Assistant purge on its way

AFL clubs will soon begin the horror task of telling assistant coaches there is no role for them at the club next year.

Club bosses are dreading the inevitable decisions that will come when the AFL is expected to finalise the 2021 soft cap within the month.

It is expected clubs will need to purge dozens of coaching roles across the competition.

Several assistants have been stood down during the coronavirus crisis and are expected to learn their futures by the end of the month.

Normally clubs are expected to alert out-of-contract assistant coaches of their futures on August 1, as part of an AFL Coaches Association agreement.

But with some on JobKeeper payments, which expire at the end of September, clubs will want to give them three months’ notice — the end of June.

AFL Coaches Association boss Mark Brayshaw yesterday said that the August 1 deadline might be “fluid” this year given so much uncertainty.

“The footy managers are waiting patiently for the soft cap number and then that will form their headcount for next year and fast-track those decisions,” Brayshaw said.

“As soon as soft cap numbers are determined we will be having those discussions with our members through their clubs. The August 1 deadline is certainly fluid.”

Clubs are bracing for a football department cap of around $6 million next year, down from $9.7 million.

It means clubs with as many as nine assistant coaches might have to reduce that number to five, with estimates 50 to 70 assistant coaches could be out of work.

North Melbourne’s Jared Rivers and Brendan Whitecross and Sydney’s Tadhg Kennelly are among those coaches who remain stood down despite football department limits rising from 25 to 30 in recent weeks.

North Melbourne has enough coaches inside its list of 25 match-day staff to cover for Rivers and Whitecross, and will adopt a wait and see on where it needs support before recalling five staff.

Collingwood’s VFL coach and former Cat Garry Hocking was another high-profile assistant coach stood down by the Pies given that competition will not go ahead for AFL clubs with VFL teams.