Only one way to avoid coaching ‘death spiral’JON RALPH,
Herald Sun
Feb 15, 2017KEVIN Sheedy ate pressure for breakfast.
So did Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, with the “Reverend” seemingly coaching his way out of mortal danger every second season.
Two of coaching’s wiliest customers repeatedly sidestepped the exit door by putting together winning seasons when all seemed lost.
That cunning pair didn’t let their coaching futures impact the ability of their teams to bounce back when under the pump.
And yet as Terry Wallace’s 2009 Tigers and Mick Malthouse’s 2015 Blues found out, playing winning football when everyone knows what is on the line is far from simple.
Malthouse would later say as soon as his tenure was not extended by Carlton late in 2014, he knew the focus on his contract issues would derail the Blues.
By Round 5, as Carlton was annihilated by Collingwood in his AFL milestone game, the gig was effectively up.
This year shapes as one of those seasons when the coaching futures of Nathan Buckley, Damien Hardwick and Ken Hinkley will dominate the headlines.
Drop to 1-4, or 2-6, and the fierce spotlight becomes so insane it creates a domino effect.
The coach is besieged, the players are doorstopped by media, the administration is inundated with inquiries.
Wallace says the only way to stop that first domino toppling for the likes of Hinkley, Hardwick and Co is a hot start to the 2017 season.
Because by the times the wolves are at the door, it is almost impossible to coach your way out of peril.
“If the players can sniff the smell of blood in the water, it’s over,’’ Wallace told the Herald Sun.
“In that last year of mine at Richmond we won three pre-season games and I felt like we were in a reasonable position.
“Then (in Round 1) we had Ben Cousins do a hammy and we lost by 80 points. No one else had actually played a game and I already had the microscope on me.
“I pretty much knew after that game when we lost so badly that you are not going to turn it around.
“And then four weeks in we played Melbourne who were perennial cellar dwellers and as soon as we lost to them (to drop to 0-4), you know you are gone.”
Plenty of teams have bounced back from poor starts to a season, with Hardwick making an art form of it at the Tigers.
But Wallace argues when a coach enters the season under the pump it creates a distraction that never allows a team to focus on what makes it successful.
“Four weeks into a 23-week season and you know you are gone,’’ he said.
“Trying to keep focused and balanced towards your players who know you are gone too, trying to keep the staff focused is a really difficult task.
“All of a sudden every press conference you go to, the big boys are there rather than the cub reporters and the whole thing grows.
“The bigger the club and personality, the more difficult that becomes.”
Collingwood’s first 10 rounds include contests against every 2016 preliminary finalist as well as Hawthorn.
Yet Hardwick couldn’t have a gentler introduction: winnable games against Carlton, Collingwood, West Coast (MCG), Brisbane (Gabba) and Melbourne in the first five weeks.
Now how many of this trio of coaches can fight their way out this spot like Sheedy and Daniher before them?
OUT OF THE GATESDamien Hardwick, Nathan Buckley and Ken Hinkley more than most will be looking for early wins
RICHMOND
R1: Carlton (MCG)
R2: Collingwood (MCG)
R3: West Coast (MCG)
R4: Brisbane (Gabba)
R5: Melbourne (MCG)
R6: Adelaide (AO)
COLLINGWOOD
R1: Western Bulldogs (MCG)
R2: Richmond (MCG)
R3: Sydney (SCG)
R4: St Kilda (Etihad)
R5: Essendon (MCG)
R6: Geelong (MCG)
PORT ADELAIDE
R1: Sydney (SCG)
R2: Fremantle (AO)
R3: Adelaide (Ad)
R4: GWS Giants (Manuka)
R5: Carlton (AO)
R6: Brisbane (Gabba)
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/expert-opinion/jon-ralph/nathan-buckley-damien-hardwick-ken-hinkley-need-fast-starts-to-keep-wolves-at-bay/news-story/642c1510c6d57bc3fb6cead81879e267
