Coach AFLCA Coach of the Year

[Sttew]

Younger players more difficult to coach. Coaches all know this. You have to be 10 years in the system to get in Chris Scott’s team with a couple of token youngsters thrown in to make it look good. Horsemire has done a much better job.

Of course you'd say that

 

[PhilX]

Continued high level of output from limited journeymen no other club wanted (e.g Stewart, Atkins) while converting a steeple chaser into an AA utility.

Wait, was Blicavs a steeplechaser? Funny the commentators have never mentioned this.

 

[HairyO]

Congratulations to Fly McRae on winning the 2022 AFLCA COTY award.

What are people’s thoughts on this? Is he a deserving winner? Was there someone else more deserving?

Taking a look at all the previous winners, are there any that retrospectively should’ve gone to another coach in hindsight?

AFLCA Coach of the Year winners

2003: Paul Roos (Sydney)
2004: Mark Williams (Port Adelaide)
2005: Neil Craig (Adelaide)
2006: John Worsfold (West Coast)
2007: Mark Thompson (Geelong)
2008: Mark Thompson (Geelong)
2009: Ross Lyon (St Kilda)
2010: Mick Malthouse (Collingwood)
2011: John Worsfold (West Coast)
2012: John Longmire (Sydney)
2013: Ken Hinkley (Port Adelaide)
2014: John Longmire (Sydney)
2015: Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)
2016: Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)
2017: Damien Hardwick (Richmond)
2018: Nathan Buckley (Collingwood)
2019: Chris Fagan (Brisbane Lions)
2020: Ken Hinkley (Port Adelaide)
2021: Simon Goodwin (Melbourne)

Just to point out, I don’t believe it should automatically go to the Premiership coach, the Jock McHale medal is there for that. I believe I’ve read this is voted on by their peers and factors in their ability to bring success on the back of the club’s position/list/footy department constraints/improvement etc.

Is there something else that should be factored into the decision making?

Curious to know if hindsight changes who should be the winners of previous seasons, or this season’s one.

Its an award for the most improved coach, not the best coach.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

Not have about 8 years of diabolical game plan on his CV to make up for would be a good start.

Not have press conferences that are about his press conferences would be another positive move. Though I did notice he seemed to drop the “if I reveal anything we know that you don’t know to you I would have to kill you” line of answering this year.

Not lied and said Stewart said “I ran past the ball and I chose to bump,” after he had near decapitated Prestia. Players don’t talk like that, only Chris Scott does.

He could have put more than about 50 games into players 22 or under. By selecting the teams he did he reduced his degree of coaching difficulty, which just like in Olympic diving(funny that, seeing as how he is Geelong coach) limits the amount points the judges will give you, even for a perfect execution.

So many other improvements he could make, so little time to address the question.

It's not clear to me where you stand, MR. Do you like Scott or not?

 

[Sweeetleftfoot]

I know it shouldnt always go to the coach of the strongest team or premiership team. But Chris Scott has kept his team in the hunt for 10 years and hasnt won it which is a bit odd. Fair play to Mcrae he is a deserving winner, but hypothetically speaking if this year was a dead cat bounce and Collingwood go to s**t next year, would that make Mcrae an undeserving winner?

Why would it make him undeserving? It’s coach of the year award, not let’s see what happens in 4 years award

 

[One_Wing]

Why would it make him undeserving? It’s coach of the year award, not let’s see what happens in 4 years award

Cause coaches get overlooked for being consistently good.

 

[PieLebo87]

Its an award for the most improved coach, not the best coach.

I don't know about pigeonholing it like that.

It is a peer voted award and I'd guess the peers take into consideration his management style and performance, team's outcoes based on expected talent capabilities and the resources available.

You haven't said it, but I don't understand people's issues with it not being given to the Premiership coach. Its the equivalent to the Players' Association MVP award which is also peer voted, and different to a Jock McHale medal which rewards the Premiership coach for their successful season.

Only blight on this is it can be a popularity contest, but then the same can be said about the MVP award, or the Leigh Matthews Trophy.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

I think Mcrae is a worthy winner. Others would have been worthy also. The same can be said of most awards though. If there was one single standout for every award, it would make things kind of boring.
I hope he didn't get the award largely due to the optics of taking a side from 17th to 4th though. He's a deserving winner regardless, but if we take the 2021 result out of the picture, he took a side that finished 8th and played in a semi in 2020, to 4th and a prelim. Still a great result.

From the 2020 list, there was still 27 players on the list this year, with probably 18 of those having a strong case of being considered best 22. From the 2020 list, there were 17 players named in the prelim side this year and 13 of those were in the 2020 semi final side.

 

[Fadge]

If we were Carlton, we would be celebrating this for the next 12 days. Have fans waiting for 24 hours just for the opportunity to meet the club's award winner.

Speaking of Carlton, Voss must have been desperately unlucky after taking the club to their highest ladder position in 9 years, in his first season as coach.

What did McRae do? Collingwood finish top 4 more often than they don't. Just an average season for them.

 

[Some Idiot]

I think people that say it should go to the premiership coach are missing the point. It's the best coach of the season as voted by the other coaches. It's meant to be similar prestige to the AFLPA MVP as an award granted by peers.

 

[FreddyTwoShoes]

I think people that say it should go to the premiership coach are missing the point. It's the best coach of the season as voted by the other coaches. It's meant to be similar prestige to the AFLPA MVP as an award granted by peers.

Is it just the 18 senior coaches who vote or do assistants also get a vote? Genuinely curious.
I'm not against peer-voted awards at all, but having only 18 voters probably leaves it more open to 'vibe' selections.

This is not a criticism of McRea at all. He's had a really impressive first year and is obviously brilliant at inspiring his players.
And he completely deserves this award.

 

[Swanks McSwankserton]

Correct me if I'm wrong but since 2017 at least, and in many of the other years listed, it seems to have gone to the coach of the club that jumped the most ladder positions from the year before? In many ways that makes it one of the more deserving awards going round.

Except of course how much credit can the coack take for a side's improvement? It's really hard to separate a coach from their assitants/coaching group, recruiters, list managers, players ofc, and even just the timing of their appointment.

Congrats to fly regardless.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Craig McRae

Craig Mcrae

Age

50

Ht

176cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.9

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

16.2

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.2

3star

G

1.4

5star

Edit : Oh, He won, I thought we were asking who should win

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

If you take a team from 17th to an inch away from a GF you're thoroughly deserving of coach of the year.