Each year AFL coaches are either put under scrutiny or praised for what they have done with the club's list and where their side has finished at the end of the year.
Whether it's a club going through a rebuild, a premiership contender, or a side failing to fulfil expectations, here is every coach ranked as safe, pressure-building, or under the pump heading into the 2027 season.
Damien Hardwick (Gold Coast)
Pressure building
Dimma had everyone on the edge of their seat in 2025 after coaching the Suns to their first-ever finals win in his second season as the Gold Coast Suns head coach.
High expectations were set before the season with the addition of Christian Petracca from Melbourne to join forces with Brownlow Medallist Matthew Rowell as well as the likes of Noah Anderson and Touk Miller. If 2026 is anything to go by, the three-time premiership coach may need to get more finals games in and quickly.
Contracted until 2029, Hardwick has failed to take the Suns to another finals series, notching up ten losses in a row before breaking their hoodoo in a win over GWS. Although the Suns failed to deliver this season, their 2027 season may decide whether or not Dimma will remain beyond.
