Low profiles can reap high rewards
Robert Walls | July 17, 2009
THE hottest topic in football revolves around the coaching situation at various clubs. Will it be Buckley or Malthouse to mentor the Magpies in 2010? Will Dean Laidley get another gig? Is Kevin Sheedy past it? Why are the Bulldogs procrastinating on extending Rodney Eade's contract? Is it time Mark Williams and Port Adelaide parted ways?
Reasons vary as to why clubs appoint coaches. Some are bold and creative in their selections, prepared to put themselves at risk of criticism. Others are safe and conservative, not being prepared to be ridiculed, as they go for the most obvious, predictable option.
Is Collingwood prepared to think outside the square when it considers its options for 2010? I think not. Locked into a race of two is the incumbent Malthouse and the favourite son, Buckley.
But, are the Pies doing themselves a disservice by not looking at other options?
When Kevin Sheedy left the Bombers after 27 years, the board showed a lot of guts in opting for a coach who had one of the lowest profiles in the land. Matthew Knights is a low-key, no-nonsense former Richmond player with no premiership experience whatsoever. What he is good at, though, is encouraging and teaching young footballers and being direct and honest with older ones. In 18 months, he has set standards and disciplines at Windy Hill that have had real impact. No one could have done a better job.
When Neale Daniher left the Demons after a decade as senior coach, it would have been an easy and safe decision for that club to appoint Sheedy, who had his hand up for the job. But they didn't. They showed courage and announced Dean Bailey as coach. Most folk said Dean who? But the Demons had done their homework and put their faith in a man who had vast football experience in three states, had impressive people skills, was a keen student of the game and was prepared to work long and hard to build a solid foundation for a club that had hit rock bottom.
Currently, the power brokers at Port Adelaide don't have the guts to make the tough call and end Mark Williams' 11-year tenure. The club is worried about the backlash it could receive if it sacks Williams — a name synonymous with Port Adelaide's rich SANFL history. The coach wouldn't think twice about leaving if there was an offer elsewhere. But there isn't. So he stays on, dirty with the new restrictions on salary and authority that have been placed upon him. Both club and coach have sold themselves short, because neither has been prepared to make a strong stand.
Favourite sons are favoured by the interstate clubs. It was so easy for Brisbane to appoint Michael Voss. The same for the Eagles with John Worsfold and for the Crows with Neil Craig. Not a feather was ruffled when these three got their jobs. Worsfold is now into his eighth season and has been guaranteed two more. Craig is into year six, again with more to come. Voss will have a long tenure too, as any down years will be tolerated for the home-town boy. Not so though for Fremantle's Mark Harvey. Next year will be his third and final season as coach. He will learn that outsiders just aren't forgiven or given second chances.
Sydney's highs under Paul Roos show how successful thinking beyond the square can be, even if its forced upon you. When Rodney Eade resigned as Swans coach, mid 2002, his assistant, Roos, was appointed coach only temporarily, to see out the remainder of the season. No one expected that Roos would be the permanent replacement. As great as his playing career had been, it was felt that Roos didn't have the drive to discipline, manage and implement new strategies. We were wrong. The Swans wanted Terry Wallace to replace Eade, and it was only the strong push of the Swans supporters that forced the board to do a backflip. Roos has impressed many with his calm, yet strong, manner. He has got the absolute best out of a group not overly blessed with talent, but high on work ethic and team spirit. Seven years on, Roos is now one of the most respected coaches in the AFL.
Two of the gutsiest appointments in recent years were made by Hawthorn and St Kilda. They replaced home boys in Peter Schwab and Grant Thomas and selected two coaches with virtually no public profiles. When the announcements were made that Alastair Clarkson would coach the Hawks and Ross Lyon take the reins at St Kilda, there were plenty of groans of despair.
Don't forget the Hawks overlooked their own in Gary Ayres and Terry Wallace. So memberships were handed in and letters of protest written. What Hawthorn and St Kilda did was opt for a couple of intelligent, ruthless, strong-willed coaches with thorough apprenticeships and were prepared to be innovative. Clarkson, in his fourth season, won a premiership with strategies never seen before. Lyon, in his third season, has the Saints on top of the ladder undefeated and headed to who knows what? The defensive strategies implemented all over the field by the Saints have been simply outstanding.
So, as North and Richmond search for a new coach, you hope the success of Clarkson and Lyon causes them to look beyond the obvious. Alan Richardson, Brad Scott and Chris Bond may not be at the top of many people's lists. They are on mine.
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