He had his suspicions why the Collingwood coach was calling, but he didn't have the heart to tell his family.
After all, they were back and settled on the Gold Coast, where had already come out of retirement once at the end of 2011 to play for the Brisbane Lions.
Eventually he took the call and he found Buckley's spiel hard to resist – ruck coach at Collingwood, mentor to some of the young players and, well, who knows after that.
"He sold it to me as a unique opportunity," Hudson told AFL.com.au this week.
"I just had to convince my family (wife Rita and sons Ignatius and Stirling), but they were pretty good about it."
So after 55 games for Adelaide, 88 for the Western Bulldogs and 18 for the Lions, the 34-year-old found himself back on the AFL treadmill once more.
To the surprise of nobody, the Pies added him to their rookie list late last year, and so far this year he has managed six senior games for Collingwood as the No.1 back-up to Darren Jolly.
Having Hudson to turn to when Jolly has been injured has allowed Collingwood to be extra patient with the developing Jarrod Witts and first-year ruckman Brodie Grundy, and he has been a significant contributor in the games he has played.
He had 22 disposals and 25 hit-outs against Hawthorn on debut in round three and has had more than 20 hit-outs in each of the last three weeks in the absence of Jolly, who will be missing for at least another month with a knee injury
"I'm lucky that someone still wants me at my age," he said with a laugh.
Hudson leaves a mark wherever he plays.
Last summer, players from every club were interviewed for a series of video features for AFL.com.au.
Players from the Bulldogs and the Lions discussed him with deep affection when asked about fun teammates, quirky habits and in particular, sledging. He has been equally embraced at Collingwood.
"I don’t have as much talent as some others," he said. "But I do talk a lot."
However there is a serious side to Hudson. He played in three losing preliminary final teams with the Western Bulldogs between 2008 and 2010 and there remains some hope he can go better with Collingwood this year.
"I can't lie. They keep me up," he said of the missed finals opportunities. "It was a semi-successful era at the Bulldogs. I have got to the second last dance a few times but haven't quite got to the final dance.
"The carrot to win and play finals … it is what drives any footballer and I'm lucky enough to finish my career at the biggest professional football club in the country.
"There's obviously a buzz playing for Collingwood, so I'm blessed."
Hudson's role is to offer a contest at ruck duels. On occasions, such as last Friday against Adelaide, it offers him a prime seat to watch the mastery of Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan. "They're pretty good, aren’t they? 'Pendles' might have got us over the line last week," he said.
A decade in the game has taught him just a few short cuts. "It doesn't get harder, but you have to adapt to the change in the rules all the time. I'm just your stereotypical ruckman; it would help if I could run faster."
Hudson reckons ruck play is not as physical as it used to be and that he needs to run for longer than he once might have. Time and experience have taught him to be "more efficient" and he is comfortable in the knowledge that he clocks up fewer kilometres in a game than his teammates.
"With all the years you play, you try to pick up some experience and work out what you're good at," he said.
"Every different week you play against someone with different abilities. They're all younger than me. I just try to be competitive at every contest, but there's no fine art to it."
