Every season coaches are fired and coaches are hired… it’s just a part of the business that is the AFL.
With 150 years of history and tradition, the Melbourne Demons Football Club is facing what could be its most important few years in which the future of this once great club could be redefined.
With their CEO and president resigning and their head coach being sacked all within a few months, the Demons and new CEO Peter Jackson have the arduous task of filling those roles with people who will take the club forward.
In the coaching department, the Demons will have a wide range of potential coaches to choose from, ranging from premiership coaches through to first time candidates.
Here are a few of the obvious front-runners:
Former senior coaches:
Rodney Eade
Mark Williams
Gary Ayres
Paul Roos
Matthew Knights
Mark Harvey
John Worsfold
Dean Laidley
Current assistant coaches without senior coaching experience:
Alan Richardson
Scott Burns
Todd Viney
Peter Sumich
Simon Goodwin
From all of these potential candidates, there are undoubtedly a few that could slot into the role at Melbourne.
It will undoubtedly come down to the basics of Melbourne will want in their coach, whether it will be someone with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the toughest job in footy, or will they go with another untried head coach.
The famous saying, “Those who do not learn from history, are only doomed to repeat it” could apply to Melbourne’s selection. After all, where have two untried coaches gotten them?
With a serious rebuild being needed, the favourites to win the job are either Eade, Williams and Roos.
Roos and Williams are premiership coaches, whilst Eade has much respect in the industry as someone who could easily jump back into a head coaching role.
Williams seemed destined to be the next in line to the throne at Greater Western Sydney behind Sheedy, but his off-season move to Richmond could show that if he is going to be a head coach again, that he wants it to be at a Melbourne-based club.
Roos seems to be the popular choice amongst the media, as he is much respected and has shown in his time in Sydney that he is able to build a premiership-quality culture amongst the playing group and the football department.
The process of picking their new coach will be a long one as they know that they have to get it right, and I think as a football fan in general it would be great to see Melbourne become a competitive force once again.
Who do you think will coach Melbourne in 2014?
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