bing181

Also a huge difference in age profile/experience, number of pre-seasons etc. Perhaps I should rephrase the original: I'd be surprised if there's much difference in fitness programs across the AFL.

If fitness is indeed declining as you claim there would be a club-wide awareness of it as there's so much data and it's easy to confirm. Our fitness per se is not declining, and given the way sports science works and the way information is widely available, I'd be surprised if there's much difference in fitness across the AFL. What players feel about their fitness, or what they believe about other clubs' fitness, are different stories. Like everything in the AFL, fitness is a lot to do with what's going on between the ears.

Main ones for me: Positives: emergence and continuing development of younger players (Bowey, Turner) emergence of a new game style. Didn't always work and we still have to learn to win, but by the end of the season we were mostly competitive most of the time and a big improvement on 2024. new admin/governance in place going forward Negatives: More than a few, but the main for me would be off-field instability and the vacuum in leadership - which if truth be known has been an issue since 2021. Still don't have the key position forward(s) that we need. Have to cross our fingers that at least one of JVR, Kentfield, Johnson, Jefferson or Petty step up big time because it's been our biggest Archilles' Heel since the flag. Still haven't really overcome the loss of Angus Brayshaw and what he meant to the group/club.

You'd think that Scott will get at least another 2 years at Essendon. They had a horror run with injuries and have a heap of good kids coming through - including two high first-rounders this year. Hard to see anyone except Carlton coming up next year, but as we've just seen, you never know. 2027 could be another story, but Buckley isn't getting any younger and the longer he leaves it the more likely that other second-timers come into contention. Hinkley, Longmire, Goodwin, Simpson ...

Agreed - but by next year there could be other candidates that bring that. The Demon's gig has come too soon for the likes of Longmire or Hinkley or others, but there's a bit of water to go under the bridge before Tassie have to lock in a coach. Heck, even our Simon could throw his hat in the ring, premiership player, All-Australian, premiership coach yadda yadda.

Not his call. Not in isolation in any case. The only reason we haven't seen list cuts already is because Casey are still playing, otherwise a few would already have their "thank you for your services" notices.

"The game plan stuff is totally irrelevant" Nathan Buckley on candidating for the MFC coaching position.

Given the list of candidates and the "vibe" around Buckley, you'd have to wonder whether or not there weren't (discreet) discussions with Buckley before - and possibly long before - Goodwin was moved on. Guerra and Smith are smart operators, and you don't sack a coach, especially one with the runs on the board, unless you have a fair idea of what comes next.

Buckley is the one who would do more - and probably much more - to bring in sponsors and memberships.

Also one of the reasons that MFC, as well as other clubs, have a much more rigorous hiring process these days. I don't believe Neeld would get through in 2025, or even get close. The one thing these processes need to flush out is the difference between being a (very) good assistant and being a head coach where the skills required - especially the people/ management/leadership skills - are very different.

Fagan was always good with people, his coaching success is built on his ability to form relationships.

Not sure, but if we did, here's our boy: AFL Brownlow Medal: 2003 Norm Smith Medal: 2002 AFLCA Champion Player of the Year: 2003 7× All-Australian team: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 AFL Rising Star: 1993 AFL Rising Star nominee: 1993 Herald Sun Player of the Year: 1998 Australian Football League life member: 2006 Australian Football Hall of Fame: 2011 Collingwood 6× Copeland Trophy: 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003 R.T. Rush Trophy (2nd B&F): 1997 J.J. Joyce Trophy (3rd B&F): 2001 Bob Rose Award (Best Finals Player): 2003 Collingwood captain: 1999–2007 Collingwood Football Club Hall of Fame: 2004 Collingwood Football Club life member: 2004 Collingwood Team of the Century SANFL Port Adelaide Premiership player: 1992 Magarey Medal: 1992 Jack Oatey Medal: 1992 John Cahill Medal: 1992 Representative Jesaulenko Medal: 1997 Captain of the Allies: 1997 International Rules 1998-1999 Coaching AFLCA Coach of the Year: 2018

and ... 5× All-Australian team (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009) Adelaide captain (2008–2010) Malcolm Blight Medal (2000, 2005, 2006) Michael Tuck Medal (2006) AFLCA Champion Player of the Year (2006) Australia international rules football team (2000, 2001) Dream Team (Australian rules football) (2008) Adelaide Team of the Decade – Interchange Showdown Medal (2005, 2007) Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee 2017

If Buckley has agreed to be part of the process he's not sitting on the fence, he wants it. Presumably his for the taking.

Now quote the whole post.

"I'm here for Melbourne. Well done for making the change, how it cost the coach his job is a mystery to me, but they have made the step to playing modern footy." David King

He's a coach. He knows how to do the job. That's all that matters. This whole idea of "better" or "worse" coach is a furphy. Any of the names being thrown around could do the job, presumably - though always a bit of an unknown with someone who's only ever been an assistant. On the other hand, what's starting to go-on off-field and with the arrival of Guerra is both more interesting and more important. if we want to see any real improvement it's not the coach we need to be worrying about, it's the list, admin and FD. Goodwin's parting comments on the club that Todd Viney, Peter Jackson and Mahoney built say it all. We've fallen a long way "in that space" since they all left.

To comment on my own post ... (!!), even if you did want to link coaching positions to ex-player positions, you'd actually be better off with an ex defender as forwards coach. They will have spent their career seeing how the best forwards work, and coming up against a whole range of forward systems and structures. But the discussion is moot in any case. You just want good (assistant) coaches, where they played in the AFL is irrelevant. Even IF they played in the AFL is irrelevant.

Irrelevant. And that's not opinion, it's fact. Go through the top 8 and get back to us as to how many of those (successful) clubs have ex forwards as their forwards coach.

List management is still in place and coaches are but one voice.

Not just this year, but goes back to the 2023 finals. Lack of on-field leadership, maturity and cool heads, coupled with too many on the list who are not all that smart with ball in hand and/or understand what they should do but don't have the skills to execute. People can say all they want about a new coach, but unless we can fix this we're not going very far. Some improvement can come from within through the younger players, but in itself that's not going to be enough.

Not just this year, but goes back to the 2023 finals. Lack of on-field leadership, maturity and cool heads, coupled with too many on the list who are not all that smart with ball in hand and/or understand what they should do but don't have the skills to execute. People can say all they want about a new coach, but unless we can fix this we're not going very far. Some improvement can come from within through the younger players, but in itself that's not going to be enough.

Seriously? [censored].

An OK coach will be fine.

Getting all our defenders on the park would help. Missing Lever pretty well all year, and May for some of it, Rivers to on-ball/mid, McVee with an early season injury that he hasn't really been able to work back from, missing depth/backup (Hore, AMW), Petty forward - though Turner is stepping up, etc. etc. We had pretty much the same backline for a few years there, and it showed, this year has been a bit of a dog's breakfast.