Former Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson admits player power was factor in his demise
SACKED Crows coach Brenton Sanderson has regrets — in particular how he strayed from leading the Adelaide Football Club’s players to satisfy its sponsors.
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SACKED Crows coach Brenton Sanderson has regrets — in particular how he strayed from leading the Adelaide Football Club’s players to satisfy its sponsors.
Sanderson has returned to Adelaide — after a holiday in the US — acknowledging player power did play a part in his dismissal at West Lakes where he had a contract for the next two seasons.
“If I get another opportunity (as an AFL senior coach), I will spend more time face-to-face with the playing group, especially the younger players,” Sanderson said on Melbourne radio last night.
Sanderson noted he and recently-sacked coaches Guy McKenna (Gold Coast) and Brendan McCartney (Western Bulldogs) had all been told they had lost the faith of their playing groups.
“The three of us lost our jobs, it seems, on the feedback that the players felt they did not want to take the next step (with us as coaches) — and we have to live with that,” Sanderson said. “The industry is changing. It used to be the coach as the guy directing the ship ... that is changing now with the players having more say than we had when I was playing.”
Sanderson said his need to uphold Adelaide’s commercial agreements with sponsors had shifted “my focus from the core element of coaching the team”.
“The next generation (of players) crave a lot more attention than when I was playing,” Sanderson said. “You have to say no to a lot of commitments the club puts in front of you to focus on the core business — coaching the team.”
Sanderson also revealed last night:
CROWS midfielder Patrick Dangerfield should not be considered a lock at the Adelaide Football Club. “I was quietly confident he would stay,” Sanderson said. “But Patrick is one of the best players in the competition ... and (whether he re-signs with Adelaide next year) will depend on the success of the team. He will get interesting offers (as a free agent). He wants to play finals. He wants premiership success. How the team goes next year (could determine if he stays a Crow).”
BROWNLOW Medallist and new Crows board member Mark Ricciuto and he had an “open relationship” that was not strained as the former Adelaide captain made public criticism of his coaching in the media.
“I felt that relationship was pretty good,” Sanderson said. “Ultimately, he felt I was not the right man for the job. That’s fine, that’s his opinion. I don’t think we had any issues.”
HIS relationship with his players should not have soured because at times he behaved as their friend and at other times he had to be stern as their coach. He could not have functioned as a “dictatorial coach because that would not have suited my personality”.
“In my three years (at Adelaide) I did it in a way I felt comfortable with — and I can’t look back with too many regrets,” he said.
Sanderson declared he intends to stay in football and still wanted to be a senior coach — “the best job in the world”- even though he had felt the brunt of a “ruthless”AFL. He is waiting for the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast jobs to be filled before deciding on where he will reappear in the AFL. He could stay out of the league next year to study at Harvard in the US “to upskill in the areas the feedback (from the Crows) says I have deficiencies”.
Originally published as Former Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson admits player power was factor in his demise
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