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Temperature check: Tom Morris' six coaching categories
Tom Morris • July 9th, 2025 11:29 am
It’s time for a coaching temperature check.
I’ve split the coaching fraternity into six categories. There are five rock solid safe coaches.
Chris Fagan, Chris Scott, Sam Mitchell, Damien Hardwick and Craig McRae.
There are three low end safe coaches. This trio are pretty comfortable, but not in the same way McRae, Fagan or the others are.
They are Adam Kingsley, Luke Beveridge and Brad Scott.
Andrew McQualter, Adem Yze and Dean Cox are too early to be truly safe coaches. Yze signed a three-year contract, so he’s halfway through that and will be given time to see through this rebuild.
There are two legacy coaches… Safe because of their status in the game and their standing at their current clubs. Ross Lyon and Alastair Clarkson. Both are contracted until the end of 2027. Beyond that, it’s uncertain.
Matthew Nicks is unashamedly one of two finals or trouble coaches.
He’s nominally contracted until the end of 2026. But the club has significant protections in that deal, which was made 15 months ago just to ease the pressure on Nicks. In other words, it was a PR extension.
Justin Longmuir is the other finals or trouble coach. He’s on a rolling deal. If the Dockers miss the eight, serious questions must be asked about his ability to get the best out of this current group.
Then there’s Michael Voss and Simon Goodwin. The fifth category is the jury’s out.
If you trust Cal Twomey’s intel, as I do, Voss is far from safe.
“I think it’s heading towards the other direction. I think the last couple of weeks he’s been poorly advised as well, jumping from the coaches box down to ground level, not speaking to players over the weekend, sitting in the aisle seat of the coaches box,” Twomey said.
“I think at this time when you’re under the pump you need the optics to be good, and I don’t think we’re seeing that.”
Goodwin’s a premiership coach. He’s admired by his players. And he’s begun transitioning this team for the next era of success.
But the question still remains, and must be answered by incoming president Steven Smith and CEO Paul Guerra at some point in the next 12 months - Is he the right person to lead Melbourne beyond 2026?
To this end, the jury is out…
“We know where we’re at was a footy club in terms of what we’re trying to create,” Goodwin said.
“I’ve said this a little bit but we’re in a bit of a hurry to try and transition into our next premiership team.
“And what comes with that is you need to start winning.”
My personal view is clubs should look at Collingwood’s transition from Nathan Buckley to McRae and the Giants from Leon Cameron to Kingsley as evidence that change, rather than being a sign of instability, can actually reboot your football club.
If Voss isn’t the guy, then he’s not the guy. No amount of change below him will change that.
If, a big if, Goodwin is incapable of changing Melbourne’s game style, then the Demons shouldn’t be afraid to bite the bullet.
ROCK SOLID SAFE
Craig McRae (2026)Chris Fagan (2027)Chris Scott (2026)Sam Mitchell (2027)Damien Hardwick (2028)
LOW END SAFE
Adam Kingsley (2028)Luke Beveridge (2027)Brad Scott (2027)
TOO EARLY TO BE SAFE
Andrew McQualter (2027)Dean Cox (2028)Adem Yze (2026)
LEGACY COACHES
Ross Lyon (2027)Alastair Clarkson (2027)
FINALS OR TROUBLE
Matthew Nicks (2026)Justin Longmuir (ongoing)
JURY'S OUT
Michael Voss (2026)Simon Goodwin (2026)
