IF NEW Essendon president David Barham wants to know what Geelong, Richmond and Collingwood have done right in their recent incarnations, then there is a clear starting point for each that the Bombers should look at before launching their coach search.
With Geelong, go back to 2010 when Chris Scott was appointed as an untried senior coach. At Richmond, head to late 2009 when Damien Hardwick was plucked as an assistant. And for Collingwood, last September is the point when Craig McRae was given his first senior job.
All three clubs went through a process of finding the best available coach without ruling a line through any possible contenders – including untried assistant coaches – before the process had started.
That is exactly, however, what Barham and the Bombers are doing if they want their search to focus on coaches with senior experience, as the president indicated on Sunday.
They would be going against the examples set by the successful clubs the new president wants his to emulate, and the seven clubs that have won premierships since 2011.
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"We think we're after a more experienced coach," Barham said when announcing the sacking of Ben Rutten after two seasons in the top job.
"We think a more experienced coach might be able to get more out of this list, and we want to give our list the best chance."
At the same time, Barham said the Bombers would be running a "full and thorough process" with a panel that includes an external football expert to help decide on Rutten's replacement.
The club wants to make an appointment by the end of September to assist in key trade and draft decisions.
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Geelong started its search for Mark Thompson's replacement in 2010 with a list of 120 names before narrowing that to a long list of 18.
To emulate the Cats and get to 18 on a long list, the Bombers will be stretching to include coaches who have long been out of the role or did not experience success during recent, short stints in the top job.
A short list might include Don Pyke, Leon Cameron, Ross Lyon, Justin Leppitsch and Mark Williams, as well as James Hird, with the Bombers appearing open to the prospect of the champion player returning after almost seven years out of coaching.
Ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has already ruled himself out of contention.
Among the contracted senior coaches, Port Adelaide president David Koch has already told the Bombers' via Channel Seven "they're dreaming" if they think they can poach Ken Hinkley.
At West Coast, premiership coach Adam Simpson has committed to starting the Eagles' rebuild and has been given the support of his chief executive and board repeatedly, making any move now extremely unlikely.
Geelong appointed Scott as a 34-year-old with three years' experience as an assistant at Fremantle under Mark Harvey, falling in love with his leadership and management qualities.
At Richmond, Hardwick was appointed as a 37-year-old after five years as an assistant to Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn. He got the nod over another untried assistant in Hinkley, again after a long selection process that came down to the wire.
Collingwood, also cited by Barham after spiking in McRae's first season, appointed the 48-year-old after interviewing both tried and untried options, including eventual Carlton appointment Michael Voss.
Coaching appointments often follow a trend of either veering away from what has just failed for a club, or towards what has most recently worked for others. By prioritising senior experience, the Bombers are veering away from a perceived mistake.
"We'd come out of an experienced coach," Barham said on Sunday when asked why the Bombers didn't prioritise senior experience before appointing Rutten. "We'd come out of John Worsfold, so this is different circumstances."
The best candidate for the Bombers may well prove to be a coach with senior experience. If it is, they will be defying recent history, with all teams in this year's finals series led by coaches in their first senior jobs.
Legendary coach Mick Malthouse, then with Collingwood in 2010, was the most recent premiership coach who was not in the role for the first time.
If the Bombers do branch out, there are highly credentialled assistants who may well win the club over if it included a thorough search process.
They include Adem Yze and Mark McVeigh, who missed out to Adam Kingsley for GWS' senior job, Carlton's Ashley Hansen and Bombers assistant Daniel Giansiracusa, Fremantle's Jaymie Graham, and Adelaide's Scott Burns.
Some may choose not to pursue the role. But if they do, the Bombers should include them in their process if they want to ensure they don't miss out on the next Scott, Hardwick or McRae.