Melbourne CEO Peter Jackson continues to be true to his word when appointed a few months ago that he would make the Demons relevant again in this competition and no longer the impediment he claims they had become in recent seasons.
He has managed to lure the man on top of his wish list to coach the struggling club, former Swans mentor, Paul Roos.
Roos will coach the Demons for at least two years with an option of a third and it’s been a huge turnaround over the past few weeks for the Swans’ premiership coach, who until recently had said coaching wasn’t on the radar.
However, Jackson’s persistence or doggedness, either word will suffice coupled with Roos’ contract ending as head of Sydney’s football Academy and the chance to put a coaching succession plan in place like he did with John Longmire at the reigning premiers, rekindled Roos’ interest in returning to coaching at the highest level.
Success seems a long way off even for Roos, who got the Swans into the finals in seven of his eight full seasons in charge after turning them around quickly.
However, he obviously has a method and he will teach the players how to play and it will be a consistent message designed to get the desired results over a long period of time.
If he is to introduce a succession plan, he needs a senior assistant, who will be ready to go whenever Roos decides his time at the Demons is up.
Mind you if the Demons improve quicker than expected and are in the finals or in contention for September action after he has taken up the offer of a third year, it would be surprising if he doesn’t continue for a few more years to try and achieve the ultimate.
Noone would begrudge him that opportunity, considering the gigantic challenge confronting him at the moment.
However, that senior assistant is a vital appointment and there are some plying their trade at other clubs, who are gaining impressive reputations as they continue their preparation to be the number one man down the track.
Eagles assistant and former Collingwood player, Scott Burns is one that should be looked at.
He has had five years under John Worsfold and might think he needs experience at one more club under an established coach before taking the next step.
West Coast of course need a new coach to replace Worsfold and Burns would have to be in the mix, although Peter Sumich is the favourite.
Adam Simpson has been a great addition to a very successful program at Hawthorn, but again like Burns he might want to round out his preparation elsewhere and you would think he is one that Melbourne would be interested in.
Leigh Tudor has served a long apprenticeship at Geelong, St Kilda and now Sydney and there’s now doubt Roos will look at his old backyard to build his coaching staff, with veteran assistant, George Stone in line to take on a development role at the Demons.
There’s also the issue of making major improvements to the playing list.
They require depth and quality in their midfield and with a very high draft pick, number two to play with, that should be attractive to opposition clubs.
With Paul Roos as coach, Melbourne is likely to be a hip club to go to as Peter Jackson recognised they needed a selling point and got one.
This club has been stuck in the depths for too long and it seemed that there had been no light at the end of the tunnel. However Roos will bring excitement and most importantly hope to this ailing and once proud footy team.
Maybe Dees’ fans will start saying again, ”there’s always next year”.
“Surely we will be better then.”
Yep, they just might be!
Mcmanpp
Guest
How times change: back in 1996 the financially strapped but football achieving Hawthorn were touted to merge with the financially well-off but football unsuccessful Melbourne to form the Melbourne Hawks. A grass roots campaign to raise funds saved Hawthorn but the down trend line for Melbourne stayed in place. Melbourne have done well to secure Jackson as CEO and he's done well to secure Roos as coach. Roos will in turn hire assistants capable of teaching and maintaining his high standards of football performance. On the AFL website of 6 September an article covering the Jackson/Roos joint press conference, there is a photo of several Demon players at the back of the room watching on, chiefly Jack Grimes and Chris Dawes. The looks on their faces says "These guys up front look bloody serious. Will I be good enough or will I get the chop? How hard will I have to work to be sure of not getting the chop from these new blokes?" Quite possibly, that sort of thinking amongst the player group could be a good thing if it spurs them to play better football than we've seen recently. I'd be willing to take a punt that Roos will succeed at Melbourne. If so, by the time of his leaving, it will have taken 20 years since that failed Melbourne-Hawthorn merger. Yes, indeed, how times change.
Lroy
Guest
AFL = Andrew Farts a Lot...
Lroy
Guest
I thought they got fined for not tanking... ??? Seriously, the AFL pinged them 500k.. but didnt find them guilty of tanking.... Jon Cleese is running the AFL??
SportsFanMelb
Guest
The AFL absolutely should not give the Dees a priority pick. They have got themselves here and have had more than enough early picks in the draft. Fining a club for "not tanking" and then considering rewarding them with yet another early pick is laughable. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Mick the swan
Guest
who gives a!
Nathan
Guest
It's beyond laughable to declare Melbourne deserve a priority pick considering the tanking scandal of 3-5 years ago and the sheer weight of first round and priority picks they had in that period. The club was and is rotten to the core. Bad governance, poor coaching, terrible culture, soft playing group. Any player that walks into that club is almost certain to be poisoned - I'd rather be anywhere else. I like the Dees and feel sorry for them but this is their own mess. Thankfully Jackson's come in with a vision and is starting to deliver unlike a lot of others in positions of power. Good luck to them.
Griffo
Guest
I think they've been getting the ingredients for a good soup but they haven't been making them well
Griffo
Guest
Yeah but that's still a fair chunk
Cursing Fijian
Guest
Love the analagy 'Me Too'. You forgot to mention that whenever they get to the front of the soup line, instead of picking say a delicious New England Clam Chowder they have gone for plain old French Onion! And sometimes their picks have been so distasteful, they've given them away to other clubs. But where is the Soup Nazi in all of this?
Me too
Guest
Reeks of blight at st kilda. The best coach in the business will be the worst coach if his heart isn't in it. I find it strange our modern conception of time. Only seven years ago Melbourne won a final. Yet the afl are giving them a financial leg up a year after fining them for 'not tanking' and no doubt will award them a priority pick, despite removing the certainty of awarding one because it promoted that very same tanking that Melbourne were fined for not doing. It's a bit like working in a soup kitchen for the poor and discovering one fellow jumping the lines continuously in order to get two servings, everyone complains, but in order to hush it up you say it was all a mistake, but we'll give him a fine anyway. Of course he can't pay, and so you give him far more money than the fine was anyway, in the hope he'll use it to get a job and disappear from he soup kitchen. Then you see him back again at the head of the line with hands held out and he has the audacity to ask if he can jump the queue after being served, as he reckons he's been in this line for years now. So you ring your mate who's a personal motivator and say, mate I'll pay you an absolute fortune to get this fellow out of here - he's become an embarrassment and causing dissension in the ranks. The others in the line all go 'what the...?' And your fellow says cheers, now about jumping back in line? Still on?
Cat
Roar Guru
I thought anyone who thought it appropriate to comment on this issue would know that the bailout package provided to Melbourne from the AFL only allows for $400k of that money to be used towards the new coach, the rest must come from Melbourne.
Bill Larkin
Guest
I thought anyone who thought it appropriate to comment on this issue would know that the AFL has provided Melbourne financial support. That's where the money's coming from. To your other point, were Collingwood, Richmond and Carlton also junkies when they came off pathetic seasons and received priority picks? Melbourne's case is much stronger than others in the past.
Tanami Mehmet
Guest
Tanami Mehmet
Guest
There's a few questions that I'd like some help with please. Firstly where is the money coming from? I have been led to believe the had money troubles. Roos marketability may pay for himself but he'll have to work pretty hard outside of the coaches box. Secondly why should anyone at the afl think of granting them a priority pick? Why give a junkie another $50 for food when they are just going to swap it for a bag of lawn clippings.