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Sport Nation
Important SN update for Southland“He’s a genius”: Ranking the top 10 coaches in the AFL
SEN • June 26th, 2025 3:12 pm
Who would you want coaching your club?
SEN SA’s Michelangelo Rucci and Kym Dillon have ranked their top 10 coaches based on who they would want coaching their club if they were on the board.
“We’re not looking at the current coaches and ranking them on their achievements,” Dillon said on SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“We’re saying who we would like to coach our team if it was our hard-earned money.”
See their top 10s below:
Rucci’s 10
10 - Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne)
Dillon: “Clearly you don’t think he’s at his best then?”
Rucci: “There are nine I would have ahead of him for my club.
“He’s proven and he’s got the record. The Alastair Clarkson name sells itself.”
9 - Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
“New era, new ideas, new edge.”
8 - Chris Fagan (Brisbane)
“As a good manager of people.”
7 - Ross Lyon (St Kilda)
“Solid tactically but not everything I would want and that’s why he’s on the lower end of the list.”
6 - Adam Kingsley (GWS)
“I’ve had high regard for Adam for some time.”
5 - Ken Hinkley (Port Adelaide)
“If you want to get value out of everything you’ve got in your football program then it’s Ken Hinkley.”
4 - Damien Hardwick (Gold Coast)
3 - Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)
“He’s a genuine person being a genuine coach.”
2 - Craig McRae (Collingwood)
“Everything he has done, not just as an AFL coach, but through his whole record tells you he knows how to get the best out of his players but also making sure they enjoy their footy.
“I think that is really important. He’s also pretty tough and demanding of how they play.”
1 - Chris Scott (Geelong)
Dillon’s 10
10 - Simon Goodwin (Melbourne)
“He’s got a creative football brain, he’s a premiership coach and tactically he is very good even though they can’t get their forward setup right.”
9 - Ross Lyon (St Kilda)
“He’s scary and you’re going to get a lot of publicity. He has performed well, he’s got two sides to Grand Finals.”
8 - Ken Hinkley (Port Adelaide)
“Solid performer, you know what you’re going to get. He’s a good football man, and I think his record speaks for itself.”
7 - Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne)
“Obviously this is based on what he’s done in the past. I think the wheel is starting to turn at North and I’m a great believer that you don’t lose your skillset overnight.”
6 - Matthew Nicks (Adelaide)
“I’ve based it on the fact that he stayed composed over five years during a rebuild when he was under a lot of pressure.
“It is game style that is really big for me and I think they are good to watch and play an attacking brand of footy.”
5 - Damien Hardwick (Gold Coast)
“It’s self-explanatory. His record is proven, he’s young and he has the energy.”
4 - Chris Fagan (Brisbane)
“I think people judge him harshly. I also look at it as if I were a player still. He’s a beautiful man-manager, he’s respectful.
“The rapport and relationships he has with his players, and his record, because they came from nothing. He’s created a good environment.”
3 - Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs)
“I love their style of football. There’s ups and downs (under Bevo) but that happens everywhere.”
2 - Chris Scott (Geelong)
“Speaks for itself really. He’s a genius.
“Bloody frustrating at times for people in the media, but a genius when it comes to coaching.”
1 - Craig McRae (Collingwood)
“The main reason with Craig McRae is I love the way they play. He has changed the game in terms of having attacking football, and other clubs have had to step up and emulate what they do.”
