Has the AFL’s era of the big-name saviour coach officially come to an end?

September 19, 2026 — 5:00am

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Alastair Clarkson was not the first premiership coach to arrive at a new club as a messiah and leave as a cautionary tale. But there is every indication that he will be the last for some time.

For two years Adam Simpson hovered in the back of people’s minds as a potential successor to Clarkson, especially as the latter struggled to achieve success. But, once Clarkson was sacked, it quickly became clear that the former North Melbourne captain was not sufficiently top-of-mind among the Kangaroos who counted.

Simpson read the play after a meeting with club bosses and declared himself out of the running. His list of reasons for withdrawing was legitimate enough, but Simpson clearly wanted to know if applying for the role was worth his while.

Equally clearly, he did not receive the required assurances.

Another favourite son and premiership coach, John Longmire, is yet to make a call on the North role for which he would have been considered a shoo-in four years ago.

But the failed Clarkson era changed all that. Longmire, who missed out on the Tasmania job to Ken Hinkley, must now decide whether he is prepared to pit himself against Jaymie Graham and a group of highly regarded assistant coaches, and face a panel whose president has declared will be searching for a coach compatible with “the modern game”.

Longmire was contacted by North president Sonja Hood to gauge his interest, but at the time of going to press had not received a follow-up call.

The North process was met with some bemusement from the experienced coaching fraternity. Their view is that the trend will turn at some point back in favour of experienced........

© The Age