Nathan Buckley’s campaign to succeed Chris Fagan as senior coach of the Brisbane Lions lasted about two-and-a-half weeks. It saw he and Adam Simpson, the other proven coach in the field, predictably overlooked.
If there had been a market for that position, Cameron Bruce would have been Winx odds to land it. And so it proved. The outlandish success of the Lions meant that the safe call was always to minimise disruption and appoint Bruce , who had been endorsed by Fagan and had the support of much of the locker room.
Buckley lost much less by putting his hand up for the Lions job than he did by investing two-and-a-half years campaigning to become the foundation coach of the Tasmania Devils, who opted for an even more seasoned coach in Ken Hinkley .
But the former Collingwood coach barely dipped his toes in water at North Melbourne, where he did not make a presentation for the job after Alastair Clarkson’s brutal culling, and his pursuit of the Melbourne role might be described as waist-deep rather than up to his neck . Buckley had only a coffee with the Kangaroos.
Buckley had clearly prioritised Tasmania over Melbourne, and was in the process for both jobs. The Demons, understandably, would want a candidate who put them first. Once Steven King made an exceptional presentation, their choice was an easy one .
Simpson has chased just two coaching jobs – the Lions’ and Kangaroos’ roles.
The 2018 premiership coach’s pitch for the team he skippered was powerful, and in a different era – ie, before Clarkson’s stormy reign – would surely have landed him the headset.
Simpson proposed to the North hierarchy that he and another ex-North great, John Longmire, return together; Simpson would be the coach, “Horse” would assume a role not dissimilar to the one he now holds at Essendon. Longmire was amenable to this arrangement, according to sources familiar with the Simpson pitch.
But North Melbourne had seemed set upon a “modern” coach from the moment that the hierarchy dispatched Clarkson in that unusually candid media conference. This led them to hire Jaymie Graham, who had been vetted by both Carlton and Essendon and was seen as the apex senior assistant coach in the market .
Today, it is unclear whether Buckley or Simpson will get another crack as senior coach. The odds are probably against it, as they are against most proven coaches who have had a lengthy first stint.
On the surface – and this is merely educated speculation – Buckley’s best hope might be an internal succession at Geelong, where he will continue to coach, in concert with his media work, in 2027.
Chris Scott is the game’s most commanding coach, but he’s entering his 17th year at Geelong. It is hard for any coach, no matter how successful, to coach the same team for nearly 20 years.
It is fair to pose two questions of the Lions’ coaching search. One is why the Lions insisted on an in-depth process – they’re always called “rigorous” – rather than simply hiring Bruce, who started several lengths ahead of the field.
The Lions’ search was really a handicap event. The club hierarchy might not agree, but Bruce’s appointment doesn’t look much different to the hiring of Josh Carr at Port Adelaide; the difference is that whereas Port’s “process” was to assess the market and then back Carr, the Lions opted to benchmark Bruce against other candidates.
This doesn’t mean Buckley and Simpson had no hope at Brisbane. But it is clear, even if the Lions insisted that this was an open process (and believe that, themselves), that they were starting from scratch and Bruce from the 20-metre mark at Stawell.
Why is it then necessary to focus on the candidates, such as Buckley and Simpson, who missed out?
Part of it is that they have public profiles that have been maintained or bolstered by working in media. Another is that the public is fascinated by the coach searches (and sackings). Above all, it’s surprising that the coaches who were grand finalists in 2018 have not landed senior coaching gigs since their exits, albeit they have been selective in chasing jobs.
Only a matter of six months ago, there were five second or third-time senior coaches at AFL clubs. Then Michael Voss went, shortly followed by Brad Scott. Clarkson reduced the field of “proven” head coaches to just two – Damien Hardwick at Gold Coast and Ross Lyon, who is in his second coming at the Saints and third crack in charge of an AFL club.
The circumstances of these clubs seeking new coaches conspired against Buckley and Simpson. Or they weren’t keen.
Carlton, which were interested only in the ranks of first-time coaches, was compelled to hire Josh Fraser by results. Simpson was among those choosing the Carlton coach, Buckley never a candidate.
Essendon were open to all manner of coaches, but Simpson and Buckley were quick to rule themselves out of the process that ended with Mark McVeigh’s appointment and then Longmire signing on as his lieutenant.
The Lions, as outlined, were running a race in which Buckley and Simpson were pitted against an internal candidate who had tailwinds at his back, and they could not make up the ground.
Today, the favoured breed of coach is the seasoned assistant, usually in his 40s, who has served a laborious apprenticeship. King was turning 47 when hired by the Dees, Craig McRae was nearly 48 when Collingwood punted on him, and, at 44, Fraser is the same age as the great Ron Barassi when the super coach had finished his stint at North Melbourne.
They aren’t young coaches any more.
Clubs seem to prize connection with players and with Gen Z in particular – who are not inclined to enjoy or accept harsh feedback. The appointment of Hinkley and success of Fagan suggests that it is a communication style, rather than birthdate, that clubs crave.
The tide may well turn against the current fad, and see the return of the seasoned 50-plus ex-senior coach. Currently, however, that seasoned cohort seem more in demand as lieutenants than generals.
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