Where every AFL senior coach sits after Damien Hardwick declared he wants to coach again
Could a direct coach swap be on the cards for 2024, and would it appeal for Damien Hardwick to return to Port and Ken Hinkley to head to Punt Rd?
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The heat is rising on some coaches and Damien Hardwick’s declaration this week that he wants to return to coaching will only add to the fire.
With Hardwick keen to get back in the fold, here is a look at where all 18 senior coaches are at and what their futures hold.
Matthew Nicks – Adelaide
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: Nicks has steadily improved from seven wins in 2021, eight last year and now his team appears set to blow past that and make the eight. The club couldn’t be happier with where his team is headed, so expect early contract talks to start later this year.
Chris Fagan – Brisbane Lions
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: As the Hawthorn racism inquiry swirled off-field, the Lions quietly extended Fagan just before the start of this season. While the timing raised some eyebrows, the Lions have shown concrete faith in their coach since he was appointed in 2016. Fagan’s on-field challenge will ramp up in September as he looks to shrug off several years of finals disappointments. Brisbane has everything it needs to contend for the flag this year but has crashed out in bitter ways every year since 2019 and another flame out should raise questions.
Michael Voss – Carlton
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: Despite the constant reassurance from within Ikon Park, the pressure is only just building on Voss as the season slips away. Everyone inside and outside the club expected the Blues to at least play finals this year and that looks like a near impossibility now. Chairman Luke Sayers and CEO Brian Cook have backed Voss to the hilt to coach next year but how much does this list look like Richmond circa 2016, when it had a bevy of A-grade talent and needed a system to cover for its short falls? Hardwick may not want to take on another big Melbourne club but the Blues may be the best place for him to stay in Victoria and walk into a team that should be ready to win. Of the final contenders who lost out to Voss when he was appointed, Adam Kingsley is off the market, and Andrew McQualter could be soon too. Daniel Giansiracusa remains available.
Craig McRae – Collingwood
Contract ends: 2026
Where he is at: Ask any Collingwood fan right now and they would want ‘Fly’ to be signed up for the long term, and the club took care of that just two weeks ago. All signs suggest a perfect fit long term between the coach and club.
Brad Scott – Essendon
Contract ends: 2026
Where he is at: It’s been all roses so far for Scott at his second club. The Bombers sit in the eight and have exceeded even their own expectations so far. If Scott can snap the famous streak of not winning a final since 2004, the fans may throw a parade at Tullamarine. An early test of Scott’s leadership will be whether he can keep star duo Mason Redman and Darcy Parish.
Justin Longmuir – Fremantle
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: After a terrific regular season last year, Longmuir’s Dockers have fallen a bit flat and it took some coercing from his senior players to change up a stodgy game style. Don’t expect the Dockers to move on Longmuir even if things don’t shake out for them this year but it could set up an interesting 2024 if the club chooses to enter next season with him holding an expiring deal.
Chris Scott – Geelong
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: Scott was open in the days after his grand final triumph that he goes to senior players every year to ask if they think he is still the man for the job. After Hardwick’s shock departure, Scott is left as one of the longest-tenured leaders in the game but he has shown no signs of slowing down just yet.
Stuart Dew – Gold Coast Suns
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: The speculation will never die around the coaching job on the Gold Coast. The Suns are right in the hunt to play finals for the first time but have fallen down in the second half of a season continuously over the years. The rumbles will only pick up if the Suns again fall into a heap, with Ken Hinkley regularly linked to the Queensland club after serving as an assistant there. As Hinkley’s bargaining power grows with every week, the Suns job could be a perfect stalking horse for him to grow his deal at Port Adelaide. Would a nice relaxed environment on the Gold Coast and the young midfield duo of Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell draw in Hardwick? If the Suns lose faith in Dew, the AFL will no doubt be after a proven coach up north and making the club into a winner would be a huge achievement.
Adam Kingsley – GWS Giants
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: Highly rated and the bridesmaid to Voss in Carlton’s coaching search, Kingsley has hit the ground running at the Giants and has impressed with his commitment to an attacking style.
Sam Mitchell – Hawthorn
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: Mitchell and the Hawks have committed to the slog, cutting the list as deep as any team ever over the off-season to accelerate its rebuild. There is faith on both ends the club can get through it.
Simon Goodwin
Contract ends: 2024
Where he is at: With a flag in his back pocket and a top-four side on the field, Goodwin is sitting in a strong spot to carry on at Melbourne. Should he add a second cup this September, the Demons will no doubt move quickly to sign him up again.
Alastair Clarkson – North Melbourne
Contract ends: 2027
Where he is at: Clarkson hasn’t been with North Melbourne since stepping away mid-May after a 70-point loss to Port Adelaide. The master coach took indefinite leave to look after his mental health as the Hawthorn racism allegations continued to bubble away within the football industry. Brett Ratten has done an admirable job stepping in for him and there are no signs yet of when Clarkson will return. The Roos rightly haven’t looked to finding a new coach yet, if Clarkson decides not to return, a younger head like Jaymie Graham or Adem Yze might make sense with the club’s rebuild timeline.
Ken Hinkley – Port Adelaide
Contract ends: 2023
Where he is at: The only coach out of contract at the end of this year, Hinkley is the most intriguing piece on the coaching chessboard. Hinkley’s value and negotiating power has soared as he led an 11-game winning streak, even with the Power adamant they weren’t going to talk about the future until at least August. Hinkley has his team right on the front line of premiership favourites and it’s hard to see the Power falling away in coming years given its young midfield bursting with talent. Should he depart, Port Adelaide would automatically become the most attractive job on the market and premiership player Hardwick would no doubt be the first call for Power chairman David Koch. Does a swap, with Hinkley going to take over the Richmond gig appeal? Or is returning to the Gold Coast more his speed? Hinkley is loyal and loves living in Adelaide, does he ride it out to keep adding to his next contract? There is no doubt, if he leaves, Hinkley will be alongside Hardwick as the man most in demand as a coach. The other piece on the board is assistant Josh Carr, who has been groomed as the next man in line, but he could be taken away by another club when a job opens up.
Andrew McQualter – Richmond
Contract status: Interim coach, no senior deal
Where he is at: It’s been a pitch perfect audition for the man they call ‘Mini’ so far: he has won three on the trot and reignited Richmond’s flagging season since Hardwick departed. Veterans Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin appear to be playing better under McQualter and Tim Taranto is suddenly a Brownlow Medal favourite. If he drags the Tigers to the finals, McQualter will have a seriously strong argument to get the job full time. But the Tigers aren’t interested in going backwards so if they look elsewhere an experienced coach may make sense and Hinkley would surely be on Brendan Gale’s mind. Saints coach Ross Lyon admitted recently he tried to poach McQualter for his team, so there will be no shortage of jobs around if Richmond goes a different direction.
Ross Lyon – St Kilda
Contract ends: 2026
Where he is at: The Saints won their first four games in Ross the Boss’ second stint and were sitting pretty but now they are 8-6 and threaten to fall out of the eight. Missing the finals would by no means be a disaster first up for Lyon and the four-year deal they locked him into before this season means he is in for the long haul. A slip after a bright start brings serious echoes of Brett Ratten’s ultimately final season in charge last year, but Lyon shot down comparisons after a loss to Brisbane.
John Longmire – Sydney
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: Sydney locked away Longmire on an extension before this campaign began that will take him to a 15th season in charge. He has missed finals just twice in that time (2019 and 2020) but looks set to add a third to that list this year. The Swans managed to pull off the rare succession plan that worked when Paul Roos handed over to Longmire and could turn their attention to repeating that by the end of 2025.
Adam Simpson – West Coast Eagles
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: The drums are well and truly beating as West Coast hit rock bottom with a 171-point thrashing at the hands of Sydney on Saturday. As well regarded as Simpson is within the Eagles, no coach can survive beatings like Simpson has over the last two years.
The rebuild is only just beginning, so experienced coaches may steer clear even from a powerhouse like West Coast. Former player Jaymie Graham is Fremantle’s forward coach and narrowly missed out to McRae at Collingwood a couple of years back. If Carr is not needed to step up at Port Adelaide, he could make a return to Western Australia, while Yze and Giansiracusa are seemingly always in the mix.
Luke Beveridge – Western Bulldogs
Contract ends: 2025
Where he is at: One of two flag-winners in Dogs history, Beveridge will continue on building his resume towards being the greatest coach in the club’s history. He was extended in late-2022 until the end of 2025. Some heat may come if the Dogs flame out this year, and Beveridge’s team hasn’t shown signs yet of genuine improvement after sitting in the bottom-half of the eight for most of the last decade, but he has a proven record of winning finals. He has always rubbished talk of coaching elsewhere.
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