Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade addresses his Western Bulldogs players. Slattery Images
There are very few certainties in the AFL, but one thing is for sure. At the end of this season there will be one completely contented senior coach, and sixteen others left pondering what they could have done better to lead their side to the promised land of an AFL premiership.
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
camcallsthegame
Roar Pro
I am bulldogs supporter and past member who recognizes the success Eade has generated for the red, white and blue. This is interesting as I recently wrote an article on the need for change. http://camcallsthegame.wordpress.com/ cameron Larkin camcallsthegame@gmail.com
brendan
Guest
We keep coaches too long in Afl.Neil Craig at Adelaide is an example he should definetly go and should have been replaced this year.Eade should go as well and it doesnt mean he is a bad coach but if you keep doing the sme thing you get what you always got.Iremember coaches switching clubs in the 70,s or 80,s maybe it was walls and somebody else.You always hear players and ex-players saying the game has changed so much in the last x ammount of years so if a team is on the slide a change of coach can make a difference.You could have got 100 to 1 that Geelong would be on top undefeated under a first year coach but maybe Chris Scott is up with the modern game because he recently played it.I know you can say look at Malthouse but he has some handy assistants with recent experience.Anyway that old cliche applies there are only two sorts of coaches sacked ones and those about to be sacked.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
I would replace this proven good coach if I felt that the Bulldogs were still a contender for a premiership. In terms of development, I could go either way. On one hand, he is a very good development coach, but on the other hand, a fresh pair of eyes can some be quite useful. Eade has been at the bulldogs for seven seasons, and if he's unlikely to ever get the Bulldogs past a preliminary-final, what's the point of keeping him? No, I think I would get rid of him.
Michael Filosi
Roar Guru
My point exactly Matt F, well put.
Matt F
Guest
absolutely they do but the bulldogs already have a good coach. do you replace a proven good coach with an unknown over a bad season that was always going to happen sooner or later? when you've been near the top for so long a decline is always on the horizon. Give him a chance to rebuild them and if he fails then move on for someone else, experienced or not.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Everyone has to start somewhere. Mick Malthouse was once a rookie coach. Certainly, though, you do need to get someone with experience. I don't mean a former senior coach, but rather someone who has actually been an assistant coach for a substantial period of time. Voss didn't have any assistant coaching experience, while Scott was an assistant coach at Fremantle for three seasons.
Matt F
Guest
it's true we are too quick to condemn coaches. eade's done a great job with the bulldogs who, despite having a premiership window that's now passed, never quite had the squad to beat the likes of geelong and collingwood. It's certainly the most succesful period the dogs have had in a while. good coaches don't become bad coaches overnight. give him a chance to rebuild the list and see what happens. The other issue is, if they do sack him, who do they get to replace him with? If someone like malthouse is interested then fair enough but if you've already got a good coach then do you want to take the risk on an untried coach? For every Alastair Clarkson or Chris Scott there's a Matthew Knights or Michael Voss.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
"At the end of this season there will be one completely contented senior coach" Even that is uncertain this year. If Collingwood win the flag, would Malthouse truly be completely contended considering that he won't have an opportunity to coach three straight flags? Regarding your contention, I certainly agree with you that clubs are too quick to change coaches. However it depends on what their goals are. If the Bulldogs are in development stage, then, yes, keep Eade. However if they want to win a flag, then I think they should replace him. He has shown that he can not take the final step, so if the Bulldogs do want to challenge for for a flag in the next few years, I don't think he's the man to do it.
TomC
Guest
Its not such a dumb idea to replace the coach when you need to rebuild. Existing coaches often have emotional connections to players and their own professional reputation is staked on certain existing players doing well. Changing the coach allows for some more objective list-making decisions. That said, Eade has a pretty good record when it becomes to list management and I doubt there's a better option out there for the Dogs.
me too
Guest
For some it seems the best way to create instant change is to change the coach. It isn't too bad in the AFL - have a look at Chelsea FC's expectations of a coach.