Opinion
Why AFL needs to embrace the coaching merry-go-round
Kane Cornes
AFL columnistImagine if Luke Beveridge and the Western Bulldogs had heeded the signs at the close of 2022, when the Dogs suffered a terrible loss to Fremantle in the first week of the finals, that the party was coming to an end.
Beveridge would have emerged a prime target for clubs such as Gold Coast, Essendon or GWS, who were all searching for senior coaches. He would have been one of the most in-demand coaches of the past decade.
The Bulldogs leave the field after their finals loss to Fremantle in 2022.Credit: AFL Photos
Imagine if Nathan Buckley and Collingwood had parted ways sooner, before the infamous fire sale of the 2020-21 off-season set in motion a torrid season of underperformance. Would he be a senior coach at another club now?
Beveridge and Buckley are not the only coaches to have lingered in the job for too long.
The same could be said for Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley, who in August signed a two-year contract extension. Had Hinkley walked away after 11 years at the Power with an exemplary home-and-away record, he would have been in demand as a senior coach. If Port Adelaide fail again this year, he may never get another chance.
And what about West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson? He was sought after by his original club North Melbourne recently, but opted to stay at the Eagles. The tide may be starting to turn for the Eagles as the Harley Reid effect kicks in, but it will be a long way back. What if, instead of opting for the security of his current job, he had opted for a fresh challenge and an acknowledgement that he had fully squeezed the lemon at West Coast?
Simpson has been through hell the past three seasons, winning just seven of his past 52 games. If his current contract is his last at the Eagles, he is unlikely to get another senior coaching job at another club, even in an expanding AFL.
These are all sliding-doors moments, and the only senior coach to have picked the exit at the right moment is Damien Hardwick.
The Gold Coast coach stands out as an exception to the rule that coaches generally stay too long.
Hardwick demonstrated astute foresight by recognising the signs of an impending decline at his former club, Richmond. After leading the Tigers to three premierships, Hardwick made the bold decision to quit on the Tigers after just 10 games last season, despite having 18 months remaining on his contract. This strategic move undoubtedly extended his coaching career and elevated him to one of the highest-paid coaches in the league.
Damien Hardwick departs his press conference at Punt Road after announcing he was stepping down as coach of Richmond Football Club.Credit: Jason South
In American sports, such as the NBA or NFL, and in European soccer, head coaches often transition swiftly between roles, quitting or being fired from one franchise to resurface as the head coach at another.
By contrast, the AFL’s landscape with more entrenched coaches underscores the need for more open minds on changing clubs.
The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks made a significant coaching change midway through this season, hiring Doc Rivers as head coach after sacking Adam Griffith.
Rivers, who was let go by the Philadelphia 76ers last year, faced criticism after the team squandered a 3-2 series lead and fell to the Boston Celtics in the eastern conference semi-finals. The Bucks are the fourth team Rivers has coached.
In the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles parted ways with coach Andy Reid following a disappointing season in 2012. Since being hired by the Kansas City Chiefs the following year, Reid has cemented his status as one of the NFL’s greatest coaches, guiding the Chiefs to four Super Bowl appearances and clinching three victories.
In a league with only 18 senior coaching positions, the stakes in the AFL are undeniably high. It’s time for AFL coaches and clubs to break free from the shackles of tradition and embrace the wild ride on the coaching carousel. Only then can they ensure that their legacies remain untarnished and their talents recognised across the league.
The Bulldogs have a win-loss record of 3-5, including Sunday’s disappointing loss to Hawthorn. They have faced just two teams from last year’s finals series. It is about to get much harder, with daunting fixtures against the AFL’s pace-setters.
With the bye looming in round 15, they are facing a call on their premiership-winning coach.
Amid two turbulent seasons on the field, concerns with player retention, a breakdown in the team’s game style, the stagnation of player performance and an array of mixed messages from the Kennel, a shadow looms over Beveridge’s coaching future.
He may only have six weeks left as an AFL senior coach. It didn’t have to be this way.
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