Eight AFL coaches come out of contract at the end of the current season, and nine weeks in, some of them must be wondering if they will have jobs next year.
We are already starting to see which sides are going to make it, and which are going to soon be faced with a major decision.
We shall start in Brisbane, where the pressure has to be mounting on Michael Voss.
Some in the media have called for the former premiership captain to be signed for a further two years, but surely there are some in Brisbane that would be question their 2009 decision.
Voss started brilliantly in charge taking his Lions to week two of the finals in ’09, but a disappointing 2010 (7 wins) followed by a horrible start to this season has the alarm bells ringing. Dare the Lions contemplate finishing lower than rivals Gold Coast?
Then there is Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson.
While attending their round eight match against St Kilda – where at quarter time the Hawks were trailing 33-1 – a quick glance on the Hawthorn Facebook page revealed fans calling for the coach’s head.
The Hawks went on to win the match by five goals and fans were quick to praise the coach for some tactical changes. Do their supporters want him or not?
Hawthorn need a big year and has proven to be a challenger to Collingwood over recent times if at their best. Jeff Kennett may be leaving at year’s end, but don’t expect him to go quietly if the Hawks fail to produce again.
Pressure has seemingly eased on Carlton coach Brett Ratten, with a top-four spot now looking a real possibility. It should be a minimum expectation with the likes of Judd, Murphy and Gibbs in the midfield and a strong yet small forward line.
Carlton has started the season impressively but Ratten must achieve some sort of success in September to be secure in his job beyond 2011.
West Coast’s John Worsfold has arguably had the best start to the year of any of the coaches under pressure. Currently sitting sixth (five wins, three losses) and looking impressive after a dominating display against the Bulldogs.
The return to form of veterans such as Andrew Embley and Dean Cox and the rise of youngsters Jack Darling and Luke Shuey have seen the Eagles rise.
Worsfold – if rumours are to be believed – could be close to signing a new deal at the club, certainly a different outcome than many were predicting only a matter of 10 weeks ago.
Others are starting to feel the pressure, with Demons coach Dean Bailey, Adelaide’s Neil Craig and Bulldogs front man Rodney Eade all seeing their sides struggle in the early parts of the season and needing improvement in coming months.
Potential replacements already being mentioned.
More was expected of Melbourne (3-4-1) and Adelaide (3-5) this year, with top-eight expectations, however both are inconsistent. Bulldogs supporters saw this year as a prospect to end their trophy drought, but it doesn’t look good.
And remember a multiple premiership coach by the name of Mick Malthouse may well want to continue his coaching career in 2012 when Nathan Buckley will replace him as Collingwood coach.
Many clubs would love his services, would they not?
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