WE ALL know exactly where we stand in AFL footy. It’s afickle, cut-throat industry with no guarantees except one – that there are nocertainties.
Most people who pursue an AFL career – be they players,coaches or football staff – spend the majority of their careers in limbo.
And events such as we’ve seen over the past month or two –four coaches gone in five weeks – only increase that sense of uncertainty.
I have been fortunate to have played under nine coaches.Many people will tell you that if you listen and learn something from eachcoach, you will be a smarter player.
Well, gee, I must be pretty damn smart then!
Footy clubs are not pleasant to be around when a coach'sfuture is uncertain.
Every individual involved at a club has a different perspectiveon their senior coach. Some players are good friends with the coach away fromthe club; some are socially friendly; for others, it’s just business, nothingelse.
And, of course, there are players who are trying to work outexactly where they sit in the pecking order.
I have sat in each of those seats over my career.
In my experience, very few sacked coaches have continued theirtime with the club.
In most cases, the coach has departed immediately – some morequietly than others – and most have not been happy with the decision.
As an outsider looking in, I will be watching over the nextfive weeks as the Essendon Football Club celebrates the AFL's greatest coachingmaster. Kevin Sheedy is not only Essendon's greatest coach, but the very bestthe game has seen.
Too early or too late? It’s irrelevant. Publicly, everyonewill have their say, wrong or right. But who cares?
When you are involved in a coach’s sacking, it can be verystressful to all involved at a club.
The constant rumour mill, with questions asked at everymedia conference, puts players in a position where they wish to comment but cannot.
The sacking of a coach can cause a lot of locker-room chat, withmixed views on how the club should progress into the future.
Each time a coach is sacked, it’s a different feeling.
Some sackings surprise you – often the media knows beforethe players. So one day you arrive at the club and are bombarded before thecoach has had time to explain to the players the events of the previous day orso.
Other clubs hit you with a sledgehammer and announce it outof the blue.
No doubt the most beneficial way is in an open discussion betweenthe club and the coach. But the real stress is not on the club to find a newcoach or the coach to find a new home. What about the number of players who arein total limbo?
They don’t know where their futures lie until a new coach isappointed and he/she (you never know) has addressed the players over where theclub is heading – and whether you are heading with them.
If you are not, you will be wasting the next five weekslooking at the direction you want to take your life. Not many players can beginnegotiating for the following year, contract talks are put on hold … everythingpretty much lies dormant until a new coach is appointed. And there is nosupport for the kids who need it.
No matter what age I was, I was always nervous, speculativeand concerned about what my future held when the coach was shown the door.
It’s a very hard position to be in. In reality, a lot ofplayers think they are safe. But are they?
