Is Mark ‘Choco’ Williams ready for a return to AFL ranks? Yes, is the definitive answer from former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes.
The outspoken Cornes who spent much of his career under the guidance of Williams penned an interesting article last week with the strong belief his former mentor should still be involved at the top level.
The 2004 premiership coach would clearly love to still be involved at AFL level and addressed his predicament with Cornes on SEN radio last Friday.
“It is difficult to get a job over 60, but it’s not impossible. I suppose people see me as different, and there’s no doubt that I am. If you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same results. If you go for safe choices, you’re probably going to get vanilla results”
A results-driven business
Rightly or wrongly, when clubs are looking to appoint a senior coach they tend to gravitate towards success.
Appointing someone with recent premiership or finals success seems to tick the boxes. Often poaching an assistant coach who has been part of a successful football program is the way to go.
It’s an understandable mindset for a club languishing at the bottom of the table. The rationale that some of the magic from a top team will rub off on us if we hire one of their employees.
Hawthorn is the best recent example of this. Various assistant coaches that have worked in that environment now occupy the top job at other AFL clubs.
Ok, the appointment of Brendon Bolton didn’t quite go to plan for Carlton. Nevertheless, currently listed as senior coaches we have Damien Hardwick, Luke Beveridge, Leon Cameron, Brett Ratten, Chris Fagan and Adam Simpson.
All spent time working under the tutelage of Alastair Clarkson. Three of those are now premiership coaches.
The cold hard stats
Choco has plenty of supporters in his corner and has won plenty of plaudits throughout his coaching career. He got them even recently at GWS and Richmond where he worked in a development role for four seasons until the end of 2016.
We have seen various articles and interviews on the relationship Williams forged with Dustin Martin and the significant role Williams played in the development of the Tigers superstar.
The 61-year-old has always been highly rated for his ability to teach the fundamentals of the game. Perhaps not surprisingly as he is a qualified teacher.
So why hasn’t Mark Williams been given another chance? It seems too simplistic the media narrative that it is due to his age or personality traits that scare away potential suitors.
Former Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams (AAP Image/Ben McMahon)
It surely comes down to a decade of results. The 2004 Port Adelaide premiership is the crowning coaching achievement for Williams and while a wonderful accomplishment, it is now ancient history.
The 2007 season is the last time the premiership coach was involved at an AFL club that won a final. Many footy fans only really remember the grand final that saw Port narrowly defeated by 20 goals.
The reality of professional sport is that it’s often the coach who is held most accountable for unsatisfactory results.
The harsh reality of a record losing margin in the grand final followed by three poor seasons not playing finals footy. This probably isn’t going to warrant clubs knocking the door down to hire you as the senior coach.
Ready and willing
Throughout the year we will hear football identities and players continue to endorse Choco. Advocating for an AFL team to draw on his vast football experience in some capacity.
In September 2018 Williams signed a three-year deal to coach Werribee at VFL level. Last year a positive year as Werribee qualified for finals, narrowly losing the Semi Final to Essendon.
It appears the door is firmly closed on returning as an AFL senior coach. However another successful campaign at VFL level in 2020 might reignite some interest from AFL clubs to have Mark Williams contribute to their club in some way.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Koch saved you because the AFL loaned him the money to do so! Apart from that, Sydney is a great place from which to run an Adelaide based footy club! It seems that everything is rosey down at Alberton if you are to be believed. Nothing to see here! Still losing money and still holding high levels of debt. At least you have a major sponsor again … at last!
Maxy
Roar Rookie
port was seriously close to folding before Koch arrived,like him or not he basically saved us and bag the china experiment all you want but look at our sponsors,thomas has done a great job along with Koch ,and don't buy into the Hinkley hate as much as a lot of port fans,game plan and game style stacks up with the best teams,just need some polish and its arrived the last 2 years of the draft,sure some mistakes have been made no different to 16 other clubs
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Not that interested but off the top of my head Port could consider returning someone like Greg Boulton as President, George Fiachi as CEO, and Jarrad Schofield as coach instead of the failed Koch, Thomas (a bit harsh) and Hinkley.
Maxy
Roar Rookie
glad you show so much interest in our club even though you don't follow us,so if you hate us with a passion please tell us who should run the club,some one like Clarkson at hawks who never played for them,perhaps hardwick at Richmond who never played for them ,or perhaps Thompson at geelong who he never played for them,perhaps bring cahill back
Maxy
Roar Rookie
he is a club great,entitled to your opinion but show a bit of respect,not only mark but whole Williams family port royalty to true port fans
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Yep
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
More a comment in making yourself bigger than the club. There were some weird decisions made last year, the obvious one being the captaincy debacle, you don’t just change 100+ years of tradition.
RT
Roar Rookie
Gary Ayres has turned down at least one AFL assistant role to coach VFL. He obviously thinks a VFL senior coach role is more prestigious. Seems silly to me. Choco should be coaching something better than Ajax amatuers, surely?
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
I think your been a bit harsh on Ken. Doesn’t look to me to have an overblown ego. His worst fault maybe he doesn’t inspire his players consistently. Who knows, a forward line clicking, he may be a hero this year.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
True but Darren could score you some awesome autographs :)
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Will be 80 in April! :thumbdown:
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
I am no port fan (I hate them with a passion) but your statements about who is running the club are 100% correct. It has been a comedy of errors since (and including) the Primus years. Get back to the Port Adelaide of old, run by Port people!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Not to mention the unfounded rumours about the camp that he started!
Peter
Guest
Agree 100% He had his time.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Mate, were you there when we got 13.5k on in the middle of winter with tarps on at AAMI v North Melbourne? How about when Brisbane came back from 45 points down in the last quarter in pouring rain? Have you been a member of the club for the past 15 years and seen first hand week in week out what it was like? Now tell me how you know Choco was a great coach? Feeble, lol, one of the most historic and successful sporting clubs in the country but hey, you keep telling yourself that.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
He is out of date, to many younger guys coming through the AFL system, just can’t see a club giving him a senior coaching role, Richmond dumped him in his role there and have won 2 flags, I think footy has changed so much and it continues to change a club level that I can’t even see him at any AFL club at any level.
6x6 perkele
Roar Rookie
I'd get John Cahill in before choco, his personality is that which needs to be in control.
marc
Guest
You guys are kidding right? He brought us our only period of success not to mention a premiership. The players all love him and so do the supporters. Well let me clarify that - true port adelaide supporters. The club now isn't how it was envisioned. It's a wishy washy watered down Port in name only. It's run by non Port people. We haven't had success in a long time. Everyone ive chatted to ie the true Port fans want Chocco back. I love the guy
Simoc
Guest
And how many premierships has your feeble team won without Williams. None. They prefer losing year in, year out playing pretty average football which every AFL team can manage. I thought Williams was an excellent coach and Williams certainly would have been a better choice for the Gold Coast (they picked the worn out Eade just to demonstrate how hopelessly incompetent the management there is), and previously for St Kilda and Carlton. But hard to break back in now for Williams. Fagan is outstanding at Brisbane and Fremantle are experimenting with Longmuir. So coaching at VFL level isn't so bad.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Choco nearly destroyed Port, his game plan and the feeling he thought he was bigger than the club bought us to our knees (Sound familiar Ken?) People that know will remember that. We won the premiership despite that ridiculous "chip it around the backline when we were up with 5 minutes to go game style", how many games did we lose because of that? How many years did the supporters have to put up with it? Same plan every year.