Radford stands down at Casey Demons

Sam Radford has resigned from his VFL coaching role to go back to teaching. But other clubs have locked in their coaches for the new-look competition in 2021.

Sam Radford has stood down as coach of Casey Demons.

The Casey Demons will go into the new-look VFL next year with a new senior coach.

Sam Radford has stood down from a position he had held since midway through 2019 to return to his teaching at St Bede’s College.

He will be the school’s director of sports for 2021.

With COVID-19 putting a squeeze on finances, the Casey coaching position has been made into a part-time role.

Radford had been a full-time development coach at Melbourne, with coaching Casey among his duties.

“It would have been too hard trying to do Casey part-time and doing my school job full-time,’’ Radford said.

“My idea of a senior coach is you’re the first one there and the last one to leave.

“With a young list you need to be watching them closely, out on the ground, helping their game.

“If I’d accepted it wouldn’t have been fair to the club, it wouldn’t have been fair to the players, it wouldn’t have been fair to my school, it wouldn’t have been fair to my family (Radford has three young sons). It was a tough decision, really tough, because I love coaching the club and I think they’re on the verge of some success. So it was definitely a tough decision but it’s also a good one for the club and for everyone.’’

Radford will retain an involvement Melbourne, doing opposition analysis.

He performed the role this year after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the VFL season.

Radford took over from Jade Rawlings as Casey coach as part of a Melbourne coaching shuffle during the 2019 season.

Former Stingrays coach Craig Black is tipped to be appointed coach of Collingwood’s VFL team.

His nine matches brought six victories, and he was reappointed for 2020.

Radford, a premiership coach with Parkdale Vultures in the VAFA, said although he wouldn’t be coaching next year, “I still see myself as a coach’’.

“This (opposition analysis) is a different part of it, a different part of your development. I feel like I’m learning heaps in this role,’’ he said.

“But I definitely love game day and competition and coaching.’’

There has been much movement in VFL coaching ranks in the past fortnight.

Sam Mitchell has been appointed at Box Hill Hawks, returning to the club where he won a JJ Liston Trophy and replacing Max Bailey; former Tiger Jake Batchelor has taken over from Ben McGlynn at Sandringham; and Jordan Russell has succeeded Essendon-bound Daniel Giansiracusa at Footscray Bulldogs.

Former Carlton and Collingwood utility Russell played in the Scrays’ 2014 and 2016 VFL premierships.

There is speculation that 2007 Geelong VFL premiership coach Leigh Tudor will coach Essendon’s VFL team next year, replacing Mark Corrigan, who was stood down due to COVID-19.

The experienced Tudor joined the Dons last year and oversaw their practice matches against other AFL clubs this year.

Craig Black, a “pathways’’ coach at Collingwood, is tipped to coach the Magpies’ VFL team. In 2018 Black steered the Dandenong Stingrays to their first TAC Cup premiership.

The VFL has been revamped to take in teams from the wound-up NEAFL and will have 22 teams next year.

They will play 16 rounds, starting in April.

Casey Demons (Melbourne), Box Hill Hawks (Hawthorn) and Sandringham (St Kilda) will remain aligned; the rest of the teams are stand-alones, from the AFL, VFL and former NEAFL clubs.