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.
Justin Rodski
Guest
I think the 'director of coaching' role is basically a mentor type position and would only ever be given to someone with years of experience coaching at senior level or within football ranks The senior assistant role is more tactical and day-to-day operations and structures of the team and the reason why it can be an attractive position is it has less responsibility, less accountability and in theory is less time consuming..... For someone that values family and other things in life....why wouldn't you cop being under someone, put your ego aside and enjoy living without letting football take over...... Paul Roos is heading down the director of coaching model Mark Williams could be either a senior coach, director of coaching or a senior assistant While Dean Laidley is the perfect candidate for a senior assistant
Mega
Guest
Must be pretty hard for coaches to step back and become assistants. Must give their egos a bit of a dent.
Redb
Roar Guru
In theory they sit above the senior coach and assistant(s). This is the role Mick Malthouse will take in 2012 at Collingwood. In terms of developing a game plan, Knights needs all the help he can get. You dont have to sit with the coach on match day and make positional changes to have an impact on the overall game plan which should already be nutted out with contingencies beforehand. Knights seems to load only 2 bullets into his game plan gun, when both go off, he is firing blanks after that! - read bleed goals.
Mega
Guest
Laidley at Port was a weird one. Never seemed like he cared. The passion he showed at North just wasn't there. And he showed no interest in the head position when it became available. Maybe he just didn't like Port Adelaide...
Tom Dimanis
Roar Pro
Knights is acting like he would be cool with Williams's appointment as his assistant, but I'm sure he'd be pretty nervous if it went ahead. I think Michael is right, Essendon should just bite the bullet and bring in Williams for Knights. I don't get these Director Of Coaching roles that are being made up - with the amount of assistants that each coach has at his disposal, aren't they essentially 'directors of coaching'?
Redb
Roar Guru
It appears unlikely at this stage. I'd like to see Williams as a Director of Coaching at Essendon at the very least.
Michael
Guest
Essendon should just get it over and done with and sack Knights. Williams would be a good choice for a senior coach.
BigAl
Guest
These two were both trapped within moribund clubs - and both warrant a senior coaching job. Laidley looks perfect for the Eagles , and Williams, well I could think of 3 or 4 outfits where he would be better than the incumbent.
Mega
Guest
It's almost as if there is too many good coaches than there is clubs. All these ex-players have rushed into coaching of late and multiplied options for teams. I can see Williams at Essendon. Laidley will be an assistant. Let's not forget Williams was a premiership coach.