5 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Selwyn is out of contract, so replacing him will not make any impact to the soft cap.

Same as Williams.

I am not sure where the other assistants are at with contracts, except that Chaplin has a year to run.

Richardson also has a year to run, and will likely stay as his salary will be too much of a hit to the soft cap

i'm sure it will be reported differently in the media though

Jones, Bassett and Radford are OOC in 2026. I suspect they are on fairly low $$$ given lack of recent or any AFL coaching expereince. Chaplin also OOC next year.

That gives the new coach time to assess them and if need be line up replacements as it may be difficult prising them out of other clubs this year.

With the soft cap increasing I'm guessing the club will have the $$$ to add a senior assistant.

End 2026 is when we see big changes to the coaching panel!

1 minute ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Jones, Bassett and Radford are OOC in 2026. I suspect they are on fairly low $$$ given lack of recent or any AFL coaching expereince. Chaplin also OOC next year.

That gives the new coach time to assess them and if need be line up replacements as it may be difficult prising them out of other clubs this year.

With the soft cap increasing I'm guessing the club will have the $$$ to add a senior assistant.

End 2026 is when we see big changes to the coaching panel!

Really hoping for Bruce as the senior assistant. It helps he's Melbourne and understands the club, but has more importantly gone away to successful (Hawthorn ans Brisbane) and non successful clubs (Carlton), rather than stayed in the MFC pond.

3 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

Really hoping for Bruce as the senior assistant. It helps he's Melbourne and understands the club, but has more importantly gone away to successful (Hawthorn ans Brisbane) and non successful clubs (Carlton), rather than stayed in the MFC pond.

I like the romance of Bruce but would rather it be 'best available' regardless of who that person played for.

Reckon the new coach will choose someone he has a relationship.

9 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

I like the romance of Bruce but would rather it be 'best available' regardless of who that person played for.

Reckon the new coach will choose someone he has a relationship.

I suspect he could be best available as our midfield coach. But I guess I wouldn't really know.

Impossible to know without inside information but to me our injury list was good and our lack of fitness was overwhelmingly because our midfield is too old or too young.

Hard to know what's more important:

Player availability which he excelled in this year.

Or the ability to win close games and dominate last quarters which he indirectly failed in his brief.

Either way, back to back 14th placed finishes is going to cost jobs, and given he's out of contract you'd have a hard time convincing yourself that he'll be returning next year.

I wonder if Peter Burge is OOC at the Hawks? Has an excellent track record and the Hawks are a great two way running side.

I wouldn't look at Andrew Russell given his recent history.

17 hours ago, rjay said:

I wonder if the physical and mental go hand in glove.

Of course they do.

And we all instinctively know it as in out day to day lives few of us make better decisions when tired and/or fatigued.

We make more mistakes at work, we lose concentration when driving, we make sub optimal decisions, we take longer to work out stuff etc etc etc.

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Jones, Bassett and Radford are OOC in 2026. I suspect they are on fairly low $$$ given lack of recent or any AFL coaching expereince. Chaplin also OOC next year.

That gives the new coach time to assess them and if need be line up replacements as it may be difficult prising them out of other clubs this year.

With the soft cap increasing I'm guessing the club will have the $$$ to add a senior assistant.

End 2026 is when we see big changes to the coaching panel!

Yep.. 26 is a sorting , building transitional type season imho. Get a few kinks out.... see what's what, who's who etc.

Then keep structuring the A team off and on field for 27.

We'll look and feel different at end of 26.. might attract a different ilk of player too.

No coincidence Adelaide have been building with Burgess over the last 3 years on top of bringing in 2 elite endurance runners in Cumming and ANB with Peatling, who is now one of the best and hard working defensive players in the comp and comfortably finishing top 2.

North are mediocre, but to run out the game in the fashion they did after a grueling match against the Pies the week before was impressive. Professional win.

Whether we have the players or not or whether it is the lack of fitness is hopefully something I hope the new coach can figure out.

Edited August 25Aug 25 by VNightCityLegend

2 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Jones, Bassett and Radford are OOC in 2026. I suspect they are on fairly low $$$ given lack of recent or any AFL coaching expereince. Chaplin also OOC next year.

i know who ISN’T a contracted member of staff therefore will likely keep his job and that’s Reece Conca. And I know this because I’m still after his job 😝 Seems I’m gonna have to wait a little longer. 😅

Who knows what the future holds, right?

We may get a previous fitness guy back.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

Stranger things have happened.

4 hours ago, pitmaster said:

Supposed to share the Burgess philosophy but the evidence of the past four seasons is of declining impact. Selwyn needs to be part of the clean out.

He has to be! It doesn't make any sense if he's still here in 2026.

8 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Who knows what the future holds, right?

We may get a previous fitness guy back.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

Stranger things have happened.

is that a throw away line or little more?

12 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Who knows what the future holds, right?

We may get a previous fitness guy back.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

Stranger things have happened.

Am I Misson something here?

45 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

i know who ISN’T a contracted member of staff therefore will likely keep his job and that’s Reece Conca. And I know this because I’m still after his job 😝 Seems I’m gonna have to wait a little longer. 😅

I don’t know if you’ve got the fitness to make the repeated runs to the players requiring messages but I imagine the compassionate and consolatory pats on the bums would appeal to you Ghosty.

Just now, joeboy said:

I don’t know if you’ve got the fitness to make the repeated runs to the players requiring messages but I imagine the compassionate and consolatory pats on the bums would appeal to you Ghosty.

Why else would I want the job?! 😅

Reece asked me if I’m able to run 10km in 120 minutes. I lied and said yes. He said I could have his job when he retires but it’s ultimately up to Richo. I asked Richo and without any hesitation or questions he said yes. I have a sneaking suspicion he was just humouring me, though.

I told them I’d do it for free. Just waiting for Reece to retire.

Cut to me being told “Ghosty, it’s been seven whole minutes, you need to let go of Melky!”

12 minutes ago, gs77 said:

Am I Misson something here?

I Darren’t say anything more on the subject.

30 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Who knows what the future holds, right?

We may get a previous fitness guy back.

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility.

Stranger things have happened.

Welcome back Bohdan Babijczuk

23 hours ago, Demon Disciple said:

I’d be letting him go regardless of contract. We are so slow and unfit, change is absolutely needed.

I’d also be reading the riot act to the players over the off-season to come back in their best ever shape. The love in over last years off season review allowed them the autonomy of much of their pre-season training. Never again.

We need a hard [censored] for a coach and fitness boss, demanding pb’s in skin folds, sprint times and time trials. You don’t get in to the senior team until you achieve this.

100 % on this!

I am not sure how Selwyn will take these comments from Clayton:

“They’ve got Darren Burgess in charge of their strength and conditioning who was at Melbourne.

“He came to Melbourne when we obviously didn’t play finals, finishing 17th in in 2019 and ninth in 2020 when he came.

“Then we won the flag the next year, and then he left and we bowed out in two straight finals and it’s gone downhill since.

“That man is amazing.”

The best team in the finals, according to Oliver

The Demons star has made his pick.

Edited September 4Sep 4 by wheaters31

2 minutes ago, wheaters31 said:

I am not sure how Selwyn will take these comments from Clayton:

“They’ve got Darren Burgess in charge of their strength and conditioning who was at Melbourne.

“He came to Melbourne when we obviously didn’t play finals, finishing 17th in in 2019 and ninth in 2020 when he came.

“Then we won the flag the next year, and then he left and we bowed out in two straight finals and it’s gone downhill since.

“That man is amazing.”

The best team in the finals, according to Oliver

The Demons star has made his pick.

wow. that is some veiled comments that is. No secret he clashed heads with Selwyn when he did his hammy. That event can be seen as the trigger event that sent him tumbling down.

Jeez don’t hold back Clayton, echo’s a lot of voices here on Demonland does young Claz but there is only one Burges to go around.

18 minutes ago, wheaters31 said:

I am not sure how Selwyn will take these comments from Clayton:

“They’ve got Darren Burgess in charge of their strength and conditioning who was at Melbourne.

“He came to Melbourne when we obviously didn’t play finals, finishing 17th in in 2019 and ninth in 2020 when he came.

“Then we won the flag the next year, and then he left and we bowed out in two straight finals and it’s gone downhill since.

“That man is amazing.”

The best team in the finals, according to Oliver

The Demons star has made his pick.

Clarry... Mate. It's time to stop talking to the media.