‘Coaching matters’: Great’s message after finals fails as clear flag fave emerges

Eight has become six with the first week of the AFL finals in the books.

And Kangaroos legend David King emphasised “coaching matters” in September, with one gold standard clearly above the rest.

Geelong and Collingwood booked its spots in home preliminary finals at the MCG, while it’s season over for the GWS Giants and Fremantle in a bitter pill to swallow.

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King believes the Cats have clearly emerged as the flag frontrunners after a dominant 38-point win over Brisbane at the MCG.

It marks Geelong’s eighth preliminary final appearance in the last 10 seasons — including six of the last seven — under Chris Scott in an exemplary record and testament of the club’s sustained success.

While that dominant win over Brisbane — which included Oisin Mullin and Mark O’Connor executing crucial shut down roles on Hugh McCluggage and Cam Rayner — was a clear standout from the weekend, King pointed to the entire planning of 2025 from Chris Scott and company to guide Geelong to the final four.

“Coaching matters, and it’s not just game day. It’s what you do in the weeks leading up, the months leading up. The planning, the foresight, the vision,” the dual premiership Kangaroo began on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.

“I think the template is Geelong, because they just don’t allow the opposition to do as they please. There was no way Geelong was going to allow Rayner and McCluggage to beat them.

“The mindset of is this group is: ‘We’re not going to get beaten by what we know going in’. I think it’s brilliant coaching.

“The resting of Patrick Dangerfield, Jack Martin and Bailey Smith throughout the year. Make sure they’ve got their best 23 to choose from the first week of the finals, what an unbelievable asset that is.

“The roles of players has been shifted over the last month, they’ve all played everywhere. So if you’re planning to play against the Cats, you’ve got no idea where those magnets are going to fall.”

Meanwhile several other clubs will be left questioning key decisions after they fell short on the finals stage.

Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore was out of control in a defensive masterclass with nine intercept marks against the Crows.

Similarly, Ollie Dempsey would’ve serious caused headaches in the Lions coaches box all night, showing off all his tricks with a dazzling 25-disposal, three-goal display from the wing.

The Giants took a punt on several underdone stars for their cutthroat clash with Hawthorn, which yielded mixed results.

And Gold Coast duo Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson ran riot on Fremantle with a combined 66 disposals and Bailey Humphrey bopped up with three goals in a Dustin Martin-esque performance.

“What was the plan for Dempsey? Was Matty Nicks ready for Darcy Moore? The gambles on injured players — Jesse Hogan, Jake Stringer, Jake Kelly. Was it too many?,” King continued.

“All these decisions are nothing to do with how you want to play, because ultimately the system is embedded over multiple years. Does it have preliminary final integrity final or not? Is it ready to stand up against the best?

“Because Fremantle’s tonight is not, they can’t shift and cover those star midfielders. They don’t have someone who can go and lock away Bailey Humphrey, who’s out of control.”

Moving forward, King believes teams with flag aspirations need to aspire to play a brand that will hold up under finals heat.

But enforcing that ideology isn’t exclusive to the senior coaches in a “challenge” that spreads club wide.

“In the end, it’s your system and beliefs we pick apart. We do that from the cheap seats, but we do it off the level of what the best are doing. And the best right now is Chris Scott. So if you’re not at that level, you’re getting beaten,” King continued.

“That’s the challenge for the competition. Not just for the individual coaches, for the full club. To get the right people in and ensure you’re playing a finals system.

“Are the GWS Giants really playing a finals brand that’s going to take them to the promise land?

“Maybe this is why we look at Damien Hardwick saying: ‘He’s doing it again’. Because this model works. We look at these guys who get it done for a reason.

“So what are the rest learning from these guys? If your system doesn’t work in big games, it’s no good.”

King said “of course” Geelong is the team from here as it prepares to face the winner of the Adelaide-Hawthorn semi-final.

“But it’s not just for one singular reason, it’s the season long, it’s everything. All roads lead to a preliminary final,” he added.

“And you can get beaten in a prelim, in a one-off game. No problem. But they give themselves every chance every year, because they make the right decisions season long.”