The Melbourne Demons have made the criteria for their next senior coach extremely clear as the selection process enters its final weeks.
Speaking to Demons Media in the latest President's Update, Club President Brad Green was tight lipped about the ongoing hunt for Melbourne's Simon Goodwin replacement but revealed some key details about the type of coach they are targeting to help elevate Melbourne back into premiership contention.
"I won't give you any names but what I can say is a senior experienced coach is definitely the outcome that we want," Green said on Friday.
"We've said to most of the coaches that were prospective coaches that we're looking for eight plus years' experience.
"That doesn't matter if you've been a senior coach, coached a VFL team [or] been an AFL coach. We're looking for the best coach to come and coach our football club."
While it has been suggested that the job is all but guaranteed to be Nathan Buckley's, who looks to return to a role as an AFL senior coach after departing his top role at Collingwood in 2021, Green denied that a pre-meditated decision has been made.
"I think it's a bit unfair and disrespectful on the club and the people that are involved in the panel [to suggest the decision has already been made]," Green said.
"Alan Richardson and Paul Guerra headed up the first process. With that, they've been in contact with a number of prospective coaches.
"We've whittled that down to six at the moment and we're in the middle of it. Nathan [Buckley] is just one of the six candidates that we've got going through that.
“We believe that we're going to find a terrific coach for our football club."
The appointment panel, which includes Green, incoming CEO Paul Guerra, Director Steve Smith, GM of Football Alan Richardson, former Essendon Captain Jobe Watson, Melbourne Storm Football Director Frank Ponissi and HR specialist Meahan Callaghan is expected to announce its next head coach in the coming weeks, with Demons Media stating the decision will be made by mid-to-late-September.
