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Roos & Lions prepare for AFLW GF | 02:24<\/p>\n
18. Chris Fagan (Brisbane Lions)<\/p>\n
After leading the Lions to back-to-back premierships and amid a run of seven consecutive finals appearances and a 60 per cent win rate, the least pressure is on Fagan \u2014 and by a considerable margin. There might be a few questions over just how much longer the 64-year-old will choose to coach the Lions, but in terms of questions over the viability of his tenure, there\u2019s no single person in the competition who should be sitting more comfortably. <\/p>\n
17. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)<\/p>\n
Mitchell has put Hawthorn back on a premiership trajectory after just two rebuilding seasons since succeeding Alastair Clarkson, managing back-to-back finals appearances in years where his club won 14 and 15 games. And the Hawks, despite becoming one of the hunted this year after their surprise 2024 emergence, managed to improve their record to be one win off a top-four outfit. There\u2019ll certainly again be pressure on the club to maintain its status as a flag contender in 2026, but in terms of Mitchell\u2019s individual standing, he\u2019s not going anywhere anytime soon. <\/p>\n
16. Chris Scott (Geelong Cats)<\/p>\n
Justifiably regarded as the game\u2019s best tactician, Scott\u2019s Cats are coming off a 15th top-four finish in 19 seasons and third grand final berth in six years to remain one of the game\u2019s foremost juggernauts. The knock on Scott and Geelong is that they\u2019ve long been home-and-away masters yet have converted that dominance to silverware just twice in Scott\u2019s 15-year Kardinia Park reign. But if being a perennial top-four side is his biggest knock, he\u2019s still in a very cushy spot \u2014 set to lock in a contract extension to the end of 2029. <\/p>\n
Hosking claims AFLW Mark of the Year | 02:28<\/p>\n
15. Adem Yze (Richmond)<\/p>\n
After a baptism of fire in year one, it was clear Yze had his feet underneath him this season as the Tigers outperformed external expectations. Many predicted a wooden-spoon outcome for Richmond in 2025, but the young Tiger cubs forged five wins to show plenty of promise that a Yze-led future has light at the end of the tunnel. The club this week confirmed a two-year extension for Yze, tying him to Punt Road until at least the end of the 2028 season. <\/p>\n
14. Andrew McQualter (West Coast Eagles)<\/p>\n
There\u2019s clearly an extensive grace period for McQualter given the Eagles continue to endure a dire on-field period and will enter next season with the youngest and least experienced list in the competition. But West Coast\u2019s 2025 campaign was historically bad, registering its first-ever one-win season to finish last on the ladder. The club added mature-aged talent this off-season, however, headlined by dual flag-winner Brandon Starcevich \u2014 as well as first and fourth overall draft picks Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler \u2014 so tangible improvement is an expectation. <\/p>\n
13. Steven King (Melbourne)<\/p>\n
King will be afforded plenty of patience after taking the reins of a list that underwent plenty of change this off-season. The Dees still have star-factor players, headlined by Max Gawn and Kozzie Pickett, but after offloading Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Judd McVee and injecting two top-15 draft talents, things will likely take a little while to click under the former Geelong assistant. But Melbourne enters next season fifth in the competition for games experience, so a push for a finals return shouldn\u2019t be ruled out as a reasonable target. <\/p>\n
It was the Pub!’ Riddell reveals return | 05:15<\/p>\n
12. Josh Carr (Port Adelaide)<\/p>\n
Like King, Carr assumes the senior coaching helm with a grace period. But the Power arguably have a better, more ready-made list than the Demons, and it\u2019s not as if King had the benefit of observing as an assistant for a year as part of a succession plan. Port Adelaide also has next year\u2019s second-easiest fixture based on double-up opponents, so there isn\u2019t a heap of excuses for the former Fremantle staffer not to orchestrate winning improvement at Alberton next year. <\/p>\n
11. Damien Hardwick (Gold Coast Suns)<\/p>\n
\u2018Dimma\u2019 is starting to deliver on his big statements. He said he had the toys; he said he had 80 per cent of his premiership team when he inherited the Suns\u2019 list in late 2023. Well, Gold Coast\u2019s grim September drought hasn\u2019t just been broken, but the club now also has a finals win to its name after 15 years. And after losing to eventual premiers Brisbane, it becomes about building further. A top-four finish and subsequent flag tilt will be next on the club\u2019s list, especially after adding stars Christian Petracca and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan via trade and gun Academy pair Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson at last week\u2019s draft. <\/p>\n
10. Craig McRae (Collingwood)<\/p>\n
Fly\u2019s Pies rebounded tremendously this year after missing the finals in 2024, reaching preliminary final weekend after 16 wins \u2014 but make no mistake, there\u2019s increasing pressure on McRae to reinvent the oldest list in the competition. Collingwood was tactically found out a bit in the back end of the home-and-away season, and the coaching staff has a big task on its hands to get creative with game style, positional shifts, and generally speaking not being as reliant on the older heads to propel it to wins. <\/p>\n
Merrett addresses return to Dons | 07:35<\/p>\n
9. Dean Cox (Sydney Swans)<\/p>\n
Despite the win-now nature of Sydney\u2019s list, there were always going to be some growing pains in Cox\u2019s first year in charge \u2014 and between injuries to stars and a delayed adjustment to his game style, that was certainly the case in 2025. But in terms of the Swans\u2019 premiership contention standing, nothing has changed. In fact, after trading for superstar key forward Charlie Curnow in October, the expectation is the club will be right back in the flag mix after playing on the last Saturday in September in 2024. And with a healthy Errol Gulden hopefully set for 20-plus games alongside Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney again, there will be pressure on Cox to cultivate a winning formula in his second season at the helm. <\/p>\n
8. Matthew Nicks (Adelaide Crows)<\/p>\n
Nicks just had his best year as Adelaide coach in his sixth season, but his contract situation is an intriguing one. Not only will the Crows be anticipated to play finals again, they\u2019ll be expected to follow up with another top-four finish after winning this year\u2019s minor premiership with 18 wins. The difference this time around, though, is that after disappointingly going out in straight sets, another empty September campaign will raise fans\u2019 eyebrows \u2014 with Nicks not contracted at West Lakes beyond the upcoming season. If he and the club don\u2019t agree on a new deal by the time the 2026 campaign starts, the way Adelaide fares in the first half of the year will be a \u2018watch this space\u2019. <\/p>\n
7. Adam Kingsley (GWS Giants)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to argue Kingsley hasn\u2019t been a terrific hire for the Giants \u2014 winning at least 13 games in each of his three seasons in Homebush \u2014 but entering his fourth season, pressure will begin to mount with the club still lingering in the flag window but yet to capitalise with elusive silverware. And while 16 wins this year is Kingsley\u2019s best tally as a senior coach, we haven\u2019t forgotten about the disenchanting fashion in which the Giants bombed out in straight sets last year \u2014 with GWS two from six in finals under Kingsley. If they\u2019re not playing on preliminary final weekend in 2026, questions will start to be asked. <\/p>\n
Best Moments from Day 2 of the AFL Draft | 11:32<\/p>\n
6. Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)<\/p>\n
\u2018Bevo\u2019 finally landed the contract extension he was after \u2014 and arguably deserved \u2014 locked in for another two years. But the Bulldogs missed the finals this year \u2014 unable to improve on their 14 wins in 2024 \u2014 with a list many believe is chock-full of talent and ready for a genuine premiership tilt. Defensive personnel was a concern for the Bulldogs this year, and while it\u2019s not as if the club has seriously gone about adding talent in key defence, a large portion falls on Beveridge and his attacking brand of play. If it\u2019s a second-straight year without finals for the Dogs in 2026, the cynics will quickly rear their heads. <\/p>\n
5. Brad Scott (Essendon)<\/p>\n
This season was in some ways a write-off for Essendon after a cataclysmic year with injury, but with cavalry returning in 2026, winning improvement must come at Bomberland. And the product the Bombers put out this year wasn\u2019t just injury-correlated \u2014 defending transition and scores has been a consistent issue with Scott in charge, as has ball movement going the other way. Tactical improvements should be on the agenda. Essendon won 11 games in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons before regressing to six this year, so it\u2019s not unrealistic to say a spike back up to at least 10 wins should be a 2026 target for Scott \u2014 especially after the club desperately held on to Zach Merrett in the trade period. <\/p>\n
4. Ross Lyon (St Kilda)<\/p>\n
St Kilda is set to be one of the most talked-about clubs in the land come the start of next season, and for good reason. It achieved one of the bigger player movement hauls in recent memory in its quest for a finals return and elusive premiership, headlined by Tom De Koning\u2019s arrival after also retaining superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. Now, it\u2019s time to see it in action. Lyon\u2019s return to Moorabbin has been far from prolific \u2014 13 wins in 2023 to 11 last year to nine this season \u2014 and if that narrative isn\u2019t turned on its head in the upcoming campaign, his tenure will be questioned, particularly after penning a two-year contract extension in March. <\/p>\n
Michael Voss and Ross Lyon are among the AFL coaches under the most pressure heading into the 2026 season.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
3. Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to have to be a year of note for the Clarkson-led Kangaroos in 2026, or else increasing pressure will be on the four-time premiership coach\u2019s doorstep. Clarkson\u2019s Roos have won just a combined eight games in two full years in charge after his maiden 2023 campaign was cruelled by off-field concerns. With natural progression from the club\u2019s young stars Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw, Colby McKercher and Finn O\u2019Sullivan, the Roos should be in a position to considerably improve their win total from the five wins and one draw they managed this year. Clarkson is signed through the next two years, but alarm bells will ring if the Arden Street club is back in the bottom four again. <\/p>\n
2. Justin Longmuir (Fremantle)<\/p>\n
Similar to Matthew Nicks, Longmuir had a career-best season in terms of record, with the Dockers racking up 16 wins and a finals return. But not beating September newbies Gold Coast on their home turf in an elimination final was a bitter pill to swallow, especially given the fact this list is teeming with high-end talent. There\u2019s not one AFL coach whose immediate future is more uncertain than Longmuir, with the six-year mentor in the midst of an \u2018ongoing employment agreement\u2019 as opposed to a fixed-term contract, and another lean September campaign could spell grave danger for the 44-year-old. Fremantle\u2019s game style has consistently been questioned throughout Longmuir\u2019s tenure, and a key watch will be on any and all strategic changes he makes next year. <\/p>\n
1. Michael Voss (Carlton)<\/p>\n
After coming awfully close to being dismissed this year, there irrefutably isn\u2019t anyone on a hotter seat in the competition than Voss, who was allowed to coach into the final year of his current contract in 2026. The Blues under Voss built to a 13-win 2023 campaign that netted a preliminary final berth, before stagnating last year and regressing to nine wins in 2025. But is it finals or bust for the four-year Carlton coach? Should that be the pass mark? Off-season list changes \u2014 with Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni all notably departing \u2014 complicate matters, as it\u2019s hard to argue Carlton improved its personnel for Voss to utilise. The Blues did gain Will Hayward and Ollie Florent and will hopefully have a healthy Jagga Smith back in the fold, but that still might not be enough in the short term to save Voss. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Similar to death and taxes, another certainty in life is external pressure on AFL coaches. At Carlton, 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