IT WAS implied, more than stated, but the messaging was clear: get to a successful club.
And so Daniel Giansiracusa did just that last off-season, leaving Essendon as a senior assistant coach for Hawthorn, where he has been employed as head of development.
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The message subtly delivered to Giansiracusa came via people connected to the Melbourne Football Club in their late-2025 search to replace premiership-winning coach Simon Goodwin.
It wasn't lost on Giansiracusa and all other applicants for that job that the successful candidate, Steven King, was able to say that he'd worked in successful operations, most recently at Geelong but also Western Bulldogs.
There is no perfect roadmap for an assistant coach to become a senior coach, but it has become clear that a heavily weighted criteria in the AFL's modern era is the uncontrollable of being in the right place at the right time.
Unfortunately for those assistants not blessed with involvement at successful clubs, or under successful senior coaches, it can be a lottery.
King's elevation to the Melbourne post has already had positive impact. From nowhere and with zero outside expectation, he has taken the Demons to a 4-2 scoreline, with the most recent wins coming against premiership aspirants Brisbane and Gold Coast.
Melbourne's blistering start to life under King after the club ended Goodwin's reign, and also after it traded out all-time playing greats Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, has resonated heavily in the brains trusts of other clubs which maybe considering major coaching change.
The early King success bodes very well for a couple of his playing mates from the 2007 Geelong premiership who also aspire to be senior coaches. James Kelly, who after a stint with Essendon, has now had five seasons under Chris Scott at Geelong. Corey Enright also boasts five years under Scott, and for the past four years has worked under Ross Lyon at St Kilda.
A CV which will present well in the next coach search belongs to Cam Bruce, former Melbourne captain and best-and-fairest winner. As an assistant coach in the AFL since 2013, Bruce has seen the best and worst operations, in order Hawthorn (during its 2013-15 premierships), Carlton during the Brendon Bolton woes and, since 2022, under Chris Fagan for two flags at Brisbane.
Fagan is yet to "produce" a senior coach from his array of assistants. Bruce might be his first. David Noble emerged from being the Lions' head of football during Fagan's time to be appointed North Melbourne coach. Danny Daly, the current Lions' football department head, has rejected multiple offers from rival clubs to be considered for a senior coach role. One day, he may explore that option.
Jaymie Graham's senior chances will become increasingly enhanced should the Dockers, at which he oversees a very nicely functioning forward line, continue their blistering early-season form through to September.
It is expected Hayden Skipworth (Collingwood) will continue to be considered for senior positions, while Brett Montgomery, currently with GWS after time with Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, deserves a proper crack at a senior coach process at some stage. So too Shaun Grigg, who has worked under Chris Scott at Geelong and now Damien Hardwick at Gold Coast.
Brendon Lade (Bulldogs) and Murray Davis (Brisbane and now Adelaide) are also highly regarded.
The need for extensive assistant coaching experience inside reputable operations is sometimes overlooked when clubs become obsessed with favourite-son players, as Brisbane, Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn have all done, with varying success, since 2009 – respectively with Michael Voss (who won a final in 2009); Nathan Buckley (who reached a Grand Final and two others seasons of preliminary finals); James Hird (finals appearance in his first year, 2011); and Sam Mitchell (preliminary final last year).
Obviously, six matches is a small body of work on which to properly judge King. But regardless of ladder position in 2026, there has been enough evidence of major positive game-style and culture change.
It was a very good appointment by Melbourne, and an even better one for the impressive band of untried assistant coaches.
Just as King proved after 15 years in the assistant ranks, and Craig McRae four years earlier after 20 seasons, the long game might be the ultimate preparation for the main gig. Provided a good chunk of it has been spent at well-run and successful organisations.
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