Stability counts in coaches box
The Cats crew who know how to win flags
WITH 12 premiership medals to their name as players, Geelong’s coaches know what it takes to win grand finals.
By a narrow margin, the Cats now boast more premiership medals in their coaching box than on the field.
But Chris Scott’s gang of eight is aiming to change that on Saturday.
Of all the theories about why Geelong has stayed near the top of the ladder for the past decade and a half, one that often gets overlooked is the talent, experience and stability of the coaching panel.
Kardinia Park might be a fortress, Stephen Wells is a master recruiter, and Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett are destined for the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
But Scott sometimes seems a victim of his remarkable winning percentage (69.36). By extension, so does his team.
It’s an impressive team by any measure.
Its eight members boast almost 2000 games playing experience, and while most of them shy away from media attention their playing records demand respect.
Two of the most dominant eras in modern AFL history are well represented.
Scott and Nigel Lappin were at Brisbane when the Lions were the kings of the AFL jungle in the early 2000s, and Shane O’Bree was a teammate of theirs in the late-90s.
Brisbane was usurped in the second half of that decade by a Geelong team driven by the fierce competitive instincts of Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright. James Rahilly played with them.
The newest addition to Scott’s team is Shaun Grigg, a popular and influential player at Richmond as it built its own dynasty in recent years.
Lappin and Scarlett are already in the Hall of Fame, Enright will be soon, and Matthew Knights isn’t yet but was in Richmond’s Team of the Century.
But more important than their playing records is their humility and close-knit working relationship. Scott’s nofuss team is the most stable in the AFL. While assistant coaching jobs elsewhere come and go like horses on a merry-goround, Scott’s team has been rock solid.
Aside from 31-year-old Grigg, the rest have all been at Kardinia Park at least five seasons, some much longer.
In the most volatile and uncertain season in AFL history, that calm familiarity has aided Geelong’s run to the grand final.
Cats chief Brian Cook told the Geelong Advertiser this week the unheralded coaching team deserved praise for the club’s success in 2020.
“Our coaching group is outstanding, led by Chris,” Cook said.
“They are collaborative and work well with each other. They are willing to challenge each other and be challenged.
They genuinely like each other and love working together.
“Many of them have worked together for a long time and they bring their own perspectives to the table. It’s obvious they trust each other.”