Carlton coach news: Blues miss out on Alastair Clarkson, set to decide between David Teague and Ross Lyon
An AFL great has warned the saga surrounding David Teague’s future will haunt Carlton for years and have a “lasting” impact on the club’s culture.
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St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt has launched a stinging attack on Carlton, saying the way the club has treated senior coach David Teague was “mind-boggling”.
Riewoldt, who is one of the most respected figures in St Kilda’s history, strongly backed former coach Ross Lyon to take over the reins at the Blues after two years out of the game.
Riewoldt criticised Teague’s manager Liam Pickering for taking aim at Patrick Cripps’ defensive efforts and said the whole drawn-out “disaster of a situation” could have a “lasting” impact on Carlton’s club culture.
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“When you project forward to next year, what cultural damage is Carlton inflicting on themselves at the moment with those who actually do remain?” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.
“No one has been missed in this.
“As recently as the last few days you’ve got Liam Pickering going after Patrick Cripps in the media.
“So even if David Teague does keep his job, what does that do for David Teague and his relationship with Cripps?
“The collateral (damage) is everywhere and I think this is going to have a lasting cultural impact on this group.”
Riewoldt, who Lyon guided to Grand Finals in 2009-2010, said his former senior coach could have a big impact on the Blues, if he takes the job.
“Because of his credentials, because of what I have seen him achieve as a coach,” Riewoldt said.
“His ability to pull a group together and achieve special things.
“He was able to get to grand finals at both clubs (Fremantle and St Kilda) he has been at and just falling short.
“I can see him coaching again.”
BLUES IN TURMOIL AFTER CLARKSON SNUB
Michael Warner and Jay Clark
Carlton has plunged deeper into turmoil after its multi million-dollar pitch for Hawthorn master coach Alastair Clarkson failed.
Embattled senior coach David Teague was left hanging for another day after Blues bosses struck out in a ‘Hail Mary’ play for Clarkson.
But a decision on Teague’s future is imminent and could be announced as early as Thursday.
Clarkson’s agent, James Henderson, confirmed the four-time premiership coach was approached by multiple clubs this week but had opted to spend time with his family and concentrate on other pursuits in 2022.
“He is fully committed to taking the year off to spend time with his family and to undertake further study and personal development opportunities,” Henderson said.
Several Carlton directors remain keen on pursuing Ross Lyon, despite widespread reports the club had “cooled” on the ex-Fremantle and St Kilda coach.
The Carlton board is set for an overhaul with 1995 premiership hero Greg Williams in the frame to replace Chris Judd as the new director of football.
Lyon is eager to reignite his coaching career and has support from within the club’s influential factions and past player ranks.
The drawn-out saga has attracted withering assessments from senior football figure’s led by AFL Legend Leigh Matthews who this week declared on 3AW: “Whoever is running that football club has no idea how to run a football club”.
Pressure is also mounting on Carlton chief executive Cain Liddle.
Questions over Liddle’s leadership style have emerged as part of the review into the club’s failing football operations.
Some Blues figures believe the CEO should join Teague out the door in a “complete clean out” at Princes Park.
The bad blood surrounding Liddle stems back to the sacking of club great and list boss Stephen Silvagni at the end of 2019.
Silvagni lost out in an internal power play with Liddle.
The Blues said at the time that Silvagni could not continue in the job due to a conflict of interest, with two of his sons (Jack and Ben) on the list that year, but not everyone agreed with the decision.
Silvagni held grave fears about the team’s direction under Teague and in particular the lack of focus on defence.
Tensions have also flared after Teague’s manager, Liam Pickering, launched a scathing attack on Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps, questioning his form, durability and defensive workrate.
Cripps, who was voted the AFL Players’ Association most valuable player in 2019, is privately unhappy and bemused by the comments, while his teammates believe Cripps displayed great courage battling through a debilitating back injury this season.
The injury required ultrasound-guided pain killing injections two hours before matches, which Teague downplayed.
At least one club official has reached out to Pickering seeking explanation for his criticism.
Pickering said he was making the comments while wearing his media hat.
The futures of Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd and fitness chief Andrew Russell also remain uncertain, while assistant coach Brent Stanton has already been let go
Clarkson sensationally quit Hawthorn last month, despite agreeing to a contentious succession plan that would have seen him hand over the reins to Sam Mitchell at the end of next year.
He was also loosely linked to Collingwood’s vacant coaching role where Hawthorn assistant Craig McRae is firming to replace Nathan Buckley.
Clarko won’t take on Blues, Pies jobs
Coaching great Alastair Clarkson will not be a contender for the Carlton or Collingwood coaching jobs.
Clarkson’s agent James Henderson confirmed to the Herald Sun he would take 2022 off to spend time with his family and concentrate on other pursuits.
The move is a major blow for Carlton as it grapples with the future of under siege coach David Teague.
It leaves Ross Lyon as the only viable replacement for Teague.
“He is fully committed to taking the year off to spend time with his family and to undertake further study and personal development opportunities,” Henderson said in a statement today.
Henderson confirmed that Clarkson had chosen not to pursue discussions with the AFL clubs that had approached him this week.
Clarkson sensationally quit Hawthorn last month, despite agreeing to a contentious succession plan that would have seen him hand over the reins to Sam Mitchell at the end of 2022.
Mitchell will be the sole coach of the Hawks next year.
The move to depart Hawthorn linked Clarkson to roles at both Collingwood and Carlton until this week.
He is the second person to declare they were not interested in the Magpies position vacated by Nathan Buckley.
In fact, Clarkson and Richmond coach Damien Hardwick have thrown their support behind Craig McRae and Adam Kingsley in their chase to become Collingwood’s next coach.
While the Magpies stressed they have yet to make a final call on who will be Nathan Buckley’s replacement, a decision is expected in the next few weeks after the current Covid lockdown slowed the process.
LEGEND’S SAVAGE BLUES SPRAY: ‘NO IDEA HOW TO RUN A CLUB’
Rebecca Williams
AFL legend Leigh Matthews has savaged Carlton’s handling of embattled coach David Teague, saying the Blues’ hierarchy has “got no idea how to run a football club”.
As the saga surrounding the club’s external review into the football department drags on, the Brisbane and Collingwood premiership coach declared it was the “people at the top of that football club that are the problem”.
After the team’s final game of the season, Teague conceded the call on his future was not “going to go in my favour” but new president Luke Sayers told Blues members the club would take its time to “absorb” the review and would not be rushed on any decisions.
Matthews said the Blues had made a mess of the situation, suggesting the board had overplayed its role.
“You wonder who is running the footy club at Carlton,” Matthews said on 3AW’s Sports Today.
“I must say from the outside, whoever is running that football club has got no idea how to run a football club.
“I reckon it’s the people at the top of that football club that are the problem. Somehow or other, that is just not working.
“Sometimes when boards overplay their roles in what’s going on in the footy department, that’s when the club’s in trouble.
“The board has to appoint a CEO usually, but the board might be involved in appointing the football manager and the senior coach – and then those three people run the footy club and let the board back out.”
As the spectre of Hawthorn four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson looms large as a potential replacement, Matthews said it had been an “incredibly difficult” time for Teague.
But he said Teague should wait to be sacked rather than walk out if he’d “had enough”
“There’d be a big part of David Teague, if I was him you’d say: ‘I’ve had enough, I’m out of here’ but he’s not going to walk out on his contract,” Matthews said.
“I’d be waiting to be sacked, that’s what I’d be doing if I was David Teague, I’d just be hanging in there and don’t go resigning. Just make sure ‘If they’re going to get rid of me, they’re going to pay me out next year’.
“I would be making sure that happens.”
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