IN THE tempestuous realm of club-coach relationships, the employer is nearly always the party who initiates the break-up.
In the past month, we have seen this very scenario at Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs. First, the Demons told Dean Bailey: "It's not us, it's you." A week later, the Bulldogs delivered the same news to Rodney Eade.
However, every so often, it is the coach who breaks out of cast type to play dumper rather than dumpee. Off the top of Media Watch's head, Denis Pagan left North Melbourne for Carlton at the end of 2002 when his stocks were still high at Arden Street.
Similarly, John Northey left Richmond just after taking the Tigers to a preliminary final - and their first finals series in 13 years - in 1995.
And Terry Wallace blindsided the Western Bulldogs by resigning in 2002 while still under contract, reportedly to coach the Sydney Swans. (As we all know, the reported deal between Wallace and the Swans did not proceed, with the club ultimately appointing caretaker coach Paul Roos.)
This season, we've seen Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson linked with the Adelaide and Melbourne coaching vacancies. But, despite Hawks president Jeff Kennett's insistence that talks on re-signing Clarkson post-2011 not take place until the end of the season, Clarkson has never given the sense he would seriously entertain flying the Hawks' coup.
But there also has been recent speculation Melbourne has made a play for St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, with a five-year deal no less.
When quizzed about the offer on One HD's One Week At A Time, Lyon was dismissive. "The first I've heard of it," he said.
Lyon is contracted to the Saints until the end of next season and there had been reports the club had moved to start talks aimed at extending his contract.
But, on Monday night, Lyon did not shed any light on where he would be next year.
"The reality of my situation is I'm contracted," Lyon told One Week At A Time.
"I'm in my fifth year. I don't deal in hypotheticals. I certainly don't posture in the press.
"I'm really driven for this week. I haven't got the luxury of hypotheticals and the future and 12 months on. I'm absolutely committed to tomorrow's session, tomorrow's review, improving our performance."
The Herald Sun's chief football writer Mike Sheahan is one who thinks it might in Lyon's, and the Saints', best interests, to part company.
After combining to reach the 2009-10 Grand Finals, Sheahan said: "There is mounting evidence to suggest the two parties have extracted as much from each other as possible."
Lyon's manager, Craig Kelly, told the Herald Sun he had not had talks with Melbourne about its coaching position, and that talks with the Saints about Lyon's future had been deferred.
Saints chief executive Michael Nettlefold told the tabloid Lyon remained in the club's long-term plans, but both were focused on the Saint's remaining 2011 games.
One thing's for sure, we won't know anything substantive about Lyon's plans until the Saints' 2011 campaign is over. Most likely, he will then commit to oversee a rebuild of the Saints' ageing list.
But, if he decides his time is up at Linen House, he will likely join Pagan and Northey as coaches who moved on to shack up with a new club.
A hell of a year
The club that's reportedly so keen to get Lyon on board has its share of troubles at the moment.
If Melbourne was hoping that sacking Dean Bailey would be an instant panacea for the on- and off-field problems that have gripped it in 2011, it was mistaken.
The Demons have dropped their three games since removing Bailey, including Sunday's highly winnable game against Richmond.
But their problems seem to run deeper than that. On Sunday, captain Brad Green returned from a one-week absence with a back injury as the Demons' substitute. In doing so, he became the first captain to wear the green vest this season.
Former Sydney Swans premiership coach Paul Roos slammed Melbourne's decision to make Green substitute, telling Fox Sports' On the Couch the Demons skipper would have been "humiliated" by spending most of the game on the interchange bench.
The Age's Caroline Wilson wrote that the Demons' decision came as a "shock" to Green and his senior teammates, with the skipper only informed an hour before the game.
Wilson revisited the concerns Green and other senior players had raised with Melbourne vice-president Don McLardy, and then president Jim Stynes, about the club's off-field direction in the lead-up to the 186-point loss to Geelong that triggered Bailey's demise. She also reminded us that Melbourne lost veteran Cameron Bruce to Hawthorn at the end of last season after effectively ending then-skipper James McDonald's career despite his equal ninth-place finish in the 2010 best and fairest.
Now, Wilson points out, Green, 30, comes out of contract, but has yet to begin negotiations with the club. Meanwhile, Roos told On the Couch Green would be an extremely handy addition to a strong side as a midfielder/wingman who could drift forward.
Wilson also wrote that the Demons had recently commenced contract talks with senior player Colin Sylvia, but the 25-year-old forward had been one of the players concerned about the Demons' off-field direction this season.
It's imperative Melbourne sorts out these issues - and quickly. If it doesn't, it will have a hard time selling itself to prospective coaches.
McLardy and new football director Garry Lyon have much work to do.
Riewoldt's occupational hazards
It’s a brutal position, centre half-forward. With a job description that requires you to split packs, go back with the flight of the ball and run all day, it's not surprising such players often have a limited life span.
The demands of the position even caught up with greats like Dermott Brereton and Wayne Carey. Late in their careers, both were shadows of the champions they'd been, their bodies simply not allowing them to do what they once had done.
There has been no shortage speculation recently that St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt is entering a similar decline.
Though not 29 until October, Riewoldt has struggled this season like he has not done since establishing himself as one of the competition's best forwards in the early 2000s.
Admittedly, the Saints' fall down the ladder and the way opposition zones have crowded his forward 50 have not helped Riewoldt's cause. But it's become increasingly apparent left knee problems are hampering Riewoldt too.
Saints coach Ross Lyon denied Riewoldt was injured after Sunday's loss to the Swans, but prominent sports medico Peter Larkins told the Herald Sun Riewoldt will have to manage his left knee for the remainder of his career.
Larkins said Riewoldt's history of knee problems, which have included cartilage-related surgery in late 2008 and early 2009, was catching up with him as he got older. And his problems were not about to go away, Larkins said.
"It seems to be getting progressively worse and it wouldn't surprise me if he had to have further clean-up work at the end of this season," Larkin said.
We hope it's a problem that does not force Riewoldt from the game prematurely.
In short
Adelaide caretaker coach Mark Bickley has to show a clear point of difference between himself and former coach Neil Craig if he is to win the Crows job full-time, The Advertiser's chief football writer Michelangelo Rucci writes. Rucci wrote that it was not enough for Bickley to complete an impressive six-week audition as caretaker, he also had to unveil a new vision to take the Crows forward, one centred around developing a team that could win finals.
Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke told Fox Sports' On the Couch the Magpies would not be foxing when they play Geelong in round 24. Although both teams have already secured top-two spots, Cloke said: "It's a game of football and we never like to lose. If you go weak or soft at the football, you're going to get hurt, so you may as well go at 100 per cent."
Although he has played before capacity crowds at Suncorp Stadium and Stade de France, Karmichael Hunt expects running out on the MCG for the first time this Sunday when Gold Coast takes on Melbourne will be "something else". Writing in his Gold Coast Bulletin column, Hunt said: "I have never played at a stadium quite like it. When you weigh it all up, it is hard to beat the MCG and its impressive history."
Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan questions the prevailing view Melbourne's playing list is poised for more immediate success than Richmond's. Sheahan wrote that Richmond had better "top-end" talent in Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Brett Deledio and Tyrone Vickery, but Melbourne might have better depth. "On all the evidence, there's nothing between them," Sheahan wrote.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
