As we enter the middle third of the year, the recruiting concessions of the AFL’s 18th team has heated up contract talks with players. But as evidenced in the last off-season, coaching movements are equally controversial when trying to build a winning team.
Coaching behind closed doors, the majority of work is done behind the scenes by assistant coaches who are managed by a senior coach. The emergence of James Hird as a coach-manager hybrid has exemplified the importance of selecting very specific assistant coaches depending on the club’s playing position.
Leading the carefully selected team of Mark Thompson (senior assistant), Brendan McCartney (forwards), Sean Wellman (defence) and Simon Goodwin (midfield), Essendon are flag contenders with a near-identical list to 2010.
Kevin Sheedy and Mark Williams have headed up the young Greater Western Sydney team this year, but it is unlikely Sheedy will be the senior coach in the Giants’ inaugural AFL season. With a three-year contract to run out, one would suspect Sheedy will be appointed to a non-coaching position within the football department.
The craze of young coaches is proving very successful with several head coaches undertaking only two or three year apprenticeships as assistant coaches before earning senior coaching positions.
With GWS having what will be the youngest list in the AFL in 2012, coaches who have worked in development-specific roles will be highly valued. McCartney was the architect behind developing many of Geelong’s youngsters towards their 207 and 2009 premierships, and was highly valued by Thompson.
The duo came as a pair to the delight of the Essendon Football Club.
So who should GWS select for the inaugural coaching panel?
Using the Gold Coast Suns as an example of what to expect next year from the Giants, a quality defensive assistant will be critical, because we can expect the ball to spend a fair bit of time down there.
Ross Smith has served at Hawthorn for the past seven seasons, specialising in defence, and being part of the 2008 premiership win. In these seven seasons, the Hawks have been a very miserly team in the absence of a superstar full-back.
Managing the Hawks defensive unit with few All-Australian defenders (only Campbell Brown in 2007 and Trent Croad in 2005), Smith has formed a powerful defensive unit with minimal talent to work with.
Also to be looked at is Geelong’s Matthew Egan. Forced into early retirement due to injury, Egan has been integral in developing the league’s most miserly defence. His work with the youngsters at Geelong has seen many players requested by rival clubs and consequently traded due to the rarity of openings in Geelong’s superpower defence.
Only 27 years of age, with three years coaching experience in VFL/AFL at the powerhouse Geelong stable, Egan’s ability to communicate with incoming youngsters would be highly influential on their development.
Honourable mentions go to Simon Lloyd, Matthew Knights and Max Hudghton.
With a crop of players drafted to be midfielders, similar to the way the Gold Coast Suns drafted, a young midfield coach should be a near certainty. Someone who has only recently come out of the game and has been through a rebuilding process is a logical option.
Since playing in two losing grand finals, Scott Burns was an integral leader at Collingwood, where he led the young midfield alongside Nathan Buckley to shorten the rebuilding phase.
Serving under coaching guru John Worsfold for three years, Burns has been integral in the emergence of Matt Priddis, Nic Natinui, Brad Ebert, Luke Shuey and Scott Selwood to make the Eagles to be the big improvers of 2011.
Burns’ leadership skills would make him an excellent mentor for a budding core of youngsters who will be eager to attack the football with the same aggression as Burns in his playing days.
In the event Lenny Hayes calls an end to his career at the end of the season, he must be seriously considered by GWS. His professionalism is something every football player looks up to and everything about him just screams leadership.
Honourable mentions go to Robert Harvey, Darren Crocker and Garry Hocking.
The forward line is where GWS can be the least selective of the three playing regions. It will take a considerable amount of time to build a dominant forward line.
Bit of a left field selection here, but GWS should consider appointing Michael O’Loughlin as forward line coach. Having spent the past few years working with the AIS developing youngsters, O’Loughlin possesses the poise to coach what will be an erratic forward line.
Having worked at some point with many of the players who will be drafted, O’Loughlin’s knowledge of the game’s latest sports science at the AIS will be highly sought after. Being a Sydney local himself should only encourage administrators.
Honourable mentions go to Simon Goodwin, Terry Wallace and David Flood.
It is the senior assistant coach and head coach positions where speculation has been frenzied since the announcement of the game’s 18th franchise.
Essendon has proven that a dream-team duo like Hird and Thompson can turn any team around. The experience gap of the duo is what makes them so good together.
Ever since the signing of premiership coach Mark Williams to the GWS coaching panel, rumours were abuzz that Williams would lead the team in the inaugural AFL season.
Taking a leaf out of Essendon’s book, I would recommend he be appointed senior assistant and mentor a younger coach alongside the youthful coaching panel.
The head coach will be the face of the franchise and face ruthless scrutiny after countless floggings and questions over Israel Folau.
That man should be Peter Sumich. Having served as an assistant under Worsfold since 2002, Sumich’s credentials are unrivalled. He has narrowly missed out on senior coaching positions several times now, but at the age of 43 (Gold Coast’s Guy McKenna is 42), Sumich is still a young coach and would be nine years Williams’ junior.
Having coached the Eagles through two rebuilding phases, including the 2005 premiership, Sumich played 150 games, kicking 514 goals to lead the Eagles’ goal-kicking seven times, which included premierships in 1992 and 1994.
Widely regarded as one of the best assistants in the game, Sumich’s youth driven focus is exactly what GWS need to develop the league’s youngest list. Together with Williams’ tactical nous, these two possess the extensive experience to manage the clubs young coaches and even younger playing group.
Honourable mentions go to Paul Roos, Leon Cameron and Brenton Sanderson.
So in a perfect world, here is my GWS dream team panel.
Senior Coach: Peter Sumich
Senior Assistant Coach: Mark Williams
Assistant Coach Backs: Ross Smith
Assistant Coach Midfield: Scott Burns
Assistant Coach Forwards: Michael O’Loughlin
Development Coach: Matt Egan
Development Coach: Lenny Hayes
Who is your coaching dream team for GWS?