Max Gawn breaks down exactly how it feels when a caretaker coach steps in at an AFL club

It is a crazy world when a coach gets sacked. Just ask Max Gawn, who has found himself on the chopping block under two different caretaker coaches. He takes you inside the bizarre meetings and nervous moments.

Max Gawn breaks down exactly how it feels when a caretaker coach steps in at an AFL club.

Caretaker coach seems to be the phrase of the month.

Easily the weirdest meeting as a player is the first meeting run by the interim coach. Not only does the interim coach not know his future, basically every player is also put on notice as well as assistant coaches and support staff. The whole place is walking on egg shells.

I was an out of contract, young, mediocre, tall forward/ruck during both of my experiences with caretaker coaches. I was stuck behind Mark Jamar, Jake Spencer and Stefan Martin.

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The decision to re-sign me went out of the coach’s hands and into purely the domain of the list manager/footy manager, both who were changing.

How I survived on the list in both scenarios is beyond me. I must have played a good game when the right person was watching.

Saturday, July 30 2011, has been a well documented game. We lost by 186 points against the Cats and the late Dean Bailey was moved on as coach by the Monday afternoon.

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Melbourne great Todd Viney was then installed for the last five games as interim coach. His first meeting was easily the most bizarre I’ve sat in. Players walked in late, a lot didn’t train because of injury, but then Viney, the most passionate Melbourne man I’ve seen, stood in front of us and rallied the troops.

The problem with this five weeks compared to 2013, was that we were still reasonably well positioned on the ladder (11th on ladder with seven and a half wins) and our confidence in the prior system was still quite high. We won one game under Todd, against Gold Coast in the second-last round.

I was picked for the first game under the new coach and was a last-minute omission for the last. Todd thought it would be good to give Jack Fitzpatrick a game and I have never let him forget that.

Neil Craig took over as caretaker coach at Melbourne in 2013. Picture: Getty Images

All I can really remember from the first game is before the match Todd was putting people on their back with the bump bag. I honestly thought he was going to come out and play.

It was really just a holding period, with an interim coach who had little interest in keeping the job and finals out of the equation.

Exit meetings that year were weird. The off-season was also weird until Mark Neeld was announced as coach and we all came back in.

June 17, 2013 — this time the decision was made with the team on the bottom of the ladder and still 11 weeks to play. Once again I was dropped for Jack Fitzpatrick, but only for a week and I came in to help win a nailbiter against the Doggies at the ’G.

This was an interesting feeling. We needed a shake up. We needed a change and the feeling when it happened was almost like a sense of relief. A new voice, a man with a plan and such high standards regarding training. Neil Craig didn’t get the main job, but we could definitely feel he wanted it, and he started the slow start to our club becoming relevant again.

He gave the club something to look to, potentially light at the end of the tunnel. Once again I was out of contract and not sure where my career sat.

The extra six weeks that Neil had on Todd meant he was able to put a bit more of a plan in place and set some goals. Like North Melbourne and Carlton, the earlier the call is made the quicker you can get players into a better mindset, both on and off the field.

I would’ve been more than comfortable to have Neil continue on as coach and that is the message an interim coach has to get across, that I’m here to help us get out of the mess we are in.

Both interim coaches I’ve had did this in different ways. Todd through his love for the jumper and the club and Neil for his passion on development and high performance.

Todd Viney sings the song with the Melbourne players after coaching his first win.

It’s a period in which coaches, staff, players and members find out a lot about themselves.

I had to trust that those who were in charge had the best intentions around growing me as a player and the club. I felt that some of the older players, who had been through so much change, struggled more with this. Trust is the key. There was so much doubt in terms of my career that it helped having people in positions of power open up and show their insecurities and that we are one. You stop worrying about the stuff you can’t control and that fast tracks you to become a better player, better teammate and better team.

The only issue that I have with the interim coach is the extra voice, the non-expected voice. In addition to the senior coaches that I’ve had, I’ve now had six coaches. Jonesey has had eight. All have had slightly different opinions in development and game plans.

Jordan Lewis came to the Dees having had only one senior coach in 12 seasons. Yes, Hawthorn was winning and change wasn’t necessary, but it all adds up. If it’s not done at the halfway point of the year, I say wait until the end of season.