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Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade addresses his players during the AFL Round 07 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Sydney Swans at Manuka Oval, Canberra. Slattery Images
Right now there are three clubs looking for a new coach for next season. While it might be easier for these clubs to sell members on a coach with experience, there’s enough evidence to suggest Adelaide, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs should all avoid going down that path.
To be clear, that is assuming these clubs can’t tempt Mick Malthouse away from the Pies, or Alastair Clarkson away from the Hawks, or Paul Roos away from retirement.
Any of these coaches would be a fantastic coup for any club. Only problem is, right now, they all appear relatively “off limits”.
When you take a look at which coaches with AFL experience actually are available, there’s not much to really get excited about.
It’s doubtful anyone fitting that description warrants another senior coaching gig, mainly because they all – Rodney Eade, Neil Craig, Dean Laidley – failed to win a premiership in their first (or second) stints as coaches. (For the record, Mark Williams has gotten a mention or two, but he’s a virtual senior coach at GWS so it’s hard to see him leaving there.)
There are two types of clubs in the AFL: those that are planning towards their next premiership and those that think they are.
An experienced coach may bring a club closer to that end goal in the short-term, but ultimately you are overlooking what should be the most crucial question of any coaching search – “will this man be our next premiership coach?”
If they have shown an inability to lead a team to ultimate success in the past, what would be different this time around?
Eade appears to be the most in-demand of the experienced coaches, yet he’s led two clubs without winning a flag. That doesn’t make him a bad coach. In fact his reputation suggests he’s a pretty good coach.
But he’s not a premiership coach.
Experience is what attracted Richmond to Terry Wallace instead of Alastair Clarkson, that story has been well documented. And experience also led the Bulldogs to Eade which, while far from the worst possible outcome, didn’t end in the Dogs going all the way.
At the end of the day, going all the way should be what these clubs are aiming for.
The best option for the Crows, Dees and Dogs would be to find the assistant coach that appears the most capable of leading a team to a premiership and expresses the qualities that premiership coaches of years gone past have shown.
Take a good hard look at Mark Neeld. Spend some time with Ken Hinkley and Brenton Sanderson. Give Alan Richardson, Scott Burns, Gavin Brown and Brendan McCartney a call.
It’s a risk in the short-term, definitely. But if you’re in this business to win a premiership, and if Malthouse et al truly are off-limits, what other choice do you have?