Well, in the 90s when we we had the reputation of sacking coaches left, right and centre, we managed to score Robert Walls (premiership coach) and Alan Jeans (multiple premiership coach). The idea that the absolute top coaches just sit around and wait for the top jobs to fall into their laps is wrong. If they are career coaches, they keep coaching. Parkin did time at Fitzroy, Hafey went to Sydney when they were rubbish. When Lyon went to Fremantle they had finished 11th the year before and made the finals once in 4 years.
Even if there is not an ex-premiership coach out there who wants to coach (preferable - Matthews, Worsfold are the only ones probably still interested) - you get the next assistant in line. That's how the game works. Hinckley's doing OK, Lyon was an assistant for years (including at us), Scott (Geelong version) seems OK, Roos was an assistant.
We picked probably the best available candidate in Hardwick - it didn't work (so far). It usually doesn't. In the whole history of the VFL/AFL there have been 50 coaches who have won a flag - and 293 who haven't. I think Malthouse holds the record for the longest coaching career before winning a flag - he won in his 9th season. Thompson had the longest at any club before winning a flag - he won in his 8th year. (Northey coached the most games without winning a flag at all).
A difference is Malthouse got his club to finals in his 2nd year, his 6th and 7th before winning a flag. Thompson got Geelong into finals in his first year, 5th year and 6th year.
And if anyone throws out the 'Worst club since Fitzroy' argument, I'll just point out that in 2009 (Wallace's last year) we won 5 and 1/2 games - and Freo won 6. The ONLY game Freo won outside WA was in Carrara, when they played the Blues there. They even got beaten by us - in Perth. By my reckoning, Freo only have about 14 players left on their list who played in 2009 - we have 11.
