Gleeson didn't play...had the potential to but was in a bad accident at 18 which de-railed it.

rob beveridge never played and has carved out a pretty strong coaching career but its a lot easier to be a well known ex player eg Heal and Anstey

Being an ex player might open doors but doesn't mean you'll be a good coach. Different skill set. Look at Bevo and Gleeson, neither played and both great coaches.

Interesting topic here, on one hand you would like to think that someone who has a good coaching skill set with the experience of playing at the elite level would have a great chance at sucess with an elite team.

On the other hand, we all know that this isn't always the case, and in the end a good coach is a good teacher, communicator and people manager.

There is a huge gap between coaching elite level to that of juniors, however the main difference is that elite coaches will at least expect that their players already have sound fundamentals.

All elite players need to keep their fundamental skills finely tuned, this wouldn't be the elite coaches job to drive, it would be self driven, so the focus for an elite coach is what changes.

IMHO it would be an advantage, however not a necessity!

Don't have to play elite level.

But I feel you have to have a degree of sympathy to the situations players sometimes find themselves in.


Knowing how a player thinks and what is running through his head is a huge help.

You want a coach to be able to see the game from a player's perspective sometimes.

Being an ex-player can help with that.

But you can also develop that perspective through experience as a coach.

Matt - I recall that when I lived in the ACT that Rob Beveridge was a fairly decent player in the local comp for a team I believe was named Ramblers. Played at local top level.
Guy Molloy another ACT player who played at the top level.
Mark Wright came from a family of top level players who all had colourful careers at the top level. To say Mark was an agressive player, along with his brothers, would be an understatement. I'm sure that Brian Kerle (along with a lot of spectators at the old Albert Park Stadium) has less than fond memories of the Wright family.

Bevo certainly played as a junior. I think perhaps at state level.

Think you have to have played to have a feel of in game coaching but you certainly don't have to be an elite player to be an elite coach. However it certainly wouldn't hurt to be an elite player

I don't think it's necessary to have been an elite player to coach at an elite level but it is probably an advantage. I think the false assumption is that elite players will be able to coach at an elite level by virtue of their experience or skill as a player & there are many examples of this not being the case.

Beveridge and Molloy were reasonable social/grade players at best - would not have made any local SA CABL training squads at their peaks - however they both certainly worked themselves into the ground to be as good as their physical talent allowed them to be and were "coaches" players in that they listened to instructions and were total team players focused on the win and not themselves - the social grade equivalents to Shawn Dennis rather than Shane Heal - .

"Australia has a fixation with hiring former players as coaches in a whole number of sports."

This^^

Too many of our high level coaches get in on name recognition not prowess imho, spend some time in the US and even though it still happens it's not as prevalent as it is here....

Yeah pretty much. You might not have to play NBL to coach but you should've at least made ABL.

I believe a lot of coaches come from a teaching background. I guess that makes sense in terms of the skill set. I think:
Bruce Palmer, Bill Palmer,Brendan Mann, Will Smith, Steve Breheny,Tom Maher,maybe Gordie McLeod,etc, etc.

...as well as having played at the level they are/were coaching at.

a lot of men are gynecologist's!!

In afl, the bulldogs coach is only head coach that didnt play pro. The other 17 were not only players but well known big names.

lets say a head coach position opened at a NBL club and there was two applicants
one was an explayer of the club played 10 years at the club starting 5 the whole time and multiple club MVP and even league MVP. Clubs captain for multiple years and fantastic player, retired a few years back
second was a state league coach has won multiple championships at that level and won coach of the year a couple of times. Has coached state and junior basketball with a very successful record but never played himself
Who do you think the nbl club should employ and who do you think the nbl club would employ