Very Jaded

So King will now be bringing in his own midfield coach (assuming Jones will remain part of the midfield coaching group still), a development coach, and a forward/defense coach depending on if Chappy stays with the forwards or goes back to coaching the backline. That's 3 of your top 4 coaches, which is great. Means he can bring his own people, while keeping a couple of familiar faces for the group. If he can steal Kelly from Geelong that would be ace 😁

Like how Morris made up a whole lie about Trac's impassionate speech to the playing group after a win this year? Worked out really well that one

I reckon JVR and Kentfield will have breakout season in 2026. Super interested to see where he plays Petty.

Steven King was very clear that he wants to bring the best out of Trac and Clarry again. I have no doubt that is true. However, it won't happen if either of those guys are not 100% committed to the cause. If for the second year running Trac is not fully invested or committed to this club, then as much as it would be a painful breakup, it will also be a necessary one. King was adamant that he wants a fresh start for everyone, and a clean slate. If Trac is choosing not to take it, then he has to go. We can't keep dragging around players who have no interest in the club. Having said all that, Morris is a plague and I am not sure how much access he still has to Trac's camp, now that Trac is under a new management, so I'll hold judgement.

My favourite thing that he said is that he's not interested in the past, and think everyone deserves a clean slate. I think this is going to be super important to empowering and galvanising what I believe is a bit of a fractured playing group, where there are grudges still being held. We need clean air and King brings just that.

I have to go to a meeting. How dare they?!

I am pretty happy with a coach who sets clear benchmarks. In our premiership year, the benchmark was scores against being 60 or less. Why then is it not ok to have a new benchmark around scores for? That doesn't mean it will happen immediately, but I think it's a reasonable benchmark, as is playing finals. The real question is, does he think we have the players on the list currently capable of scoring 100+ each week...

The emphasis on the contract is important IMO, as it signals other clubs (and perhaps the players themselves), that we are not going to let them walk unless it suits us.

If that’s the expectation then my guess is that Clarry Trac and Lever are going nowhere.

Can’t wait for one of our players to do an ACL 🙄

Getting rid of Trac and Clarry is easy. Finding the next Trac and Clarry is not. King’s best bet to a quick return to finals, is to try and get these two back to their best. Going scorched earth and getting rid of both is a risky strategy, especially if both are committed to the club.

I think the change of name jinxed us. The Jaded curse.

So only the two most important roles in mids coach and development coach Selwyn is also out of contract

Sure but we have to replace a number of vacant positions

Who is commuting from Gold Coast exactly? Not King. I don’t think he took this job without considering his family. By all reports he’s a strong family man.

And much like Guerra, he can do work behind the scenes while still doing his job at Geelong. The fact that Geelong want him around still, shows how valued he is and why Geelong is so successful. They don’t begrudge their people success, and they don’t risk their own chance at success by playing petulant games. I have no doubt King has already spoken to a number of our players and is talking to potential assistants and other staff he might like to bring along. And no doubt he’s also chatted with Tim and Jason about his list strategy ideas. I wish Geelong nothing but failure, but likewise if King gets another flag under his belt it won’t be the worst thing either

Yep and like Jackson has real world experience of leading businesses. Yes Jackson had lots of footy experience, but he also had experience outside of football.

Pert and Schwab loved the sound of their own voice. Jackson leaves behind impossibly big shoes to fill, but I like that already Guerra has cut down on the leaks. That was something Jackson managed to control early on as well.

No mention of King being the best presenting coach he’s ever seen in 40 years? 🙄😂 Guerra has been in the role for a week, and in that time we appointed a coach with 0 leaks, and he’s told the negative buffoons in the media to put a sock in it. 10 stars for the first week in the role for mine.

Exactly. Speaks volumes that Guerra has said that we want a coach for the next decade. Buckley would have been one foot out the door if things didn’t go to plan at Melbourne, and the salary at Tassie kept increasing. I rather be left at the alter than go thru a messy divorce later.

Obviously we never were. If Buckley was our number one choice we would have pushed harder and waited for him. And if this was the boat race everyone said it was in the media, then we wouldn’t have paid an external team of people to join the search, nor gone thru a process. We would have spoken to Buckley, and given him the job if he was keen. That’s usually how experienced coaches go about getting their next job. Don’t think Clarkson or Hardwick or Brad Scott went thru anything like what we put Buckley through. At the end of the day Buckley would have been the easier choice, and definitely a choice for the now. Buckley would raise the club’s profile, and take care of the media noise. King was the long term choice with an eye on real sustained success. Doesn’t mean King will achieve that, but if you were after a great tactician with aggressive ideas around game plan, in the same mold as McRae, then you got what you were after. We wanted experience, we wanted a good tactical mind, we wanted a fresh new voice, and we wanted someone who understood the modern game. King ticked all those boxes. IMO Buckley did not.

Anyone who thinks King won’t be a hard taskmaster should remember that he currently works under Chris Scott, who is arguably the hardest taskmaster of all.

Just the small issue of Clarry not agreeing to go to SA King has been the midfield coach at Geelong, while Geelong chased and hosted Clarry in trade talks two years running. I think it tells you plenty about how King values Clarry.

Our track record with tall bald ruckmen is very strong. May this continue.