Roy Laird is a far better coach than Neil Craig

[Gator-Aid]

As much as I love the SANFL, the standard aint the same.
Compare apples with apples.

Until Roy (if ever) coaches an AFL side for at least a few years you cant compare.

I think it silly to even attempt to make a comparison, it's 'chalk & cheese'.
Has Roy ever had any offers to go as an AFL assistant? If he has, why did he turn it down. Please don't tell me it's because he loves the 'dogs because to make yourself better at something, you have to put yourself to the test, which would mean moving up to the next level in this case. Sometimes the fear of failure will hold people back.

[Sojourner]

It seems to me that it would be a lot harder to be an SANFL Senior Coach than an AFL Assistant coach based around the idea that Assistant coaches have a lot less to take care of and when things do go wrong the blame tends to be directed to the senior coach of the club. On that basis I dont feel that it is unreasonable for an SANFL coach to go directly to an AFL senior coaching position.

As for Laird being better than Craig, there is only one way to find out and that is when the next vacancy at AFL level comes up!

[Dogwatcher]

to make yourself better at something, you have to put yourself to the test, which would mean moving up to the next level in this case. Sometimes the fear of failure will hold people back.

What are you inferring with this statement?

[doggies4eva]

Hes got plan A, B, C & D..and most of all hes knows how to win finals! Make way Neil Craig for someone that knows what their doing!

Roy Laird has proved nothing until he takes another club to a flag.
If he took North to a flag in 2 years, I would agree he is the best coach ever, but it aint gonna happen.

In your dreams...Roys a Doggie through and through..no chance of coaching another SANFL club..he loves U Dogs!

not my dream buddy... i stand by what I say- he's not proven until he coaches another club to a flag.

And what has coaching another club got to do with anything?

In the time that he has been coaching he has had almost a complete turn-over of players. The club has avoided the dreaded "premiership hangover" and he has overcome numerous problems with injuries and loss of form of key players to get them over the line when it counts.

I also am surprised that so many posters on this site who keep complaining that the AFL lacks the grassroots appeal of the SANFL immediately turn around and suggest that AFL caoching is somehow better - maybe its easier with huge budgets, lots of support staff, ability to recruit the best young talent in Aust .... its a very different scenario.

[Punk Rooster]

Humphrey B Bear could coach Centrals to a flag over the last few years...

Please list all your Premiership coaches?
Jonas/Clarkson/Laird?

That to me suggests that nearly anyone who got the job as coach would be rewarded with a flag- just like they "promise" to recruits.

The above is not criticism, but an observation.

[leftlegger]

Punk rooster is right.
There is no doubt that Laird is a great coach. No doubt at all.
But until he takes a struggling club and makes them a force, (a'la Oatey, Kerley etc.) he has not fully proved himself as one of the alltime great SANFL coaches. IMO.

To say he is far better than Craig is a bit rich.
I reakon Craig has done a pretty good job at getting a list of very average players (bar Mcleod) into finals each year.

[Dogwatcher]

Punk rooster is right.
There is no doubt that Laird is a great coach. No doubt at all.
But until he takes a struggling club and makes them a force, (a'la Oatey, Kerley etc.) he has not fully proved himself as one of the alltime great SANFL coaches. IMO.

To say he is far better than Craig is a bit rich.
I reakon Craig has done a pretty good job at getting a list of very average players (bar Mcleod) into finals each year.

Cahill must have been a rubbish coach then.
Couldn't do nothing with Westies

[leftlegger]

Punk rooster is right.
There is no doubt that Laird is a great coach. No doubt at all.
But until he takes a struggling club and makes them a force, (a'la Oatey, Kerley etc.) he has not fully proved himself as one of the alltime great SANFL coaches. IMO.

To say he is far better than Craig is a bit rich.
I reakon Craig has done a pretty good job at getting a list of very average players (bar Mcleod) into finals each year.

Cahill must have been a rubbish coach then.
Couldn't do nothing with Westies

Probably not 'rubbish' but ...West were'nt really struggling when Jack came along.
He brought a shitload of Collingwood rejects with him and lost alot of junior talent....& no premierships.

Didnt do alot at Collingwood but went ok.
South...well?

[Dutchy]

If anything I reckon coaching AFL would be easier than SANFL

[sturtpeter]

Agree!

200%

How many Flags has Craig won???

[Apachebulldog]

Neil Craig is a fantastic fiitness coach thats really about it .

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[goraw]

if u wanna compare, question is would neil craig be able to take the current central squad to a premiership? i think so. as punk said mickey mouse could .

[Sojourner]

Could Neil Craig win the Premiership with Norwood in 2009 over Roy Laird at Central?

[Punk Rooster]

Could Neil Craig win the Premiership with Norwood in 2009 over Roy Laird at Central?

if Laird was a great coach, he'd coach Norwood to a flag in 2009.

Central District had all the right moves in place well before Laird arrived, so it's a credit to the club for it's achievements.
By no means am I saying Laird can't coach, just everything was in place prior to his arrival made it so much easier.

[Sojourner]

if Laird was a great coach, he'd coach Norwood to a flag in 2009.

As Craig did with Norwood successivley from 1991-1995?

[Old but Smart Dog]

if u wanna compare, question is would neil craig be able to take the current central squad to a premiership? i think so. as punk said mickey mouse could .

Absolutely disagree with you..he would have been too rigid in his thinking, to make any tactical moves when it looked like Glenelg had 1/2 a chance in the 2nd qtr. He would have placed the slower players in the forward line, such as Gowans..and Buckets wouldn't even got selected.and then he would have forgot to fire up hes players during the 1/2 time break or even before the game that their suppose to Win the grand final and not just make the 5... the famous Destination Disease!

[Pseudo]

Cahill must have been a rubbish coach then.
Couldn't do nothing with Westies

Probably not 'rubbish' but ...West were'nt really struggling when Jack came along.
He brought a shitload of Collingwood rejects with him and lost alot of junior talent....& no premierships.

Didnt do alot at Collingwood but went ok.
South...well?

Chuck in his state & SOO records. Couldn't beat the Taswegians ferchrissakes!

A good coach, yes. He certainly had the Bays worked out but one of the all-time greats? No.

[Dogwatcher]

Probably not 'rubbish' but ...West were'nt really struggling when Jack came along.

There you go, proves my point.
John Cahill wasn't as great as people say "West weren't really struggling when Jack came along" but he still couldn't deliver them another flag.

[doggies4eva]

I'd like to make a few points here.

1. Premierships are won by strong clubs - that means a team and coach that has the support of the club. While I think that Laird is the best caoch we have ever had I think our success comes as a result of the winning culture we have developed.

2. Laird is a great coach because he unstands and complements this culture. I can think of coaches whose egos have got in the way of this and they have turned a winning culture into a disfunctioning failing one. I sure we can all think of examples. I'd rather not mention names.

3. These comments that Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse could have won with the doggies team shows little appreciate of the mamoth acheivement that Laird has accomplished. How many dead cert teams have lost GFs (even Geelong this year)? Over Laird's term there have been times when teh team has been down, undermanned, losing confidence. evry time Laird has got them up and even 06 we made 2nd - a level which probably belied our form and talent for that year. Little is known about Lairds preparation of the team through the finals and in the week leading up to teh finals because he never big-notes himself, but he used some fairly innovative and effective ways to ensure that all players came ready to play.

He lets the results speak for themselves and 5 wins and a second in 6 years is superb! By the time he retires he will be without peer I believe.

[SDK]

Craig got the Redlegs to a Grand Final with a bunch of kids in 1993 but they were never going to beat the physically stronger Eagles.
He is a good teacher of young players and I think he has done a good job witha very poor list but he wont win a premierrship at Adelaide untill they get stop recruiting soft, pretty players and continue to delist hard at the ball players like Massie and Campbell.
How did they ever let Wonnanerie slip through the net ?
I think Neil Craig is wrong not to be involved in who is recruited.

What about Williams !!!!!
A green ape would be a better couch than that thing. Hope they keep him there and finish near last for another few years yet.