Five-time Premiership star Dermott Brereton has urged Andrew McQualter to stay on Richmond’s coaching staff if given the opportunity, despite missing out on the top job.
The Tigers unveiled Adem Yze as their successor to Damien Hardwick on Thursday night, beating out McQualter for the full-time role after coaching Richmond for 13 games as interim coach this season.
The 46-year-old becomes the Tigers’ 42nd VFL/AFL coach after unanimous agreement from the Richmond coaching selection panel.
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Speaking on AFL 360 Plus, Brereton opined that Yze ultimately won the job due to “x-factor” and tactical acumen.
But he urged McQualter to stay on board at the Tigers as an assistant coach, saying his expertise and “invaluable” knowledge of the playing group will hold Yze in good stead as he starts out.
“If you’re Yze, you want to pick the brain of the bloke who had them for 13 games,” Brereton said on Fox Footy.
“Saw what he saw, recognised the traits he was able to work with.
“If you can lean on him to get that out of him, I think it’s invaluable.
“It’s not like the white house when you come in and throw all the previous staff out and bring all your own in, you’ve got to actually take some of what’s gone before you.
“Clearly he’s (McQualter) an A-grade citizen.”
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Brereton applauded the “brave decision” that the Tigers had made to appoint Yze, speaking about his time as an assistant coach at Hawthorn where he was an assistant for the three-peat under Alastair Clarkson.
He crossed to Melbourne, the club he played 271 games for, in 2020 and was part of the premiership coaching panel in 2021 at the Demons.
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“They (at Hawthorn) realised how brilliant tactically he can be,” Brereton said.
“Still to see how he will be emotionally with players, how he conveys the message.
“Most coaches have that weird little quirk or charisma about them.
“When you’re an assistant coach, it’s the pathway but it’s not the same job.
“We haven’t seen him be exposed in that way to us so far, so there’s always a degree of uncertainty.”
“He’s pipped out a bloke who’s made a pretty good fist of it, but he (Yze) is meant to be, tactically as good as the game has seen.”
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