For all the talk about player development and relationship-building, McKenna was sacked because the Suns didn't win enough games this year. Winning masks all other problems and once the Suns went into the tank once Gary Ablett busted his shoulder, the die was cast.
History was also against McKenna. He will go down in the books as the equal second-longest serving coach of an expansion team.
WHO WOULD COACH AN EXPANSION TEAM?
| RANKING AND NAME | CLUB | YEARS | GAMES COACHED | WIN-LOSS | FINALS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Graham Cornes | Adelaide | 1991-94 | 89 | 43-45-1 | 3 |
| 2. Gerard Neesham | Fremantle | 1995-98 | 88 | 32-56 | 0 |
| 3. Guy McKenna | Gold Coast | 2011-14 | 88 | 24-64 | 0 |
| 4. John Cahill | Port Adelaide | 1997-98 | 44 | 19-23-2 | 0 |
| 5. Peter Knights | Brisbane Bears | 1987-89 | 59 | 16-43 | 0 |
| 6. Kevin Sheedy | Greater Western Sydney | 2012-13 | 44 | 3-21 | 0 |
| 7. Ron Alexander | West Coast | 1987 | 22 | 11-11 | 0 |
· Kevin Sheedy coached Essendon from 1981 to 2007
· John Cahill coached Collingwood from 1983-84.
What this tells us that when you sign up to coach an expansion club, you are basically committing years of hard work, with few tangible rewards except for the hefty pay packet. And I'm not sure that even in the case of Peter Knights with the Bears, that the salary was all that much in the first place.
And of the coaches of the expansion clubs, only John Cahill at Port Adelaide ended up handing the reins to the next premiership. Mark Williams, who was his assistant in 1997 and 1998, led the Power to the 2004 flag.
No football coach would reject the opportunity if an AFL club came calling, even a start-up club. But rest assured, and the history backs this up, it is a hiding to nothing.
Will the last maverick at Collingwood please shut the door on the way out?
That's the way it appears at the Westpac Centre with Dayne Beams and Heretier Lumumba set to part ways with the club in the next few days.
Beams is the surprise. He visited AFL Media last year for some pre-season content appearances and chatted engagingly for quite some time about how much he enjoyed living in Melbourne, loved Collingwood and how important it was for his football that he resisted the lure of playing virtually in his back yard for Gold Coast because of all the distractions that would bring.
Now there are obvious and understandable personal reasons for him now seeking a return to his home state. His father Phillip is seriously ill and he wants to spend more time closer to his family.
But like a few before him at the Pies, he marches to his own beat just that little bit and if the reports are true, the departures of Heath Shaw and Dale Thomas 12 months before have disappointed him.
Lumumba's departure is no surprise. Square peg, round hole, that sort of thing. It will be an interesting exercise in man management for Paul Roos if and when 'H' lands at the Demons, but whereas Nathan Buckley seems intent on weeding out all but the choirboys at Collingwood (Dane Swan the obvious exception there), Roos wants to inject more spice and spark into the playing group at the Demons.
Beams will be a huge loss for Collingwood. He is now the club's second best midfielder, behind Scott Pendlebury, so the Pies are well entitled to play hard ball on this one and the Lions should dig deep to get him. In his first trade period as the Lions list manager, Peter Schwab has his hands full.
Dayne Beams appears to have played his last game for the Pies. Picture: AFL Media
QUESTION TIME:
Live footy on my Apple TV? Really?
It is the most important contract negotiation the AFL undertakes. The existing five-year arrangement brought $1.25 billion into the game, by far the largest source of revenue.
The next deal could reap up to $3 billion if the League signs off on a 10-year agreement, which many believe is the way the deal will go.
Expect all the commercial broadcasters to make their pitch. The AFL has been a boon for the Seven Network, its primary winter sport and it will bid again. Network Ten has slumped since giving up the AFL rights and boss Hamish McLennan is plotting to get among the action once again.
And Channel Nine will also come to the party. Now that it owns its Adelaide and Perth stations, a return to the AFL appeals. One early theory is that Nine might bid for Thursday night games and use them in conjunction with The Footy Show.
Pay TV rights will be a huge part of the next deal once again. Will the Fox Footy Channel status quo remain, or will, say ESPN consider using the AFL as a mechanism to ramp up its presence in Australia. It has done the same in other markets with the Premier League in the UK and in particular, cricket in India.
Another question is whether the partnership with Telstra continue, or will one of the free to air broadcasters buy the digital rights. Perhaps one game a week might be streamed exclusively live through this website (Matty Thompson is itching to become boundary rider).
A major consideration for the AFL to consider is how the media landscape might change in the next 10 years. Google, YouTube, Apple, Netflix and Amazon are becoming broadcasters in their own and will certainly have discussions with the AFL to see whether there is a seat at the table.
The 10-year timeframe opens up new possibilities for the AFL. Primarily, it would expedite the purchase of Etihad Stadium and the sooner that gets into the hands of the AFL, the better the match-day returns will be for the tenant clubs, particularly the financially-brittle St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne.
Will Jarrad Waite be right for North Melbourne?
He will be a great medium term solution for the Kangaroos as a lead-up forward, better for now than Aaron Black, Majak Daw and Robbie Tarrant and an excellent foil for Drew Petrie. The time had come for Waite to move on from Carlton and a new environment, where he is less comfortable is just what he needs. Hopefully for his sake and for North, the brain fades will be kept to a minimum.
>@afl_hashbrowne Ok fine, we'll give you bigger crowds, amazing atmosphere and exciting footy, if u give us Friday night fixtures. Deal?
— Port Adelaide 2014 (@PAFC2014) October 2, 2014
Ashley Browne: Nice segue into the other AFL talking point for October, the release of the 2015 fixture. There remains a few weeks until we learn who plays who, where and when, but this is the fixture that will reportedly put the fans first, so we're expecting lots of juicy Saturday afternoon fixtures at the MCG in particular. And yes, hopefully, lots more Port Adelaide to keep us glued to our TV sets on Friday nights.
@afl_hashbrowne What will be the big trade of 2014? #afterthesiren
— ZacHev (@HevZac) October 2, 2014
AB: Can't say at this stage, but if the trend continues, it will involve Hawthorn. The Hawks announced the Brian Lake deal shortly after the commencement of the trade period two years ago and left jaws agape after the Ben McEvoy deal the following year. They all but have free agent James Frawley in their grasp this year, so whether they have a surprise trade left in them is uncertain.
Twitter: @afl_hashbrowne
