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As Essendon, Carlton and Tasmania begin searching for their next senior coach, most of the attention will focus on credentials. Who\u2019s the smartest tactician? Who has won premierships? Who has the strongest coaching resume?<\/p>\n
Players tend to ask different questions. Can we trust them? Will they back us? What are they like when things aren\u2019t going well?<\/p>\n
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Craig McRae, Adam Kingsley, Chris Scott, Luke Beveridge and Chris Fagan all coach their AFL teams in different ways.Marija Ercegovac<\/p>\n
Because from a player\u2019s perspective, those answers often matter more than any line on a CV.<\/p>\n
After more than a decade in elite sporting environments, I\u2019ve become convinced there is no such thing as the perfect coach. There are simply different types of coaches, and different groups that need different things at different times.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve played under coaches I would have run through a wall for. I\u2019ve also played under coaches I struggled to connect with, and in those environments, I don\u2019t think either of us got the best out of the relationship. Looking back, the difference was rarely football knowledge.<\/p>\n
Elite coaches all understand the game. The difference was often leadership style.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
One of football\u2019s biggest misconceptions is that players all want the same thing from a coach. They don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Some players thrive on inspiration. Others need structure. Some need belief. Others need accountability. Ultimately, what players are looking for is trust \u2013 and coaches build trust in very different ways.<\/p>\n
Some are storytellers. Luke Beveridge\u2019s ability to create belief and purpose was central to the Bulldogs\u2019 2016 premiership.<\/p>\n
Related Article Others are orchestrators. Chris Scott\u2019s strength has been creating clarity and consistency. Players know where they stand and understand their role.<\/p>\n Some are teachers. Craig McRae arrived at Collingwood and rebuilt confidence through growth, learning and connection.<\/p>\n Others are connectors. Chris Fagan helped transform Brisbane into a club where players wanted to stay, improve and invest in each other.<\/p>\n Then there are the generals. The coaches who drive standards through accountability and discipline. The message is clear, direct and uncompromising \u2013 your Adam Kingsley types. Every successful football club needs elements of this style, whether it comes from the senior coach or the broader But as a player, I\u2019ve always felt teams will only respond positively to one or two genuine sprays each year. When they\u2019re used too often, they lose their impact. The best coaches understand that accountability isn\u2019t about volume \u2013 it\u2019s about timing. When they speak, the group listens because they know it matters.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n None of these styles is inherently better than another. The challenge for clubs is identifying which style best suits their playing group.<\/p>\n A young rebuilding list may need a teacher. A fractured list may need a connector. A talented but inconsistent list may need a general. A premiership contender may need an orchestrator capable of refining the final details.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a tendency to assess coaches in isolation. The reality is that modern coaching is a team sport.<\/p>\n The best clubs build coaching panels that complement their senior coach. A great connector might need a hard-edged standards coach beside them. A tactical mastermind might need assistants who excel at relationships and player development.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Just as lists are built around complementary skill sets, so too are coaching departments.<\/p>\n Often the most successful clubs are those with the best coaching team.<\/p>\n Too often, we talk about coaches as if they\u2019re plug-and-play. As if the same coach would achieve the same results at every club. Football simply doesn\u2019t work that way.<\/p>\n Related Article The same coach who thrives in one environment may struggle in another \u2013 not because they\u2019ve become a worse coach, but because the group needed something different.<\/p>\n Tasmania\u2019s search highlights this perfectly. They\u2019re not just appointing a coach; they\u2019re building a club from the ground up. The question isn\u2019t, \u201cwho has the best resume?\u201d It\u2019s what type of culture, standards and identity they want to create.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a temptation during coaching searches to think about everyone except the people the coach will spend the most time with.<\/p>\n Fans want hope. Boards want credibility. The media wants a headline. The constant discussion around James Hird\u2019s coaching future highlights this perfectly.<\/a> Sometimes coaching candidates become as much about public perception as football fit. But coaches aren\u2019t appointed to win press conferences or satisfy external noise. They\u2019re appointed to lead players, and that\u2019s where the real assessment should begin.<\/p>\n Because when a new coach arrives, players aren\u2019t discussing tactical innovations. They\u2019re asking different questions: What\u2019s he or she like? Do they back their players? Are they approachable? What are they like when things aren\u2019t going well? Do they apply the same standards to everyone?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Those questions reveal something important. Players don\u2019t necessarily want a coach they like. They want a coach they respect.<\/p>\n The coaches I\u2019ve respected most challenged me, demanded more from me and gave honest feedback. I always knew where I stood.<\/p>\n Players can handle hard truths. What they struggle with is uncertainty.<\/p>\n![\"Waiting](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781301311_19_9c72699b1d7b4a9cd349f8fd96ebef98dddd4c0d.jpeg\")
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leadership group.<\/p>\n![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781301312_986_650c78b4b7c2242f7f62d0f2d0026f6c97150116.jpeg\")
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