What Clarko wants, Clarko gets.
AFL moving to enforce minimum accreditation standards for senior coaches in the future
MARK ROBINSON HERALD SUN MAY 11, 2015 8:00PM SHARE
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Brendon Bolton would be a leading senior coach candidate. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Brendon Bolton would be a leading senior coach candidate. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
CARLTON will be encouraged to select a new coach from an AFL-approved group of 21 if they part ways with Mick Malthouse.
The AFL is moving towards enforcing minimum accreditation standards for senior coaches.
Current coaches and former senior coaches in assistant roles would be exempt.
Eight assistant coaches are currently taking the Level 4 AFL Coach accreditation program which would put them at the front of the line for a top coaching position.
If the Blues want a fresh face, the AFL will direct them to: Brendon Bolton (Hawthorn), Stuart Dew (Sydney), Matthew Nicks (Port Adelaide), John Barker (Carlton), Blake Caracella (Geelong), Robert Harvey (Collingwood), Adam Kingsley (St Kilda) and Simon Lloyd (Fremantle).
Carlton coach Mick Malthouse and assistants John Barker and Brad Green.
Carlton coach Mick Malthouse and assistants John Barker and Brad Green.
Melbourne’s coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin, who replace Paul Roos at the end of the 2016 season, was also in the group.
The 10 former coaches who are now assistants are Dean Laidley, Neil Craig, Mark Harvey, Matthew Knights, Matthew Primus, Brett Ratten, Brendan McCartney, Michael Voss, Mark Williams and Danny Frawley.
Two other recent coaches who would be exempt under the AFL model and would not require accreditation are Brenton Sanderson and Guy McKenna.
Clubs can look elsewhere for a coach in 2015 because no one requires accreditation this year.
It’s possible the Level 4 accreditation will be mandatory as early as 2016.
Guy McKenna would be exempt from new accreditation standards. Picture: Luke Marsden.
Guy McKenna would be exempt from new accreditation standards. Picture: Luke Marsden.
The group of nine was selected by AFL staff and club chief executives in February this year. Some candidates were knocked back by the selection committee.
AFL competition and stakeholder manager Michael Poulton urged clubs to go to the AFL if they wanted an untried coach.
“The clubs know we are doing this, we have identified who we believe are the top eight assistant coaches in the system, there are a couple who didn’t make the program for other reasons who I would suspect would be on (club) short lists,” he said.
“But if I was Carlton or any other club, I’d be coming to the AFL and ask who are the stars in that group, who are the ones that are ready.’’
Changes to the coaching accreditation system were rushed in last year after criticism of Essendon coach James Hird.
The push came from Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson at the height of the Essendon supplement saga and he used Hird as an example.
“Hirdy (James Hird) needs accreditation to coach under nines, but not an AFL footy team,” Clarkson said.
“It really concerns me that the game doesn’t protect itself in the way, say, the teaching industry does.”
The AFL, with support of the AFL Coaches Association, introduced the Level 4 qualification which can take 12 to 18 months to complete.
“Clubs can go outside of the group in 2015, but whether that’s the same in 2016 and 2017 is a discussion the industry will have,’’ Poulton said.
”At this point in time the AFL is not imposing this level of accreditation on the clubs to say the coach you will appoint must have this qualification.”
The AFL model is based on practices in soccer competitions around the world.