As Carlton goes into caretaker mode, it is worth remembering the appointment of a caretaker coach to the main gig is fraught with danger.
AFL clubs have no choice in appointing an interim coach when a vacancy arises during the season, but they do make the decision to keep them in the hot seat? You win some, you lose some in this instance!
Historically, Paul Roos at Sydney and Neil Craig at Adelaide are the exceptions, not the rule.
In the wake of Michael Voss departing Carlton, Josh Fraser has stepped in as caretaker, but will he survive the upcoming 14 weeks to become the Blues' 36th coach?
I look into the biggest backfires of clubs promoting caretakers. It is easy to be seduced by early results and clearly it doesn't always work out.
Here are the five least successful promoted interim coaches since 2000.
4David Teague, Carlton Blues (2019)
Teague was announced as caretaker coach for Carlton in 2019, where he led Carlton to a record of six wins and five losses after taking over in round 12. Due to this success, Carlton appointed David Teague as permanent coach for the following season. Fans jumped about the "Teague Train".
In a shortened 2020 season, Teague led Carlton to the 11th spot on the ladder with a losing record of seven wins and 10 losses, then in 2021, it didn't get much better, as the Blues finished 13th on the ladder with eight wins and 14 losses.
Teague didn't emerge as Carlton coach from the COVID-19 impacted years, ending his tenure with 15 wins and 24 losses.
