Murray MiddletonRound Six (New Coaches Struggling)
April 27th 2008 12:27
Last season four clubs - Essendon, Melbourne, Fremantle and Carlton - appointed new coaches. At this early point in the season none of the four clubs look like seriously challenging for the finals. The need for a new coach is almost always precipitated by a club being in a lowly position (with the exception of the St. Kilda Football Club). There is no quick fix. The new coach must first gain the trust of the supporters. This can can be achieved by portraying themselves as an intelligent, experienced, shrewd and ruthless operator The problem is - no coach can be sure of himself until he takes the reigns. Ultimately, a coach will be judged by one simple measure: Have they held the premiership cup aloft? It is worth examining the performances of the four new coaches.
At one win and five losses, Mark Harvey is officailly under the pump. He inherated a list that was widely considered to be one of the most talented in the competition. Harvey opted for the Dockers over the Bombers. He must have believed that they would be in finals contention in 2008. Eighteen months ago they played off in a preliminary final. The hardest thing for Harvey is that he is expected to achieve instant success. This has not happened. In recent weeks he has blooded the likes of Palmer, Ibbotson, Mayne and Hinkley. While this has been an admirable decision, it is also a concession that the Dockers have slipped from premiership contention.
Fremantle produced their best display of the season on Friday night when they lost by one point to Geelong. A win might have been the making of the Dockers. The Subiaco crowd gave the team a rousing reception as they left the field. Therein lies the problem. The club should bleed after a one point loss. Harvey must learn to control himself in front of the cameras. As obtrusive as the mainstream media often is, one of the necessities of being a modern day coach is to appease the media. This entails skillfully evading all questions relating to Chris Tarrant. Considering that Harvey spent so many years as Kevin Sheedy's apprentice, it has been rather perplexing that he has performed so poorly in front of the cameras.
Matthew Knights had difficult shoes to fill at Essendon. In a bid to secure another contract, Kevin Sheedy made a bold attempt to make the finals in 2007. His side, lead by the now-retired James Hird won ten matches and almost snuck in. But at what cost? Surely securing recycled players such as Camporeale and Michael did not help to develop younger players. Considering the list that he inherited, a finish outide of the bottom four in 2008 would be a success for Matthew Knights. The only problem is that he beat the more fancied Damien Hardwick to the post by assuring the Bombers hierarchy that there was no need to bottom out.
Unfortunately for Knights, Essendon subscribe to the 'big club' mentality of never bottoming out. In recent years the football public has witnessed the shortcomings of such an approach at Carlton. Supporters expect constant success. Patience is not tolerated. If it was, there is no doubt that Damien Hardwick would be the current Essendon coach. Knights has tried to attack the oppsition. This much has to be admired. However his full-blooded approach to training has almost certainly contributed to the Bombers long injury list. The likes of Jetta, Dempsey, Davey and McVeigh - all of whom were lauded for their round one performances - are now all on the sidelines. 2008 might get ugly for Knights.
Brett Ratten has experienced a resurgence of sorts in recent weeks. Carlton narrowly avoided beating their record losing streak with an upset victory over Collingwood a fortnight ago. The following week the Blues disposed of the insipid Demons. Fevola kicked three consecutive bags, Chris Judd was gaining in match fitness and Mark Murphy was beginning to dominate. The Blues carried their form into the first quarter of Saturday's encounter with Adelaide. However the Crows, like a good side, wore the Blues down. The final margin did not reflect the full extent of Adeliade's dominance. It was a professional performance by the Crows which put paid to any notions that the Blues will play finals in 2008.
There are encouraging signs at Carlton. Their midfield is matching it with, if not beating, most sides. Judd will improve. Waite has arrived. Kreuzer is already a contributer. Murphy and Gibbs continue to improve. The problem is currently one of depth. The likes of Hartlett, Grigg, Bower, Jamison, Pfeiffer and Browne all played on Saturday. As talented as some of this brigade might be, there should be no more than three of them playing every week. There is a long way to go for Carlton. Ratten must be patient and must do his best to manage the supporter's expectations. So far, so good.
Melbourne lost their sixth consecutive match under Dean Bailey at the Gabba on Sunday. While the loss might seem honourable on the scoreboard, it was not. Melbourne had no intention of winning the contest. The afternoon was more an exercise in harm minimisation. The Demons played up to four defenders on Jonathon Brown and Daniel Bradshaw at any one time. The move enabled Brisbane's flankers such as Rhan Hooper and Anthony Corrie to roam the half forward line unattended. What on earth could the Melbourne players gain from such an exercise?
The Demons are in disarray. Admittedly their playing stocks are thin, but it goes beyond this. The side has no structure. Time after time they break down in the middle of the ground. Their players have no confidence in kicking the ball to their forwards because they are regularly outnumbered. Even the Demons good players appear to be down on form. Although it is still early, the buck must stop with the coach. Bailey must try to implement a more viable game plan. His team gains nothing from harm minimisation. Even if it leads to slightly larger losses in the short term, the players must be encouraged to take their opponents on to allow the likes of Robertson, Miller and Davey an opportunity to compete with their oponents one-out. Although Chris Connolly has publicly denied the possibiltiy of stepping in to replace Dean Bailey, it grows more likely with every passing week.
The four new coaches have won six matches out of a possible twenty-four combined. All have made mistakes. They must learn quickly and call upon the experiences they gained as players and assistant coaches to get them through. It is worth mentioning that Alastair Clarkson - whose side remains undefeated in 2008 - was one of the most maligned coaches in recent history in his first two seasons at Hawthorn. A club's fortunes can change very quickly. Incidentally, this time last year which team was 6-0 and sitting on top of the AFL ladder?
At one win and five losses, Mark Harvey is officailly under the pump. He inherated a list that was widely considered to be one of the most talented in the competition. Harvey opted for the Dockers over the Bombers. He must have believed that they would be in finals contention in 2008. Eighteen months ago they played off in a preliminary final. The hardest thing for Harvey is that he is expected to achieve instant success. This has not happened. In recent weeks he has blooded the likes of Palmer, Ibbotson, Mayne and Hinkley. While this has been an admirable decision, it is also a concession that the Dockers have slipped from premiership contention.
Fremantle produced their best display of the season on Friday night when they lost by one point to Geelong. A win might have been the making of the Dockers. The Subiaco crowd gave the team a rousing reception as they left the field. Therein lies the problem. The club should bleed after a one point loss. Harvey must learn to control himself in front of the cameras. As obtrusive as the mainstream media often is, one of the necessities of being a modern day coach is to appease the media. This entails skillfully evading all questions relating to Chris Tarrant. Considering that Harvey spent so many years as Kevin Sheedy's apprentice, it has been rather perplexing that he has performed so poorly in front of the cameras.
Matthew Knights had difficult shoes to fill at Essendon. In a bid to secure another contract, Kevin Sheedy made a bold attempt to make the finals in 2007. His side, lead by the now-retired James Hird won ten matches and almost snuck in. But at what cost? Surely securing recycled players such as Camporeale and Michael did not help to develop younger players. Considering the list that he inherited, a finish outide of the bottom four in 2008 would be a success for Matthew Knights. The only problem is that he beat the more fancied Damien Hardwick to the post by assuring the Bombers hierarchy that there was no need to bottom out.
Unfortunately for Knights, Essendon subscribe to the 'big club' mentality of never bottoming out. In recent years the football public has witnessed the shortcomings of such an approach at Carlton. Supporters expect constant success. Patience is not tolerated. If it was, there is no doubt that Damien Hardwick would be the current Essendon coach. Knights has tried to attack the oppsition. This much has to be admired. However his full-blooded approach to training has almost certainly contributed to the Bombers long injury list. The likes of Jetta, Dempsey, Davey and McVeigh - all of whom were lauded for their round one performances - are now all on the sidelines. 2008 might get ugly for Knights.
Brett Ratten has experienced a resurgence of sorts in recent weeks. Carlton narrowly avoided beating their record losing streak with an upset victory over Collingwood a fortnight ago. The following week the Blues disposed of the insipid Demons. Fevola kicked three consecutive bags, Chris Judd was gaining in match fitness and Mark Murphy was beginning to dominate. The Blues carried their form into the first quarter of Saturday's encounter with Adelaide. However the Crows, like a good side, wore the Blues down. The final margin did not reflect the full extent of Adeliade's dominance. It was a professional performance by the Crows which put paid to any notions that the Blues will play finals in 2008.
There are encouraging signs at Carlton. Their midfield is matching it with, if not beating, most sides. Judd will improve. Waite has arrived. Kreuzer is already a contributer. Murphy and Gibbs continue to improve. The problem is currently one of depth. The likes of Hartlett, Grigg, Bower, Jamison, Pfeiffer and Browne all played on Saturday. As talented as some of this brigade might be, there should be no more than three of them playing every week. There is a long way to go for Carlton. Ratten must be patient and must do his best to manage the supporter's expectations. So far, so good.
Melbourne lost their sixth consecutive match under Dean Bailey at the Gabba on Sunday. While the loss might seem honourable on the scoreboard, it was not. Melbourne had no intention of winning the contest. The afternoon was more an exercise in harm minimisation. The Demons played up to four defenders on Jonathon Brown and Daniel Bradshaw at any one time. The move enabled Brisbane's flankers such as Rhan Hooper and Anthony Corrie to roam the half forward line unattended. What on earth could the Melbourne players gain from such an exercise?
The Demons are in disarray. Admittedly their playing stocks are thin, but it goes beyond this. The side has no structure. Time after time they break down in the middle of the ground. Their players have no confidence in kicking the ball to their forwards because they are regularly outnumbered. Even the Demons good players appear to be down on form. Although it is still early, the buck must stop with the coach. Bailey must try to implement a more viable game plan. His team gains nothing from harm minimisation. Even if it leads to slightly larger losses in the short term, the players must be encouraged to take their opponents on to allow the likes of Robertson, Miller and Davey an opportunity to compete with their oponents one-out. Although Chris Connolly has publicly denied the possibiltiy of stepping in to replace Dean Bailey, it grows more likely with every passing week.
The four new coaches have won six matches out of a possible twenty-four combined. All have made mistakes. They must learn quickly and call upon the experiences they gained as players and assistant coaches to get them through. It is worth mentioning that Alastair Clarkson - whose side remains undefeated in 2008 - was one of the most maligned coaches in recent history in his first two seasons at Hawthorn. A club's fortunes can change very quickly. Incidentally, this time last year which team was 6-0 and sitting on top of the AFL ladder?
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