Why this happens is a basic study in human nature.
That Richmond, under newly-appointed caretaker coach Jade Rawlings, found a way to defeat the Eagles in Melbourne last Saturday came as no great surprise. The Eagles away from Subiaco is currently one of the more winnable games.
Maybe that was a factor in the timing of Terry Wallace’s departure.
On the Sunday after round three, 1986, then-Collingwood coach Bob Rose rang me unexpectedly around 9am to tell me that he had decided to step down and asked me to take over as senior coach. It was a phone call I can still very easily and very vividly remember.
Unlike Rawlings, I was a first-year assistant coach at the Magpies with the express purpose of spending a season under Bob and then becoming senior coach the following year.
There was no subterfuge as Bob was part of the negotiating group that got me to Collingwood. The succession plan was with his full support and knowledge.
After losing the first three rounds of 1986, that succession plan was moved forward to start immediately.
It was no coincidence that Collingwood’s round four opponent was another winless side, Geelong, and the venue was Victoria Park. Bob handed over the reins in a week that offered one of the more winnable opportunities. This generosity was a mark of why Bob Rose was universally admired and respected.
The Magpies won that game, as the Tigers did last weekend.
It is an amazingly common theme. A change of coach mid-season creates a very high percentage of first up wins.
The reasons are not physical; they are psychological.
A change of coach only happens when a team is performing badly. All coaches are aware that positive reinforcement gets the best results but when performances are poor, it is hard to avoid negative criticism.
At these times, so many things are going wrong that there are more areas which need turning around than those that should be continued.
This puts enormous strain on the relationship between the coach and his players. There will always be individuals who will shoot the messenger.
It is a myth that players will sacrifice for their football team. What they will do is invest if they believe they will get something in return.
Coaches are basically sellers of hope. Players will invest of themselves when they believe that the coach’s methods and ideas will bring them success.
Each loss fragments this all-important hope that the future will be better than the present. If the team is not winning it is easy to lose faith.
The coach says some inevitable harsh words and if that coincides with his tenure being only confirmed in the short-term, then the ground is fertile for disharmony and occasionally a mid-season change of coach.
The new coach gets the best of both worlds. Players might not like what the ex-coach has said but they would at least have heard some home truths.
Even the most uncoachable, pig-headed player will take at least a brief look at themselves instead of always looking outwards and blaming others.
When a new coach comes in, the baggage created by the messenger delivering these harsh truths are left behind; a fresh start begins.
It is footy’s version of a religious person going to confession and creating a new beginning: a new voice in charge, a few new ideas, a new starting point and importantly, an often unknown new permanent coach for players to impress.
All these ingredients come together and in the short term at least, generally stimulate committed and enthusiastic performance.
This psychology is no great credit to players in general but it is normal and it is human nature.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
