RICHMOND is the AFL coaches' overwhelming tip to win this year’s premiership.
The 18 club coaches were asked to offer their thoughts on a host of topics in a 20-question anonymous online survey, conducted by AFL Media in partnership with the AFL Coaches' Association, across several weeks in July.
WHO IS THE AFL'S MVP? Coaches have their say
Fourteen of the 16 (87.5 per cent) coaches who responded predicted the Tigers would go back-to-back, with only West Coast and Collingwood (second and third on the ladder respectively before this weekend’s matches) considered contenders.
Collingwood and North Melbourne shared the billing as the most surprising team of the season to date, combining for nearly two-thirds of the vote.
The men in charge said they were also surprised by the form this year of West Coast, Geelong, Essendon and St Kilda.
The coaches named Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson as the AFL’s best match-day coach, with the four-time premiership winner snaring nearly 50 per cent of the vote.
Fremantle’s Ross Lyon and Western Bulldogs premiership coach Luke Beveridge each received 13 per cent of the vote, with Brisbane's Chris Fagan, Geelong's Chris Scott, Richmond’s Damien Hardwick and Sydney's John Longmire also recognised by their peers.
In other highlights of the survey, the coaches said:
- Stacking a forward line with smaller players was the most important tactical innovation of the past three years
- The MCG was the best venue to play at
The full survey results will be published in the round 20 edition of the AFL Record, available at all venues.
