Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas has labelled the league's current coaching structures as "unsophisticated" and slammed the model for hiring coaches by AFL clubs.
Thomas, who coached St Kilda from 2001 to 2006 told SEN radio on Wednesday morning he would never contemplate re-entering the coaching ranks given the current environment.
“I wouldn’t be the slightest bit interested in coaching again,” Thomas said.
“I had one go doing what I did.
“I never actually entertained the idea of entering it (coaching) to start with, but what happened, happened. I did it and I was proud of what we achieved and everything else, and I enjoyed the time.”
But the man who took the Saints to consecutive preliminary finals in 2004 and 2005, bemoaned the way clubs hire star ex-players, rather than exceptional educators and managers.
“I actually don’t enjoy where coaching is in the AFL, I’m completely against the structure and how coaching is,” Thomas said.
“I think it’s really unsophisticated, I don’t think it’s where it needs to be.
“I subscribe to more to the management model overseas. What we do is we appoint great strategists and tacticians who have been very good footballers, and we put them in charge of a football department and we wonder why they fail.
“To me, they’ve never hired anyone, fired anyone, or had any management experience and I find that unconscionable to be frank.”
Thomas said recently sacked Gold Coast coach, Rodney Eade, is one of best strategists in the league, however, it does not guarantee success or the ability to manage a group of young men.
“As far as I’m concerned Rodney Eade would be in the top-five assistant coaches of all time,” Thomas said.
“I reckon that’s where he’s a superstar and I reckon he should be paid $500,000 forever and a day to be an assistant coach because he’s incredibly good at opposition and has a great feel for the game in terms of strategy.
“But that’s such a small part of what goes in to making a successful football club."
Eade was fired by the Suns on Tuesday after winning just 16 of 63 games since taking over the role in 2015.
