AFL 2022: Mick McGuane believes new coach Adam Kingsley and GWS Giants are a perfect match
Adam Kingsley will lead the GWS Giants in the post-Leon Cameron era, and resident expert Mick McGuane has used his crystal ball to figure out what that might look like.
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Prepare for new Giants coach Adam Kingsley to be the anti-Leon Cameron.
Cameron, as much success as he had, lost his coaching job because Greater Western Sydney’s ball movement became slow and drab and too preoccupied with protecting against turnover.
Modern AFL footy is a turnover game, with roughly 60 per cent of scoring coming from that source.
Analysts screamed for years for the Giants to embrace that trend but the argument was always that they were so strong at stoppages they wanted to build around that.
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The biggest problem? They are no longer a great stoppage team and haven’t improved elsewhere to compensate. So what exactly is the GWS brand? What does this club stand for?
There’s an excellent opportunity for Kingsley to stamp his imprimatur on the Giants, fresh from four years at Richmond, a dominant turnover team under Damien Hardwick.
He hinted as much at his first press conference in Sydney on Tuesday, when he speculated on where a team’s focus should lie between stoppage and turnover.
To me, it’s pretty obvious what Kingsley meant in that moment, even though he didn’t want to discuss what went wrong this year as GWS tumbled from winning a final to the bottom four.
The evolution at Collingwood this year under another ex-Tigers assistant, Craig McRae, is similar to what I think we will see at the Giants in 2023.
The Magpies, like Richmond, aren’t overly fussed about winning at the stoppage because they set up defensively in a way that is conducive to scoring.
They play high-risk, high-reward, fun footy. Barely a McRae media opportunity goes by without him mentioning the ‘fun’ word. Kingsley followed suit on Tuesday.
“We’re trying to play that fast, attacking style of footy. I think that’s an attractive brand to play and it’s certainly great to watch and it’s fun to play,” Kingsley said.
But the only way that’s going to work is if GWS players buy into the Kingsley system.
They lost a lot of faith in each other in the past 12 months and that was evidenced on the field with how often they would break down without the ball and leave pockets of space for rivals to repeatedly cut through.
There was nowhere near enough pressure applied at the source and they were too tardy transitioning into a defensive mindset, while some players would retreat further afield.
The Giants might have an All-Australian defender in Sam Taylor but one man can’t do it alone, especially when opponents continually bring the ball deep inside 50.
They ranked in the bottom half of the AFL for opposition scores per inside 50, as well as for how often teams turned a defensive 50 into an inside 50, pressure applied and midfield intercepts.
GWS was also poor defensively in the forward half. The Giants’ profile did not resemble the top-eight squad they were supposed to be, which was reflected in their ladder finish.
Everything I hear about Kingsley is that he understands the game and trends deeply but, importantly, is also happy to make people accountable for their role.
A few feathers might get ruffled early but the Giants need to be OK with that. Change is necessary if they want to win an elusive first flag.
There might not only be a turnover of players – Bobby Hill, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper and Tanner Bruhn among them – but also a belated transformation into a turnover team.
What Kingsley’s Giants job means for Tigers’ finals campaign
– Jon Ralph
New GWS senior coach Adam Kingsley has been lauded by St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt as “the best assistant coach I have had” after he beat hot favourite Adem Yze to win a three-year contract.
Current Richmond assistant Kingsley will stay with the Tigers through their finals campaign but is set to be presented at a press conference at midday on Tuesday.
The Tigers were, on Monday night, working through how much contact he would have with the Giants in coming weeks as GWS face list management decisions that will clear millions in cap space.
The coaching process was so exhaustive GWS not only formally interviewed Kingsley, Yze and interim coach Mark McVeigh multiple times, they spoke to 10-12 people around them in detailed background checks.
The 36-year-old played 170 games at Port Adelaide before becoming a Power assistant coach then moving to St Kilda for eight years.
He then rounded out his resume in premierships at Richmond in 2019 and 2020.
The decision to pass over Yze and McVeigh means both could still be part of the Essendon coaching process.
Essendon said on Monday it wants an experienced coach but few assistants have Yze’s pedigree, while McVeigh has been able to coach his own GWS team for 13 rounds.
James Hird would have likely remained with McVeigh had he won the full-time position so the appointment of Kingsley also frees him to undertake the formal Essendon coaching process.
Kingsley had previously lost out to Michael Voss, Stuart Dew, Don Pyke and Craig McRae in coaching races.
Riewoldt told the Herald Sun on Monday night Kingsley was the full package.
“He is the best assistant coach I have had. He taught me more about forward craft and forward line play than anyone and for a guy who played in the back pocket that speaks to his level of football acumen.
“He has the capacity to challenge, to motivate, he is equally proficient in the micro and the macro needed to be a good player and teammate. I think it’s a great appointment.’
Kingsley said on Monday he was ready for the challenges of stepping up as the third Giants senior coach behind Kevin Sheedy and Leon Cameron.
“It’s a privilege and an honour to be the next senior coach of the GIANTS. I’ve been clear in my aspirations to become a senior coach and over the last 16 years I’ve continued to learn and develop to the point now where I’m absolutely ready to take the next step in my coaching career.”
Kingsley is well aware of the club’s list management challenges that are expected to see Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto, Bobby Hill and Tanner Bruhn move to rival clubs.
But with GWS desperate to play a more modern front-half turnover game Kingsley can incorporate some of Richmond’s game plan while also tailoring his own style that maximises the club’s playing list.
Kingsley’s mantra of seeing the best in a player and being able to coach it out of them was a strong selling point.
The Giants were aware he did not have the profile of Alastair Clarkson, who withdrew from the process last week, but believe on-field wins and Kingsley’s strong communication methods will continue to sell the club’s vision in NSW.
Coach search over as Giants pluck surprise Tiger
—Mark Robinson
Adam Kingsley has been appointed the new senior coach of the GWS Giants after agreeing to a new three-year deal.
Kingsley edged out Melbourne assistant Adem Yze who was widely tipped as the favourite for the job.
The former Port player has been a current assistant coach at Richmond and was an integral part of the Tigers’ 2019 and 2020 premierships.
Giants CEO Dave Matthews said Kingsley marked the next chapter in the club’s history with Kingsley now the club’s third coach after Kevin Sheedy and Leon Cameron.
“After a thorough and considered selection process, Adam’s vision for the club, our players and our people made him the standout candidate for the job.
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“Adam has outstanding values that align with the GIANTS and with 16 years’ coaching experience he is an exceptional tactical coach, a strong, clear communicator, and someone who brings people together.
“In our 11 years in the competition we have undoubtedly become a successful club with a fantastic culture and a great playing list. But we haven’t been satisfied with our recent results.
“We – and Adam – believe success isn’t far away and we’re thrilled to have him lead us into our next chapter as a club.”
The 46-year-old played 170 games at Port Adelaide and was an assistant at St Kilda before joining the Tigers in 2019.
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