Coach Who should be our next coach?

[Lore]

Spoiler: Timeline and reported candidates

15/8 Board toppled (reportedly will pursue Clarkson)
19/8 Alastair Clarkson to join North
21/8 Ben Rutten

Ben Rutten

Age

42

Ht

190cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.4

3star

K

6.3

2star

HB

7.0

4star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

10.6

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

4.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.0

3star

sacked
22/8 Coach selection sub-committee to be established to find a replacement
26/8 Committee members announced: Josh Mahoney

Josh Mahoney

Age

48

Ht

180cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.5

4star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.2

3star

T

1.6

4star

G

0.4

3star

(GM-Footy, chair), Dorothy Hisgrove (Board member), Andrew Thorburn, Simone McKinnis, Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis

Jordan Lewis

Age

39

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.5

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

11.5

5star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.7

4star

MG

310.5

4star

No current season stats available

D

15.0

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

8.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.8

5star

7/9 James Hird, Dean Solomon

Dean Solomon

Age

45

Ht

189cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.8

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

5.5

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.7

5star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

4.2

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.8

5star

, Brendon Lade

Brendon Lade

Age

49

Ht

199cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.4

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

4.0

3star

HO

15.1

5star

No current season stats available

D

11.2

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.4

4star

HO

9.6

5star

, Adem Yze

Adem Yze

Age

48

Ht

187cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

14.4

5star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

5.2

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

1.8

2star

M

0.6

1star

T

0.6

3star

interviewed at EY
13/9 Daniel Giansiracusa

Daniel Giansiracusa

Age

43

Ht

182cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.6

4star

K

11.0

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

2.4

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

10.2

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.8

3star

M

5.2

5star

T

2.0

4star

G

1.0

4star

reportedly interviewed
17/9 Don Pyke “not pursuing that at this stage”
21/9 Brad Scott contacted by the club but won’t make a decision on whether to pursue the role until after the Grand Final
21/9 Adem Yze

Adem Yze

Age

48

Ht

187cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

14.4

5star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

5.2

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

1.8

2star

M

0.6

1star

T

0.6

3star

has second interview and tours the training facilities at Tullamarine
22/9 Blake Caracella

Blake Caracella

Age

48

Ht

186cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.5

4star

K

10.1

4star

HB

6.4

4star

M

4.7

4star

T

1.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

8.8

4star

HB

4.4

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

0.6

3star

will put his hat in the ring
27/9 Brendon Lade

Brendon Lade

Age

49

Ht

199cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.4

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

4.0

3star

HO

15.1

5star

No current season stats available

D

11.2

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

4.4

4star

HO

9.6

5star

appointed as assistant coach at the Western Bulldogs, out of the running for Essendon job
28/9 Brad Scott to be interviewed on Thursday
29/9

 

[Howard Moon]

To be fair a “process” is less of a requirement for coaches with so much experience. What are you going to find out? They’ve been senior coaches for a decade, everything you need to know is available. Strong reference checks etc are more important… you’d speak to club figures, players, coaches they worked with. Of course there’ll be multiple interviews about how they see our list and club etc… but the process for a Lyon, Buckley, Hinkley etc is going to be very different to that for somebody who’s never been in the hot seat before and who goes through psych testing and all the other mad s**t they do.

I get why somebody like Lyon wouldn’t expect the same process.

i remember sheedys spin job when he went through the interview process at Melbourne after he left us...

"they were not interviewing me, i was interviewing them..."

did you still want the job after the interview?

"i wouldnt have thought so, no"

 

[adsla69k]

The odds for Jobe and Tim Watson and David Zaharakis are ridiculously low.

I actually like Watson to come back as a coach of some sort. He reminds me of Hird a lot with his determination. He had to overcome a lot in his early career to become great. Someone with that character is worth their weight in gold.

 

[citizen-erased]

I think big egos go hand in hand with with elite sport environments.

relatively big I guess I should say

 

[Lore]

I actually like Watson to come back as a coach of some sort. He reminds me of Hird a lot with his determination. He had to overcome a lot in his early career to become great. Someone with that character is worth their weight in gold.

I don’t know if he’s a coach type but I think he would have something to offer in some capacity. Tim is okay for media but Jobe doesn’t really have that gravitas, he has something else.

 

[citizen-erased]

I don’t know if he’s a coach type but I think he would have something to offer in some capacity. Tim is okay for media but Jobe doesn’t really have that gravitas, he has something else.

on the couple of times I met Jobe I found he was a very grounded individual. Perfect captain esp for what we went through

My wife had a bit of a crush and that wasn't helped by how genuine he was when engaging with supporters. I recall a time on before the bounce, early days, they had a table of elderly supporters front row in the audience. As the camera panned out at the end of the show as everyone sat chatting, Jobe got up and went straight to the table. Image has stayed with me. He's a quality individual Jobe. Perhaps not a coach, but I reckon he'd be great as a leader elsewhere in the club. not just because of the Essendon connection, but just his make-up.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Regarding Hird, I don’t question he has everything it takes to be a great coach. I actually think he was becoming an excellent coach before everyone knows what.

I don’t want him as coach because I can’t see a way we hire him after following a proper and exhaustive process which means we will have learnt nothing.

I also don’t want him in any other role at the club because his presence will be destabilising. I also worry about his mental health.

So it’s a weird one. I really don’t want them to go down this path but I do believe in his ability to coach and be a unique figure to unite the club.

So if it happened I know I would get my head around it and be excited, but more because of the intangibles and not because we’ve learnt our lesson for a more sustainable path.

100% This. Plus the entire AFL fan base and media will be sticking it to us as fans again, and the only salvation will be a premiership. Otherwise, the cost will be too great

 

[frodos gardener]

 

[Mootsy]

Lyon would be pretty good proviso that he has to try and kick a score above 100 on occasion.

 

[brain taylor]

Lyon would be pretty good proviso that he has to try and kick a score above 100 on occasion.

his teams actually did break 100 points reasonably often

 

[dank420_]

his teams actually did break 100 points reasonably often

People forget the saints going huge under him.

 

[andleanback]

Hey do you mind speeding up your coach selection, we need to appoint another assistant who won’t upset Kenneth Hinkley next year so he can ride out into retirement at the greyhound track.

On a serious note, if Yze is rated so highly why isn’t he getting a top job as yet? He sounds like Scott Burns a bit, highly rated but stuck in assistant land. Did people consider Kingsley in that way in Victoria? Seems more like the quiet achiever.

Apparently Ken was on a plane to Melb by the way. Keep the doors shut.

Hasn’t yze really been in the hunt for 1 job so far? Kingsley was highly rated but look how many processes he had to go through to get a job.

 

[andleanback]

Lyon would be pretty good proviso that he has to try and kick a score above 100 on occasion.

Go and look at the scoring of the Saints through 2009-2010

 

[JayJ20]

Lyon would be pretty good proviso that he has to try and kick a score above 100 on occasion.

I used to think that way but now I’d rather play the most boring brand of football in Australia as long as it gets the wins. Once the defence is set, the attack will eventually come since defence becomes second nature.

 

[Milanista28]

The 2009-10 saints played some of the best football I've seen, they were tough.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

The 2009-10 saints played some of the best football I've seen, they were tough.

They didn't win though, because they were so defensive.

 

[Milanista28]

They didn't win though, because they were so defensive.

Averaged 99 for the year in 2009, they were just beaten by a great Geelong team, 2010 they were so close. I don't think Ross would change much from those years TBH, sometimes you just fall short.

 

[dank420_]

They didn't win though, because they were so defensive.

A bounce away from a flag. They won plenty of games quite convincingly.

 

[faible]

They didn't win though, because they were so defensive.

Geelong 2009 and Collingwood 2010 were supreme sides. Then at Freo ran in to a 3-peat Hawthorn side.

In many others years that Saints team or that Freo team would have got it done. You don't make 3 x GF's with two totally different teams by accident.

Essendon's biggest weakness over the past ~ 20 years has been our two-way workrate and defensive running.

Lyon's biggest strength has been his ability to get his sides to run defensively and work hard two-ways.

He's not a glamorous option - and certainly some of his conduct at Freo was questionable if the rumours are true (which they probably are) - but there's little doubt Lyon's method is exactly the type of play our supporters have been screaming out for our playing group to start demonstrating.

Hard working, two-way running, defensively strong.

He built the foundations for what Fremantle play like under Longmuir IMO. Of the experienced coaches out there, he'd be the one with the style most suited to transforming how our side plays.

 

[nesko_25]

Personally I wouldn't mind Lyon for a 3 year contract and stick too it i.e. wait until the end of year 3 to see if it gets extended. Use those three to bed down a defensive system and weed out the front runners.

 

[Bipolar Bear]

Averaged 99 for the year in 2009, they were just beaten by a great Geelong team, 2010 they were so close. I don't think Ross would change much from those years TBH, sometimes you just fall short.

I guess so.

But we don't have Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes, Stephen Milne, Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montana etc.

 

[thepokey]

Yeah I'd be pretty happy with Lyon I think. I would just love to see us playing some tough, uncompromising football where we run bot ways. If we haven't got the cattle to do that, he'll find the people who will.

 

[NAB777]

The 2009-10 saints played some of the best football I've seen, they were tough.

On that...Goddard was just about the best player in the game at the end of 2010.
Unfortunately, he agreed... and apparently his 2011 pre-season wasn't stellar.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

i can just see sheedy preaching to the board , telling one of those stories where he looks off into the distance...mind clearly ticking over ten steps into the future, three to the left, imagining the MCG at full capacity as Essendon lift the premiership cup after hird has united the fans and club

problem being those other ten steps haven't (or wont) happen.

its like lying in bed planning what youd do with your 10 million lottery win - umm the winning hasnt happened m8

I heard a lot of people booing when he walked out that night. Felt a bit uneasy amongst the crowd to be honest...

 

[Nifft]

I don't mind this from Ross... a few of our players could benefit from this type of coaching.

Why Ross Lyon benched Freo defender for months after a scratch match gaffe

“I was playing on Tom Lynch, Adelaide were coming out of their D50 and Tom Lynch led to the open side for an exit kick and I didn’t stop it.

“When we came back to Perth, Ross got me in and he showed me the vision and Tom Lynch must have trained at St Kilda initially when Ross was there and he goes ‘mate, Tom Lynch couldn’t run out of sight in a week, I could catch up with him. If you can’t stop that, there’s only two things happening, he’s better than you or you’re not trying’. And he goes: ‘I think you’re not trying’.

“So I was in there with Chris Bond, Ross Lyon, Jason Weber who was a sports scientist at the time, Simon Lloyd and Ross goes, ‘You’re done, you’re not going to play’.

 

[Rabbit of Caerbannog]

Then at Freo ran in to a 3-peat Hawthorn side.

Take a look at the difference in quality between those two. It's actually hard to believe he got that team into a GF, especially considering the two biggest names were past their best (Pavlich) or before their prime (Fyfe). Even that GF could've been different had Freo kicked straight early.