Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade addresses his Western Bulldogs players. Slattery Images
Does this fact mean the unlucky sixteen are poor coaches, or not the best person to coach their respective sides?
An emphatic ‘no’ is the answer to both these questions, yet increasingly it only takes a downturn in form for a short period of time to put coaches with a proven record under the pump.
Incredibly, coaches who have excellent records are set upon by the media and fans after a single season of poor results.
Rodney Eade has coached the Western Bulldogs to within one victory of a grand final berth in each of the past three seasons and has won 55 percent of the matches he has coached.
Eade is a very good coach, albeit one without a premiership to his name, and has demonstrated his coaching credentials for the past fifteen seasons, yet he is under pressure to retain his position as senior coach of the Bulldogs.
After three seasons of very good results, the Bulldogs look like they have passed out of their premiership window without any silverware, and now must rebuild their list.
As soon as a club enters into a rebuilding phase, there is often a belief that this must be accompanied by the appointment of a new coach to lead the side in a new direction.
Given that he is clearly a very good coach with an excellent record, why do we assume that Eade should not be the man to oversee the rebuilding phase for the Bulldogs?
Why not allow the proven coaching talent of Eade an opportunity to help the side launch its next assault on the upper reaches of the ladder?
The media and fans can be too eager to condemn coaches after only a short run of poor performances, and fail to give the past record of proven coaches sufficient emphasis when considering their futures.
Last season West Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold was in a similar position to that which Eade now finds himself.
Worsfold was a proven coach who had overseen a period of excellent results for the Eagles from 2005 to 2007 which reaped one premiership and a narrow grand final loss.
Since 2007, the Eagles lost a host of key personnel, and did not make the finals in any of the past three seasons. Many pundits were calling for Worsfold to be replaced as head coach.
The Eagles board resisted the urge to sack Worsfold, and this year has heralded the re-emergence of the Eagles as a very good side. Last year’s wooden spooner sits comfortably in the top eight, and the Worsfold detractors are nowhere to be seen.
The resurgence of the Eagles this season demonstrates that a good coach who has enjoyed sustained success should not be automatically removed simply because the side suffers a downturn in form over the course of a season or two.
Worsfold has helped show that it is possible for a coach to oversee more than one peak in form from the same club, and that it sometimes pays to keep the faith in the established coach.
Occasionally the drive to have an established coach sacked is accompanied by a push to appoint an untried favourite son in his place. Football clubs and the media get caught up in the dreamy potential of a would-be coach, rather than focusing on the proven success of the incumbent coach.
There are several current AFL coaches who have proven over the course of several seasons that they are more than capable leaders of men, yet find themselves under pressure to perform as scrutiny from fans and the media reaches fever pitch.
It’s time to get realistic when we appraise coaches.
Sometimes it is better to keep the devil you know than seek out the devil you don’t.
Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelfilosi
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