I have waited for a few days to write this. Not because I am angry or devastated by the loss. Upset, yes, saddened, sure, but not in the way that some others are and have been over the past days. The glaring vitriol that has come out on the radio waves and sprawled outside Ikon Park is ridiculous and, to be blunt – stupid!
Firstly, those who state ‘they speak on members’ behalf’ need to get a grip on their arrogance, as they don’t speak for me, nor do I suspect many, many others. They speak on their behalf, on their own narrative and wishes. Yet what these ‘supporters’ want to do is go down yet another path of ceremonious sacking yet another coach mid-way through a season that is only three rounds in because the team just hasn’t performed in a way that we all, and probably the coaches as well, wanted and hoped for.
According to them, the idea that the club should get rid of a coach, and some say get rid of the Board, shows a sheer lack of understanding and rationale. Here’s why. Out of all the clubs in the AFL, no other club has gone down Carlton’s pattern of behaviour. No other club has gone through so many coaches when things don’t go to plan, perpetuated by a need for instant success. No other club in the AFL has put no faith in their team both on and off-field by stating that after two years, if we don’t win, then let’s try someone else, and if they don’t win, let’s try someone else. If we count Michael Voss, in the past thirteen years, we have had five, yes, five coaches. In that time, the club became filled with uncertainty, disunity, and a culture of non-belief in its team, both on and off the field. For a club, any club, to come anywhere to the point of any success, you have to have stability and a culture of positivity to ensure any form of success. Carlton has not had that for the past thirteen years, yet some are calling for the club to again go down a path of uncertainty and instability because the end game of success is just not coming quick enough.
I don’t subscribe to the fact that Carlton has not been close to success since 1995, so we are deserving of this now. Rubbish! We are no more deserving than any other club, and given what we have been through in thirteen years, a few years will not make any inroads in attaining this success. It takes time. But to prove my point, let’s go through each club in the AFL, and I will explain what I mean, with Carlton’s details, last.
Adelaide (joined the AFL in 1991). Since 2012 – 3 coaches. No Premierships.
2012 – 2014: Brenton Sanderson. 2012 2nd. 2013 11th. 2014 10th.
2015: Phil Walsh. (Not applicable).
2015: Scot Camporeale. Interim coach.
2016 -2019: Don Pyke. 2016 5th. 2017 1st. 2018 12th. 2019 11th.
2020 – Present: Matthew Nicks. 2020 18th. 2021 15th. 2022 14th. 2023 10th. 2024 15th.
Brisbane Lions (joined the AFL in 1997). Since 2012 – 4 coaches. 1 Premiership.
2009 – 2013. Michael Voss. 2009 6th. 2010 13th. 2011 15th. 2012 13th. 2013 12th.
2013: Mark Harvey. (Intermim coach)
2014 – 2016: 2014 15th. 2015 17th. 2016 17th.
2017 – Present. Chris Fagen. 2017 18th. 2018 15th. 2019 2nd. 2020 2nd. 2021 4th. 2022 6th. 2023 2nd. 2024 Premiers.
Collingwood. Since 2012 – 2 coaches. 1 Premierships.
2000 – 2011: Mick Malthouse. 2000 2nd last. 2001 9th. 2002 4th. 2003 2nd. 2004 13th. 2005 2nd last. 2006 5th. 2007 6th. 2008 8th. 2009 4th. 2010 Premiers. 2011 1st.
2012 – 2021: Nathan Buckley. 2012 4th. 2013 6th. 2014 11th. 2015 12th. 2016 12th. 2017 13th. 2018 3rd. 2019 4th. 2020 8th. 2021 17th.
2021: Robert Harvey. Interim coach.
2022 – Present. 2022 4th. 2023 Premiers.
Essendon. Since 2012, 6 coaches. No Premierships.2011 – 2013: James Hird. 2011 8th. 2012 11th. 2013 9th (Note drug scandal).
2013: Simon Goodwin (Interim coach)
2014: Mark Thompson (Interim coach) 2014 7th.
2015: Mathew Egan (Intermim coach) 2015 15th.
2016 – 2020: John Worsford. 2016 18th. 2017 7th. 2018 11th. 2019 8th. 2020 13th.
2021 – 2022: Ben Rutten. 2021 8th. 2022 15th.
2022: Blake Caracella (Interim coach)
2023 – Present: Brad Scott. 2023 11th. 2024 11th.
Fremantle (Joined AFL in 1995). Since 2012, 2 coaches. No Premierships.2012 – 2019: Ross Lyon. 2012 7th. 2013 3rd. 2014 4th. 2015 1st. 2016 16th. 2017 14th. 2018 14th. 2019 13th.
2019: David Hale. Interim coach.
2020 – Present: Justin Longmuir. 2020 12th. 2021 11th. 2022 5th. 2023 14th. 2024 10th.
Geelong. Since 2012, 1 coach. 2 Premierships.
2011 – Present: Chris Scott. 2011 Premiers. 2012 6th. 2013 2nd. 2014 3rd. 2015 10th. 2016 2nd. 2017 2nd. 2018 8th. 2019 1st. 2020 4th. 2021 3rd. 2022 Premiers. 2023 12th. 2024 3rd.
Gold Coast. (Joined AFL in 2011). Since 2012, 4 coaches. No Premierships.
2011 – 2014: Guy McKenna.
2015 -2017: Rodney Eade.
2017: Dean Solomon (Intermim coach).
2018 -2023: Stuart Dew.
2023: Steven King (Intermin coach).
2024 – Present: Damien Hardwick.
Greater Western Sydney. Joined AFL in 2012.
2012 – 2013: Kevin Sheedy. 2012 18th. 2013 18th.
2014 – 2022: Leon Cameron. 2014 16th. 2015 11th. 2016 4th. 2017 4th. 2018 7th. 2019 6th. 2020 10th. 2021 7th. 2022 16th.
2022: Mark McVeigh (Interim coach).
2023 – Present: Adam Kingsley. 2023 7th. 2024 4th.
Hawthorn. Since 2012, 2 coaches. 4 Premierships.
2005 – 2021: Alistar Clarkson. 2004 2nd last. 2005 Third last. 2006 11th. 2007 5th. 2008 Premiers. 2009 9th. 2010 7th. 2011 3rd. 2012 1st. 2013 Premiers. 2014 Premiers. 2015 Premiers. 2016 3rd. 2017 12th. 2018 4th. 2019 9th. 2020 15th. 2021 14th.
2022 – Present: Sam Mitchell. 2022 13th. 2023 16th.
Melbourne. Since 2012, 4 coaches. 1 Premiership.
2012 – 2013: Mark Neeld. 2012 16th. 2013 17th.
2013: Neil Craig. (Intermin coach).
2014 -2016: Paul Roos. 2014 17th. 2015 13th. 2016 11th.
2017 – Present: Simon Goodwin. 2017 9th. 2018 5th. 2019 17th. 2020 9th. 2021 Premiers. 2022 2nd. 2023 4th.
North Melbourne. Since 2012, 4 coaches. No Premierships.
2012 – 2019: Brad Scott. 2012 8t. 2013 10th. 2014 6th. 2015 8th. 2016 8th. 2017 15th. 2018 9th. 2019 12th.
2019 – 2020: Rhyce Shaw. 2020 17th.
2021 – 2022: David Noble. 2021 18th. 2022 18th.
2022: Leigh Adams (Interim coach)
2023 – Present: Alastair Clarkson. 2023 17th. 2024 17th.
Port Adelaide. Joined ALF 1997. Since 2012, 2 coaches. No Premierships.
2010 – 2012: Mathewe Primus. 2012 14th.
2012: Gary Hocking (Interim coach).
2013 – Present: Ken Hinkley. 2013 7th. 2014 5th. 2015 9th. 2016 10th. 2017 5th. 2018 10th. 2019 10th. 2020 1st. 2021 2nd. 2022 11th. 2023 3rd. 2024 2nd.
Richmond. Since 2012, 2 coaches. 3 Premierships.
2010 – 2023: Damian Hardwick. 2010 2nd last. 2011 12th. 2012 12th. 2013 5th. 2014 8th. 2015 5th. 2016 13th. 2017 Premiers. 2018 1st. 2019 Premiers. 2020 Premiers. 2021 12th. 2022 7th. 2023 13th.
2023: Andrew McQualter (Intermim coach)
2024 – Present: Adam Yze. 2024 18th.
Sydney Swans. Since 2012, 1 coach. 1 Premiership (not counting Dean Cox). 2011 – 2024: John Longmire. 2011 7th. 2012 Premiership. 2013 4th. 2014 1st. 2015 4th. 2016 1st. 2017 6th. 2018 6th. 2019 15th. 2020 16th. 2021 6th. 2022 3rd. 2023 8th. 2024 1st.
2025: Dean Cox.
*Note, before Longmire, Paul Roos coached the team for 8 years with 2 Premierships. Before him, Rodney Eade coached for 6 years, 1 Premiership.
St. Kilda. Since 2012, 4 coaches. No Premierships.
2007 – 2011: Ross Lyon. 2007 9th. 2008 4th. 2009 1st. 2010 3rd. 2011 6th.
2012 – 2013: Scott Watters. 2012 9th. 2013 16th.
2014 – 2019: Alan Richardson. 2014 18th. 2015 14th. 2016 9th. 2017 11th. 2018 16th. 2019 14th.
2019 – 2022: Brett Ratten. 2020 6th. 2021 10th. 2022 10th.
2023 – Present: Ross Lyon. 2023 6th. 2024 12th.
Western Bulldogs. Since 2012, 2 coaches. 1 Premiership.
2012 – 2014: Brendan McCartney. 2012 15th. 2013 15th. 2014 14th.
2015 – Present: Luke Beveridge. 2015 6th. 2016 Premiership. 2017 10th. 2018 13th. 2019 7th. 2020 7th. 2021 5th. 2022 8th. 2023 9th. 2024 6th.
*Note, Rodney Eade coached for 6 years, no Premierships.
Westcoast Eagles. Since 2012, 2 coaches. 1 Premiership.
2002 – 2013: John Worsford. 2002 8th. 2003 7th. 2004 7th. 2005 2nd. 2006 Premiers. 2007 3rd. 2008 2nd last. 2009 11th. 2010 last. 2011 4th. 2012 5th. 2013 13th.
2014 – 2024: Adam Simpson. 2014 9th. 2015 2nd. 2016 6th. 2017 8th. 2018 Premiers. 2019 5th. 2020 5th. 2021 9th. 2022 17th. 2023 18th. 2024 16th.
2024: Jarrad Schofield (Interim coach)
2025: Andrew McQualter.
Carlton. Since 2012, 5 coaches. No Premierships.
2007 – 2012: Brett Rattan. 2007 2nd last 2008 11th. 2009 7th. 2010 8th. 2011 5th. 2012 10th.
2013 – 2015: Mick Malthouse. 2013 8th. 2014 13th. 2015 18th.
2015: John Barker (Interim Coach).
2016 – 2019: Brendon Bolton. 2016 14th. 2017 16th. 2018 18th.
2019 – 2021: David Teague. 2019 16th. 2020 11th. 2021 13th.
2022 – Present: Michael Voss. 2022 9th. 2023 5th. 2024 8th.
*Note the salary cap breach of 2002, set the club backwards with no drafts from the 2002 draft and all drafts of the 2003 National Draft.
This shows that the only really successful clubs, such as Richmond, Hawthorn, and even Geelong, Sydney, and Collingwood, have one thing that Carlton simply does not have: stability in its culture both on and off the field. Carlton (and I’m not going into other clubs) has been unstable and has had no culture on and off the field for quite some time.
Over the weekend, an article in the papers asks, ‘What does Carlton stand for?’ That is probably one of the most insightful headlines regarding Carlton that I’ve seen for a while. Because what does the club stand for if all supporters and commentators keep harping on that if a coach doesn’t succeed after a few years, then sack them. What does this stand for in terms of building a culture in a club that strives for and insists on success both on the field and off the field? What does it mean for Carlton and what they stand for if all they do is fire yet another coach because things have not worked out the way that was hoped for? What does the club stand for if they only see the continual need for knee-jerk reactions? If Carlton keeps going down that path, then they stand for nothing but arrogance and narrow-mindedness and breed a culture of instability and inconsistency. Carlton will stand for the very thing that has other clubs struggling to become anywhere near successful.
If Carlton wants to stand for success, consistency, and stability both on the field and off, then it has to stand for drawing a line in the sand and saying, ‘We are not going down that path of continually cutting coaches off because the timeline does not suit others.’ It took Alistair Clarkson five years to win their first Premiership, then another four to win their three-in-a-row. It took Damian Hardwick seven years for Richmond to win their Premierships. I keep repeating myself because it seems some just don’t get it: if we want to be a continually successful club, we must have the one thing we have not had – stability. The way that both Hawthorn and Richmond developed and grew the culture that made them so successful, is the one thing Carlton has not done.
We must stand for more than these continual knee-jerk reactions when the plan does not go according to plan. If we don’t, then it makes no difference who the senior coach is; Carlton will never, ever attain any success, and what we will stand for is continual failure. I want to be part of a club that stands for what we all want – success. Eradicating the mindset of what we once were takes time. If some can’t wait or have the patience for that, then find another club and if that doesn’t work…find another. No long-term success ever comes overnight. Stand up for persistence, stability, and a mindset that comes with all that, and then we will succeed. If not, no amount of raging phone calls, graffiti or angry messages will ever garnish any semblance of any form of success.
SPORTZ 