Don Pyke - Can we get him back?

[CM9000]

With Nathan Van Berlo heading off to Adelaide now with our season done, would it be possible for us to bring him back into the club?

I’m sure you all remember what he did with our midfield last time he was here. Out of every season since Simmo took the reigns, 2015 was easily our best (statistically, not in the finals series), by far. Aside from his last two years at Adelaide, he has proven to be a phenomenal coach, and I reckon the impact he would have on us next year would be immediately felt.

With an arguably lower quality midfield compared to the current one, he helped lead us to a top 2 finish and a GF appearance in 2015. Imagine what he could do with the one we have right now.

He’s been out of the industry in a coaching capacity for a year. For context, Woosha took a two year break from the game - would it be possible to bring him back in?

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Yep get him back. Lure Sam Mitchell back cause he threw Gatorade bottles that time. Van Berlo hasn’t even left yet but get him back ASAP as he was always the reason we did anything.

Assistant coach remains the greatest gig in the world.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Simmo delegates a hell of a lot, he even said as much so these line coaches have a huge roll in shaping these groups. I'm sure WC will do their due diligence, if we do get Pyke back, dont put him in charge of the team camps.

 

[Moose1414]

Reckon the stench of collective minds is going to keep Pykey out of an AFL gig for a few years yet. But Worsfold is available

I reckon the wheels have rattled off this computer simulation we call life just enough that in 2021 we take family, friends, flags to the ultimate level.

2 time premiership Captain, 1 time premiership coach, all time greatest West Coast person returns to the nest to serve as a humble line coach underneath the coach that replaced him.

Blokes needs a job, club needs a line coach with half a clue, Simmo needs a senior assistant who can get the job done while posing exactly zero threat that the board would ever replace him if we were to fall off a cliff for a few seasons.

What could go wrong? I'm getting teary eyed just thinking of it.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Woosha has lost the plot at the Dons. I think he needs to step away and do something else.

 

[CM9000]

Yep get him back. Lure Sam Mitchell back cause he threw Gatorade bottles that time. Van Berlo hasn’t even left yet but get him back ASAP as he was always the reason we did anything.

Assistant coach remains the greatest gig in the world.

Well, I don’t mean in the “Pyke was responsible for 2015” sense, but moreso in the fact that he is a proven coach already, and would definitely be a good addition for our coaching staff.

 

[Chris_6678]

I really want Schofield from Port but think he is happy at Port. He didn’t want to be a line coach but wonder if a senior assistant could lure him? Who is our senior assistant? Graham?

 

[Ishmael_]

He's a smart coach, a bit of a lunatic and he's worked under Simpson before, if he's happy to do it, he'd be a good get.

Not worried about the Adelaide stench, that club has been a basketcase from top to bottom. Van Berlo seems like a good get for Adelaide, a nice type, whereas we could use a nut to get our mids cracking.

 

[ConcreteWaters]

Pyke won't be near an AFL club for a while.
Sam Mitchell isn't available and his water bottle throwing is clearly the reason for our success
Budgets are tight post-covid, what do we do?
The answer is automation. We get a machine to do his job!

YouTube

www.youtube.com

A couple of small adjustments, and it'll be hurling bottles like it's no ones business.
Mids beware, the Mitch Pitch 4000 is on its way!

 

[ep2018]

I really want Schofield from Port but think he is happy at Port. He didn’t want to be a line coach but wonder if a senior assistant could lure him? Who is our senior assistant? Graham?

Apparently he was super disrespectful towards the club when he told us he was accepting the Port offer. Apparently he figuratively "stuck his finger at the club". I doubt we deal with him again.

 

[wraglesweb]

We have had Mitchell so why not go for Hodge I'm sure he is good at throwing Gatorade bottles ?

 

[The wily weagle]

Pyke would be a good get.

He is exactly the type of guy Simpson needs next to him: stern, uncompromising, and willing to call the boys out when the are playing poorly. He's the "bad cop" to Simpson's perennial "good cop"

That he already has an existing relationship with the club and the players is a bonus.

 

[ziad]

are we making Pyke the Camp Leader?

 

[FreeTK]

I'd like to see Simmo get back on the tools and take a more hands on approach.

Not only because he is a very good line coach, but COVID cuts to the footy department may warrant it.

There will be a lot of assistant coaches that will fall out of other clubs, but the club needs to get a wriggle on if they want to secure one of them (I am sure that they are).

I'm not convinced that giving a job to a an old assistant coach who has been a senior coach is a great idea. You need a degree of humility to be able to do that. The obvious counter point is Leppitsch leaving Richmond for Brisbane and then going back to the Tigers.

 

[FreeTK]

I really want Schofield from Port but think he is happy at Port. He didn’t want to be a line coach but wonder if a senior assistant could lure him? Who is our senior assistant? Graham?

We coach don't have a "senior assistant" job title.

How about we try and poach Cox back from Sydney?

 

[frenchconnection]

We coach don't have a "senior assistant" job title.

How about we try and poach Cox back from Sydney?

Due to the cutbacks that are required I think there will be just a shuffling of the chairs and existing coaches will take on more responsibility including Simmo.

Also have heard that Freo are honing in on some of our existing coaches - not sure who but have heard Graham is one of them - of course not saying any of them will go there but will just have to sit back wait and see how things unfold at the end of the day??

 

[FreeTK]

I get an impression that JK will have a role in coaching this year, an unofficial one to prevent the money going into the soft cap.

Also think Bateman takes on a bigger chunk and possibly Simmo gets back on the tools and might get more hands on especially the midfield.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[EagleEgo]

He will join Sydney Swan.

Don's back: Former Crows coach lands new assistant role - https://www.afl.com.au/news/517335

 

[ziad]

He will join Sydney Swan.

Don's back: Former Crows coach lands new assistant role - https://www.afl.com.au/news/517335

Camp leader !

 

[Obeanie1]

Pyke won't be near an AFL club for a while.
Sam Mitchell isn't available and his water bottle throwing is clearly the reason for our success
Budgets are tight post-covid, what do we do?
The answer is automation. We get a machine to do his job!

YouTube

www.youtube.com

A couple of small adjustments, and it'll be hurling bottles like it's no ones business.
Mids beware, the Mitch Pitch 4000 is on its way!

Well that opinion was proven wrong today with Pike going to Sydney. Looks very much like succession planning for Longmire.

I wonder if we even tried?

 

[Obeanie1]

I get an impression that JK will have a role in coaching this year, an unofficial one to prevent the money going into the soft cap.

Also think Bateman takes on a bigger chunk and possibly Simmo gets back on the tools and might get more hands on especially the midfield.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

A head coach directly coaching his players.

Wow, how didnt anyone think of that before now?

Back to the future wego.

 

[Bacchus]

I did not think it a good idea for Pyke to come back. Simpson may have perceived him as a threat, someone who had been under him and then had been a head coach in his own right. Even if there was no threat it’s the perception that was the problem. Same thing with Woosha coming to the club. Wouldn’t work, get somebody new.

 

[ConcreteWaters]

Well that opinion was proven wrong today with Pike going to Sydney. Looks very much like succession planning for Longmire.

I wonder if we even tried?

I stand corrected.
Still reckon we should get the bottle flinging robots though. The future is now.

 

[Brolga]

You snooze
You lose

target who you need and go hard

 

[Altum Volantes]

Glad to see Don back in the AFL system.

All this ‘Camp Leader’ stuff is nonsense - Pyke had very little to do with the organisation and execution of the camp - was Brett Burton’s (head of football) baby.

Pyke is one of the sharpest minds in the game - not surprised he’s ended up at a well run club like Sydney.