Former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams addresses his players during the AFL Round 13 match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and Port Adelaide Power at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne. Slattery Images
Coaching in AFL football is changing almost as quickly as the game itself has in recent years and it seems now the role of a senior assistant is becoming more crucial than ever.
The specific role that ex-senior coaches Dean Laidley and Mark Williams play next season will be telling and my bet is both will be senior assistants on big money.
Not only do senior coaches already delegate a huge amount of responsibility to their assistants and football managers, but also on match days most are now coaching from the boundary line.
The role of the senior coach on match day has transformed away from the tactical elements of the game and more towards the motivational and personal side of interacting directly with players.
This only highlights the need for a high calibre senior assistant.
The assistants monitor the game from the box and call for interchange rotations and match ups changes when necessary, all while the senior coach is sitting in the dug out with the players on the bench.
At the quarter-time, half-time and three-quarter time breaks, the assistants take each specific area across the ground talking to the backs, mids and forwards in individual groups about all the relevant statistics.
The senior coach has a chance to address the entire team but his message must be broader and aim to inspire rather than be all about tactics and structure.
In a way, the definition of a senior coach is fast becoming more like a director of coaching role anyway.
It’s also a way to help lighten the load and perhaps stress levels falling directly on the senior coach.
Sydney coach Paul Roos almost pioneered this theory with his senior assistant John Longmire, and as we’ve seen this has been a huge success for the Swans and even helped pave the way for a succession plan at the club.
Of course in football egos are also an important factor in all of this and for some, forgiving so much control might not be what they had in mind and potentially could cause division.
The other interesting and possible danger with this type of system is the accountability factor.
The senior coach is still the figurehead who fronts the media and largely takes all the criticism and flack for poor performance, but under this system maybe he shouldn’t be the only one at the post match media conferences.
Not every club has a specific senior assistant and some clubs might say they don’t need one either, but when you think Dean Laidley and Mark Williams have all of a sudden popped onto the market they might want to start to reconsider
The senior assistant tag just got a hell of lot more expensive …and more important too.
Laidley announced yesterday he would be returning to Melbourne on a full-time basis next year most likely stepping down as Port Adelaide assistant.
No doubt several clubs will be queuing up for the master tacticians services and he himself admitted the senior assistant is a position he’s reveling in.
“This role that I do now I love and I would love to keep making it flourish, I suppose.”
Some have suggested Essendon Coach Matthew Knights needs a more experienced assistant to help guide not only the players but the coaching group and football department as well.
Ironically the Bombers this week met with former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams to enquire about his availability next season in what would have to be a senior assistant type role.
Now while Knights was coy on the topic yesterday he certainly left the door open for the prospect of Williams returning to Windy Hill in that capacity.
“I’m really open-minded. We’ve probably got a number of roles at the end of the year that we’re looking to fill in a number of different areas,”
Teams are always looking to gain a competitive advantage and with the way the coaching landscape is heading, the role of a senior assistant is at the forefront.
The senior coach is still the general of the army but the senior assistant is fast becoming the major in command of the day-to-day battles.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
The Carlton coach conceded that his side struggled to stop Geelong from scoring when they entered their forward 50, which is not good enough…
"I am inevitable" - Thanos, Avengers: Endgame You know that scene at the end of a horror movie where everyone thinks the killer is…
Blues fans were adamant Zac Williams should have received a free kick - but Jason Dunstall and David King weren't impressed with his effort!
Blues fans certainly seemed to be copping a rough run from the umps against Geelong!
"They're not getting a lot of love from the umpires at the moment, the Blues!"
Kicked it like a backman!
