With Gold Coast not renewing Rodney Eade’s coaching contract next year, the focus turns to the next person to steer the Suns.
If history tells us anything, it’s unlikely to be an experienced coach who is looking for a second chance because it just doesn’t happen. Only two coaches have recently coached a rival club, after being dismissed from their position, and one of those was Eade.
Why are clubs reluctant to appoint tried coaches who were not retained by a previous club? Is there greater backlash for getting it wrong? Is it sending the wrong message? Is it less exciting? Is it accepting failure?
Logic suggests someone is better second time round, having learned from their mistakes and having further moulded their craft, however it is a rarity in AFL circles.
There are a number of worthy candidates who have been AFL senior coaches and have since developed their wares, knowledge and skills through assistant or other coaching roles.
Let’s take a look at them:
Appointed as Adelaide’s senior coach in 2012, after being an integral member of Geelong’s coaching staff during their reign of success. He had an immediate impact, bringing the club back into finals. As rank outsiders, they pushed the eventual premiers, Hawthorn, to five points in an epic preliminary final. The club won as many games as they lost over the next two years and Sanderson was subsequently moved on. Sanderson returned to the AFL this year as an assistant coach at Collingwood.
The only coach who has taken Brisbane to the finals during the past decade. Unfortunately, the rookie coach overrated the list at the time and recruited senior players, headlined by Brendon Fevola. It was a spectacular flop and set the club back. Retaining young talent further complicated Voss’ tenure. The rebuild was in motion and looked to be on the right track before Voss was sacked in 2013. Voss became part of Port Adelaide’s coaching group in 2015 and has worked exclusively with the midfield group.
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Was a Carlton legend, premiership player and club captain. In 2012, he became Carlton’s full-time coach.
He coached the club for five seasons and finished with the record; 59 wins, 50 losses and one draw. In his second last year, as Carlton’s senior coach, he came within three points of a preliminary final. Ratten’s last season was certainly not a disaster.
However, he was replaced by Mick Malthouse. In 2013, Ratten joined Hawthorn’s coaching group and during his time the club won three premierships.
He came before John Worsforld, James Hird, Mark Thompson and of course the WADA and ASADA dark times. Knights was handed the arduous task of taking over from Kevin Sheedy.
When Knights arrived, Essendon had only won twenty-one games in three seasons. He was given three years to turn the club around and during his second year they played finals.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Knights re-entered the coaching world in 2012 as Geelong’s VFL coach. After three years and a premiership in that role, he then became an assistant AFL Geelong coach.
Fremantle shocked the AFL world when they acquired Ross Lyon from St Kilda. His arrival saw the departure of Mark Harvey.
Harvey had slowly built his team and they won a final in his third full season of coaching.
The club was plagued by injuries the following year and Harvey never coached Fremantle again. Harvey became an assistant coach at Brisbane in 2012, which included three games as a caretaker senior coach. He is currently part of an experienced assistant coaching group at Essendon.
The Western Bulldogs 2016 premiership was 60-two years in the making. Luke Beveridge guided his team and club to the ultimate, but can he take all the credit?
Brendon McCartney was the Bulldogs coach for three seasons before Beveridge. He only recorded twenty wins during his time, but he took over a team that was rebuilding after playing three successive preliminary finals.
McCartney resigned after then-captain, Ryan Griffen, left the club. He has since joined Melbourne’s coaching group.
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Sanderson, Voss, Ratten, Knights, Harvey and McCartney are all more credentialled and prepared to be AFL senior coaches than when they were appointed. Surely one of them deserves another chance.
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