Contract extension

[ROLS-LEE]

When do we give Richo an extension to his contract. I would right now give him a 5+ year extension. Give him, the players and us the fans some certainty and stability
Thoughts.

[FQF]

Nothing to be gained by giving 5 years. Would be negligent management. Certainly deserves an extension though, everyone would agree with that. Probably 2 more years.

[magnifisaint]

You know that contracts mean nothing. Just ask Mick

[matrix]

If he runs out this year then I'm fine to let him go around for another two years.

5 is a bit much.

[Legendary]

Surely 1 year or 2 years at most is enough (and I like Richo)?

1 year extension gives him until end of 2017 (2 more full seasons) - yes we are performing well this year, but he's only been in the caper for 18 months - Michael Voss and Matthew Knights both looked pretty good at the same stage of their coaching careers.

2 years would be acceptable, giving him 3 full seasons - but any longer than that is not good management.

[bergholt]

2 years would be acceptable, giving him 3 full seasons - but any longer than that is not good management.

Agreed, coaching contracts can be really expensive and tie your hands from making the right decision (as Essendon are finding).

I'd say at this point he's earned the right to get to the end of 2017, two full seasons after this. This year has been solid so even if he has a bad year next year we shouldn't sack him (see the Ken Hinkley example). But if he had a bad 2016 and 2017 then he should be out the door, so pushing it out to 2018 would be too much.

[stjay]

It will be extended by the end of the year. Probably get another 2 years to top up to 3 in total, to end 2018.
I know we are all happy with him but 3 years is enough.

[Con Gorozidis]

Happy to give him 2017 now.

No need going further than that. Coaching jobs come up very rarely. The chances of going elsewhere are slim to none.
I mean on paper his results are two seasons - bottom, and 4th/5th bottom. That's it.

[plugger66]

Leave it until this time next year.

[stjay]

The problem with giving him until only the end of 2017 is that by the end of 2016/ start of 2017 the media discussion starts and it becomes a circus. In that scenario you will be back negotiating another extension in 12 months which is a headache for everyone and an unnecessary distraction. Always turnover in coaching ranks and currently Richo's stock is on the rise. He is gaining an even stronger reputation as a coach who can develop a list, there will always be a job for such a coach. Better to lock in for a little longer while it's cheaper and show a little more faith.

[fonz_#15]

I think he deserves an extension, but lets not lock a coach in for 5 years right now - the minute expectations change the coach is the scapegoat. As a club in debt, the last thing we need is to afford a coach payout if it goes wrong

[Con Gorozidis]

The problem with giving him until only the end of 2017 is that by the end of 2016/ start of 2017 the media discussion starts and it becomes a circus. In that scenario you will be back negotiating another extension in 12 months which is a headache for everyone and an unnecessary distraction. Always turnover in coaching ranks and currently Richo's stock is on the rise. He is gaining an even stronger reputation as a coach who can develop a list, there will always be a job for such a coach. Better to lock in for a little longer while it's cheaper and show a little more faith.

How many coaching jobs come up per year? 1-2. Thats it.
I like the idea of giving him 2017 now so he can look to the future. We already have our 5 wins this year but if Rooey or JOey need a rest we should rest them, if he wants try kids in different positions, he should feel free to try.
If we give him 2017 now we can re-visit it in mid-2017 looking at the w:l ratio then.

[Bunk_Moreland]

What has he done to deserve a contract extension?

Has won 9 games out of 33, hardly something to hang your hat on.

Not saying he is a bad coach. He looks like he is exactly what we currently need, has a cool head, and can relate to the developing list.

He has another year to go. Lets see this year and look at another two maybe next year.

[fonz_#15]

What has he done to deserve a contract extension?

Has won 9 games out of 33, hardly something to hang your hat on.

Not saying he is a bad coach. He looks like he is exactly what we currently need, has a cool head, and can relate to the developing list.

He has another year to go. Lets see this year and look at another two maybe next year.

While I agree with your premise, he is proving an excellent development coach if nothing else - he is a student of the game and seems very tactically smart, firm but fair on his players and I couldn't think of a better man to lead the club right now

[stjay]

The problem with giving him until only the end of 2017 is that by the end of 2016/ start of 2017 the media discussion starts and it becomes a circus. In that scenario you will be back negotiating another extension in 12 months which is a headache for everyone and an unnecessary distraction. Always turnover in coaching ranks and currently Richo's stock is on the rise. He is gaining an even stronger reputation as a coach who can develop a list, there will always be a job for such a coach. Better to lock in for a little longer while it's cheaper and show a little more faith.

How many coaching jobs come up per year? 1-2. Thats it.
I like the idea of giving him 2017 now so he can look to the future. We already have our 5 wins this year but if Rooey or JOey need a rest we should rest them, if he wants try kids in different positions, he should feel free to try.
If we give him 2017 now we can re-visit it in mid-2017 looking at the w:l ratio then.

And of those coaching positions that become available how many of them require a developmental coach?
This year already there's 2 positions and possibly 3 if you think Hird's in trouble. At least one of those requires a coach that will need to embark on a re-build, possibly 2.
There's not that many tried coaches out there with industry cred as a development based coach and Richo is very quickly building a reputation for himself.

Think about it this way, we were prepared to give him 3 years as an untested coach but then when you re-sign him you only want to give him a one year extension, even though you're happy with him.
That doesn't sound like you have much confidence in him. Especially if you put off re-signing until into next year and tried to put a one year extension in front of him, he could simply wait until the end of the season, test the water for any other interest and if you want to keep him you'll be paying more per annum and he will still get a 2-3 year deal. That would be a v bad outcome for the club financially and cause loads of unnecessary angst. The guy is quickly building currency and he will not be without options.

Agree we don't want to over-extend our exposure to a coach, that could be v expensive but we also need to be mindful of the commercial reality.
We should definitely wait to the end of the season to get the full picture.

[seano1]

The problem with giving him until only the end of 2017 is that by the end of 2016/ start of 2017 the media discussion starts and it becomes a circus. In that scenario you will be back negotiating another extension in 12 months which is a headache for everyone and an unnecessary distraction. Always turnover in coaching ranks and currently Richo's stock is on the rise. He is gaining an even stronger reputation as a coach who can develop a list, there will always be a job for such a coach. Better to lock in for a little longer while it's cheaper and show a little more faith.

How many coaching jobs come up per year? 1-2. Thats it.
I like the idea of giving him 2017 now so he can look to the future. We already have our 5 wins this year but if Rooey or JOey need a rest we should rest them, if he wants try kids in different positions, he should feel free to try.
If we give him 2017 now we can re-visit it in mid-2017 looking at the w:l ratio then.

And of those coaching positions that become available how many of them require a developmental coach?
This year already there's 2 positions and possibly 3 if you think Hird's in trouble. At least one of those requires a coach that will need to embark on a re-build, possibly 2.
There's not that many tried coaches out there with industry cred as a development based coach and Richo is very quickly building a reputation for himself.

Think about it this way, we were prepared to give him 3 years as an untested coach but then when you re-sign him you only want to give him a one year extension, even though you're happy with him.
That doesn't sound like you have much confidence in him. Especially if you put off re-signing until into next year and tried to put a one year extension in front of him, he could simply wait until the end of the season, test the water for any other interest and if you want to keep him you'll be paying more per annum and he will still get a 2-3 year deal. That would be a v bad outcome for the club financially and cause loads of unnecessary angst. The guy is quickly building currency and he will not be without options.

Agree we don't want to over-extend our exposure to a coach, that could be v expensive but we also need to be mindful of the commercial reality.
We should definitely wait to the end of the season to get the full picture.

Yep sign him up ......Carlton will want a rebuilder so will Essendon.....Adelaide will need a proven coach as they aren`t far of playing top 4 ....

[Con Gorozidis]

Yep sign him up ......Carlton will want a rebuilder so will Essendon.....Adelaide will need a proven coach as they aren`t far of playing top 4 ....

That makes no sense. Richo is contracted for 2016. Carlton and Adelaide are hiring right now.
Highly likely Essendon will also be looking for someone for the start of 2016.

[seano1]

Yep sign him up ......Carlton will want a rebuilder so will Essendon.....Adelaide will need a proven coach as they aren`t far of playing top 4 ....

That makes no sense. Richo is contracted for 2016. Carlton and Adelaide are hiring right now.
Highly likely Essendon will also be looking for someone for the start of 2016.

As was pointed out Mick had contract ...that didn`t help him ..if the likes of CARLTON want someone they will offer big bucks to break it ..same as the Dons....

[St Chris]

I would certainly hope he has a 2 year extension by the time 2016 season kicks off (so 2017 & 18).

As we've seen this season (ie Malthouse), coaches need security to continue with a building/rebuilding program. If they're job security is based on immediate results, they will hardly take a long term view.

Richo needs, and certainly deserves, the security that allows him to continue this steady improvement in this group. And in my mind, he deserves a chance to reap the rewards when we're playing finals a couple of seasons from now.

[stjay]

I would certainly hope he has a 2 year extension by the time 2016 season kicks off (so 2017 & 18).

As we've seen this season (ie Malthouse), coaches need security to continue with a building/rebuilding program. If they're job security is based on immediate results, they will hardly take a long term view.

Richo needs, and certainly deserves, the security that allows him to continue this steady improvement in this group. And in my mind, he deserves a chance to reap the rewards when we're playing finals a couple of seasons from now.

+1