Saints playing-coach to face off against old side
THEY are the Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley of the Far North.
The old premiership coach with his former star player entering the coaching ranks and ready to take on his own club.
There are slight differences from the Malthouse and Buckley dynamic between multiple premiership-winning coach at Port Douglas, Brad Cooper, and his former assistant, Wes Glass, but they both ended the same way: with separation.
In the AFL, Buckley was all set to take over from Malthouse at Collingwood, but that went pear-shaped – Malthouse went to Carlton and Buckley is still in the chair at the Magpies.
Many around AFL Cairns circles long assumed Glass, a playing assistant coach over the last few years, was the eventual next coach at the Crocs.
There were times during the 2019 season when many in Port Douglas thought that campaign would be Cooper’s last in charge.
“There was a few days there where we were unsure if Coops would go again in 2020,” Crocs president Barry Lea said this week.
And, if Cooper was maybe on the way out, then the dashing defending and aspirational coach in Glass was the obvious man to take over. That was until the Crocs’ hierarchy realised he was about to become Saints’ next senior coach.
Saints, a powerhouse club over the last few decades, had just been treading water over the last few campaigns and saw Glass as the man to lead them into the future after an average last four or so years.
“And, within a 48-hour span, Wes had then been appointed Saints’ coach,” Lea said. “All was sorted out and we have got Brad to coach and the side is going well.”
For Glass, he felt he was not going to coach the club he had played for in the last four AFL Cairns premierships.
“I really wanted to coach my own team. I wanted to start my own thing, bring in my own rules,” Glass said.
“There was nowhere for me to go there. They are on top, there is no coaching challenge there. I want to build up my own culture, my own thing.
“I never thought I would ever coach Port – it may have crossed my mind at times, but everyone up there thought I would, apart from the people that actually knew me well.”
Those in high places at Port this week noted the financial offer provided to Glass was something they could not match. “We wish Wes nothing but the best. He is going to be an excellent coach with a great juniors system down there at Saints,” Lea said.
Saints are unbeaten to start 2020, 4-0, and playing-coach Glass says his side comes up to Port Douglas today with confidence. It’s the first time he will play against his old club.
Today’s game in Port is the annual Pink in the Tropics day, which aims to raise money for breast cancer support. Both the Crocs and Saints will don the pink once more, with fundraising raffles to be held.