We take a look at how many active coaches in the current AFL system were produced at our Club:
Senior Coaches
Brisbane Lions/Bears/Fitzroy 9
Justin Leppitsch (BL): Current Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch began his coaching career at the Brisbane Lions in October 2006 when he accepted a position as an assistant coach. In 2009, Leppitsch ventured south and completed a short stint as assistant coach at Richmond in 2009 in search of greater coaching experience. He spent four seasons at Richmond under Damien Hardwick, where he developed a broader range of coaching philosophies.
Just two weeks after helping guide the Tigers to their first finals appearance in 12 years, Leppitsch signed a three-year contract as the Senior Coach of the Lions in September 2013. Leppitsch brings a wealth of knowledge to the game, having played a total of 227 games in a glittering 14-year career with the Lions, including three premiership wins under then-coach Leigh Matthews. He was also awarded a Merrett-Murray Medal (1999) and three appearances in the AFL All Australian team (1999, 2002-03).
Leppitsch’s reign as Senior Coach at the Lions has been a challenge as he was dealt a poor hand with injuries last season, forced to play 40 players – the second most of any team in the AFL. Entering his third season as senior coach, Leppitsch is looking for a stronger team with minimal injuries and the emergence of a tall forward can only help to turn things around.
Nathan Buckley (Coll): Collingwood Senior Coach, Nathan Buckley, was drafted to the Brisbane Bears through its Northern Territory state zone in the 1991 AFL Draft and signed with the Bears for the 1993 AFL season. He played 20 games with Brisbane, kicking 21 goals and was the inaugural winner of the Norwich Rising Star Award and finished a close second in the Bears’ best-and-fairest award.
An inspirational on-field leader, Buckley skippered the Magpies from 1999 until his retirement at the conclusion of the 2007 season. Throughout his playing career he won the 2003 Brownlow Medal (shared with Adelaide Mark Ricciuto and Sydney’s Adam Goodes), a Norm Smith Medal in a Grand Final loss in 2001, won Collingwood’s Copeland Trophy half a dozen times and made the All Australian team in 1996, 97, 98, 99, 01 and 03.
Buckley took the reigns as Collingwood Senior Coach in 2012 after succeeding three-time premiership mentor Mick Malthouse and led the Magpies to finals in 2012 and 2013. In recent years, Buckley has overseen a dramatic makeover of the Pies list as older premiership players have been gradually phased out and replaced by a talented crop of youngsters.
Ross Lyon (Fre): Ross Lyon began his career with Fitzroy in 1985 and played 127 games with the club before playing a further two games with the Bears in 1995. Lyon retired due to a knee problem but despite his run with injury, was known for his fearless approach to the game, particularly his strong tackling and fierce bump.
Lyon’s coaching career began as an assistant to Robert Walls at Richmond in 1996 before moving to Carlton in 2000 where he spent five years as an assistant coach and the club’s VFL coach.
In 2007, Lyon was signed to the St Kilda Football Club as Senior Coach, beating a total of 52 candidates for the job and became the most successful St Kilda coach by percentage of games won, with a 64.5% winning record.
At the end of the 2011 season, Lyon signed with the Fremantle in a deal that caught the football world by surprise.
Lyon has been senior coach in nine AFL seasons; he has missed the finals only once and has coached in four Grand Finals at two clubs (including a draw and a replay with St Kilda in 2010), but is yet to be awarded with a premiership. He coached his 200th AFL game in Round 6, 2015.
Chris Scott (Geel): Twin brother of North Melbourne Senior Coach, Brad Scott, Chris signed a three-year deal with the Geelong Cats in 2010 which was extended again in 2013 until at least the end of 2015.
He began his player career after being drafted to the Brisbane Bears at pick no. 12 in the 1993 AFL Draft and made his AFL debut in 1994, taking out the Norwich Rising Star and AFL Rising Star Awards.
During Brisbane’s three-peat era, Scott was part of a powerful backline also containing Mal Michael, Chris Johnson and Justin Leppitsch (current Brisbane Lions Senior Coach).
Over his 14 years and 215 games for Brisbane, Scott achieved two premierships, a third he missed through injury, a club championship (1998 Merrett-Murray Medal), six top 10 finishes, Australian International Rules selection, a key leadership role in arguable the greatest side of all-time and Life Membership.
Scott retired after Brisbane’s Round 22 match against Geelong in 2007 before commencing his coaching career with Fremantle as assistant coach in 2008.
At the end of the 2010 season, Scott was appointed as senior coach of Geelong, replacing Mark Thompson, and kicked off his coaching career by winning his first 13 wins – which was said to be the best start to a coaching career in almost 8 years.
In 2011, Scott coached Geelong to its third Grand Final in five years and became the first coach since Malcolm Blight in 1997 to win a premiership as a first-year club coach. He was also the youngest premiership coach since Alex Jasaulenko in 1979 to win a Grand Final.
In 2014, Scott was one of 10 inductees inducted into the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame alongside four of his premiership teammates – Chris Johnson, Darryl White, Michael Voss and Shaun Hart. Scott also signed a two-year contract extension extending his tenure, as senior coach of Geelong until the end of 2017, in the same year.
Rodney Eade (GC): Former Brisbane Bears (1988 — 1990) footballer, Rodney Eade, is the current Gold Coast Suns Senior Coach after being appointed the role in October 2014.
In 1991, following a stellar playing career of 259 games, including 4 premiership wins, Eade took up coaching as the reserves coach of the Brisbane Bears, leading the Bears to the reserves’ premiership in the same season. He later coached the North Melbourne reserves and led it to the premiership in 1995.
After much success at reserves level, Eade became senior coach of the Sydney Swans in 1996, taking them to a grand final in which they lost to North Melbourne. After seven seasons with the Swans, Eade resigned following the Round 12, 2012 loss to Geelong, and was replaced by Paul Roos.
The following two years Eade spent as a media writer and commentator before being appointed coach of the Western Bulldogs for the 2005 season. In 2006, he took the Bulldogs to their first final series since Terry Wallace in 2000. Following a few unsuccessful seasons, Eade’s contract was not renewed at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
Eade was then appointed by Collingwood to the position of Football and Coaching Strategist, replacing outgoing coach Mick Malthouse.
Appointed as the Suns’ senior coach at the end of the 2014 season, Eade has had a difficult first year in charge, winning just four games however, he believes he is in a better position to challenge for finals.
Brad Scott (NM): Current North Melbourne Senior Coach Brad Scott made his senior AFL debut for Hawthorn in 1998, a year after winning the club’s reserves best and fairest award. Scott played just 22 games with the Hawks before moving to Brisbane in 1998, joining his twin brother Chris, to play a further 146 games including two premiership wins (injuries saw him miss the 2003 premiership).
Injuries plagued Scott’s 168-game career and were one of the main reasons he retired late in the 2006 season.
Upon retiring, Scott was appointed development coach at Collingwood before he was appointed as North Melbourne’s senior coach in 2010 with a three-year contract and again extended in 2013.
After leading North to consecutive finals campaigns that have netted four wins and two preliminary finals appearances, the Roos have great faith in Scott’s coaching abilities and have re-signed him to the end of 2018.
Paul Roos (Melb): Current Melbourne Demons Senior Coach played 269 games for Fitzroy from 1982 – 1994 after making his senior VFL debut in Round 4, 1982 against Sydney alongside one of his best teammates, Gary Pert.
In 1986, Roos finished runner-up for the Brownlow Medal – and went on to tally a total of 121 Brownlow votes (98 with Fitzroy and 23 with Sydney) throughout his playing career.
In 1988, Roos was appointed captain of Fitzroy (through until 1994) and earned All Australian selection in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991 (as captain) and 1992 (as captain).
Roos’s coaching career began in the US where he coached the national side to victory in the United States Australian Football League.
On returning to Australia, Roos filled a vacant senior coaching position at the Sydney Swans midway through the 2002 season before being appointed the club’s senior coach with a three-year contract from 2003.
In 2003, he was named as the AFL Coach of the Year after guiding the Swans into finals, which they participated in every year through until 2008. At the end of a disappointing year in 2009, Paul Roos announced that he would retire and step down as coach at the end of the 2010 season.
During his time off as senior coach, Roos was appointed head coach of the Sydney Swans Academy as well as fulfilling several football-related media roles including spots in the Herald Sun and on Fox Footy.
At the end of the 2013 season, Roos was appointed senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club with a two-year contract and re-signed a third year in 2014.
Ken Hinkley (PA):
Current Port Adelaide senior coach Ken Hinkley started his AFL playing career with Fitzroy in 1987 where he played 11 games before moving to Geelong where he played 121 games before retiring after the 1995 AFL Grand Final.
Following his retirement, Hinkley took up an assistant coach role at St Kilda in 2001 before taking up a role as senior coach of Bell Park in the Geelong Football League, overseeing a premiership in 2003. In 2004, he resumed his AFL coaching career as an assistant to Mark Thompson at Geelong where he was part of the coaching group behind the Cats’ rebuild from 2004 and their 2007 and 2009 AFL Premierships.
In October 2012, Ken Hinkley was appointed Port Adelaide senior coach and in his debut season, he led Port to 13 wins – a massive feat for the team who had only won eight games in the previous two seasons combined. As a result, Hinkley was voted the Coach of the Year by the AFL Coaches Association.
North Melbourne 3
Alastair Clarkson (Haw), John Longmire (Syd), Adam Simpson (WC)
Collingwood 2
Nathan Buckley (Coll), Alan Richardson (StK)
Hawthorn 2
Rodney Eade (GC), Brad Scott (NM)
Melbourne 2
Alastair Clarkson (Haw), Luke Beveridge (WB)
West Coast 2
Don Pyke (Adel), John Worsfold (Ess)
Western Bulldogs/Footscray 2
Leon Cameron (GWS), Luke Beveridge (WB)
Essendon 1
Damien Hardwick (Rich)
Geelong 1
Ken Hinkley (PA)
Port Adelaide 1
Damien Hardwick (Rich)
Richmond 1
Leon Cameron (GWS)
St Kilda 1
Luke Beveridge (WB)
Sydney 1
Paul Roos (Melb)
Adelaide, Fremantle, Carlton, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney 0
Assistant Coaches
Brisbane Lions/Bears/Fitzroy 16
Matthew Clarke (Adel), Simon Black (BL), Ben Hudson (BL) , John Barker (Carl), Blake Caracella (Geel), Nigel Lappin (Geel), Luke Power (GWS), Amon Buchanan (GWS), Josh Drummond (NM), Michael Voss (PA), Shaun Hart (PA), Mark M. Williams (Rich), Daniel Pratt (WC), John Barker (Carl), Matthew Primus (GC), John Blakey (Syd)
