this, the biggest issue is the integrity of the young man himself,” Buckley told SEN's Whateley.

“From my understanding, he has conducted himself with dignity and respect.

“I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer.

“I probably should have set the interview up a little bit better than that in the two minutes leading up to it so that question didn’t come.

“I absolutely should’ve.

“I should’ve made the comment really early about, he’s a contracted player at another club, and it’s not appropriate for me to enter to it openly.

“Therefore you are now saying there are places that you cannot take this interview, there are questions that you cannot ask on a fair minded perspective.

“But I left the door ajar, Hutchy (Craig Hutchison) saw it and he went for it.

“And my instinct was not to lie, or not to give a direct lie.

“If I had my time again I wouldn’t have.”