Mick Malthouse: Carlton, North Melbourne have big calls to make on interim coaches Teague, Shaw
Rhyce Shaw has four wins in five matches as North Melbourne coach, putting the Roos on the cusp of the top eight. Mick Malthouse says Shaw will leave the Roos ‘in a bind’ if he steers the club to finals.
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It’s been a while since we’ve seen a caretaker coach take the reins quite like Rhyce Shaw and David Teague have, and it begs the question: should they be considered for the top jobs at North Melbourne and Carlton?
The answer is, yes.
They are coaching with courage and liberation, enthusiasm and aggression.
Last weekend North Melbourne bullied Collingwood and took away its game plan until it folded under the relentless pressure. Carlton snatched a win against the more fancied Fremantle in Perth, without Patrick Cripps and Charlie Curnow (who was injured early).
Carlton has transformed into one of the AFL’s most attacking teams under interim coach David Teague
Rhyce Shaw has North Melbourne playing unsociable football
You don’t fluke those wins. Victories like that come from hard work, good tactics, and a passion for the contest.
Shaw has displayed fantastic use of tactics. Tactics that have kept North in the game on occasion. It is also clear that he has the respect of his players.
North wasn’t failing when he took over so it has been his job to continue to build on the season. If that is what he is being judged on, then he is coming up trumps.
Carlton was failing, so for Teague the only way is up, and so far that’s the direction he has the team heading in.
With a third of the season still left, Shaw and Teague have time to build on their campaigns and anything is possible.
A place in the finals for North would put that club’s administrators in a bind — stick with what you have or explain to the members why you are looking elsewhere.
Quite often it comes down to the nerve, or lack of nerve, of the club’s board, going for safety more than daring.
I have football stalwart Shane O’Sullivan and the Footscray board, headed by the late and great Tony Capes, to thank for giving a raw, untried and totally inexperienced “kid” a chance.
Then, I would have said I was prepared, because by my mid 20s I was doing comparisons between clubs, coaches and techniques, but I wasn’t prepared in today’s sense of the word.
I played under five very different coaches — Allan Jeans, highly defensive; Tom Hafey, extremely offensive; Barry Richardson, ahead of his time; Tony Jewell, energetic and passionate; and Francis Bourke, tough and disciplined.
From those men I gained confidence and gathered information to take into the Footscray job. The biggest thing I learnt is that there is no one way to win a game, nor one way to coach.
I also learnt that you need help.
As a rookie coach, I was blessed to have a wonderful match committee at Footscray, and in particular a colleague with one of the best football brains I have ever come across in former South Melbourne (coached by Norm Smith) and Richmond player, Wayne Walsh.
As a young coach I leant heavily on the good people around me and today I believe the biggest flaw of many inexperienced coaches isn’t their lack of knowledge, but a lack of knowledge of those around them.
New coaches generally choose assistants based on who they played with, which might be good for loyalty, but not necessarily good for experience and knowledge.
I wonder if some failed coaches may have been able to better weather the storms, and establish themselves in the position, if they’d had a more experienced team around them to begin with.
In recent times, men like Michael Voss and Justin Leppitsch at the Brisbane Lions, Mark Neeld at Melbourne, James Hird at Essendon and Brenton Sanderson at Adelaide — all fine coaches in their own right — when confronted with losses and mounting pressure, could have done with a steadying hand or comment from a trusted, experienced campaigner to help them through.
And that is the upside of an experienced coach. He has already done his apprenticeship.
A coach like John Longmire, besides the romantic notion of returning to his old club, brings with him a premiership, eight years of finals, a very set and determined game plan, and a highly visible culture of success.
It makes for a great CV.
But, for the one-club coaches I have a piece of advice: no two clubs are the same, from the board, administration, the culture, the players and the supporters, so don’t expect an easy transition.
I see that some jobs are tailor made for the coach and the club.
There is a fit, a feel, and a quick acceptance. But for some, it’s like mixing oil with water. A bad recipe from the start.
Coaching great, Allan Jeans, from St Kilda to Hawthorn was a perfect fit.
From Hawthorn to Richmond, not so much.
The great John Kennedy, from Hawthorn to North Melbourne was like mismatched gloves. So too, dual premiership coach Denis Pagan from North Melbourne to Carlton.
If North Melbourne and John Longmire decide they are a good match, what happens to Rhyce Shaw?
He has already stated that he wants the senior coaching job, so would that leave him vulnerable to becoming part of a clean-out? Or would Longmire have enough confidence in himself to have Shaw as an assistant?
Either way, if a senior job comes along anywhere, Shaw would be foolish not to jump at it.
There hasn’t been as much airplay for David Teague staying in the Blues’ job, but another win today against Melbourne would improve his win/loss record to an impressive 3-1 and must catapult him into genuine contention.
Carlton is loaded with first-round draft picks and is an attractive job for any coach. North has some good young players and in recent weeks has played with the Shinboner spirit the club is famous for.
As caretaker coach there is an element of freedom and Shaw and Teague have afforded to be more cavalier in their roles. But the longer you go the higher the stakes, the intensity increases and this is where the gauge becomes set for judgment.
There is no doubting the abilities of Longmire, Brad Scott and others, but there could be doubt about coach/club match-ups.
On the surface, I would have no hesitation in giving a two or three-year contract to Shaw and Teague at North and Carlton, as they continue to bring their own style.
But if I was to have a bet — and I’m not a betting man — I think both clubs will look outside for a name and experience.
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