Sportsbet Blog

The AFL coach betting markets have changed massively after the shock appointment of Nathan Buckley to Collingwood with a five year contract.

Buckley was previously the favourite to get the job at either Richmond or North Melbourne but now the market has been blown open with some good value for some potential new coaches for the 2010 season.

Here a run down of the Richmond Coaching markets from Sportingbet

Richmond Coaching Job

Jade Rawlings 2.00
Damien Hardwick 4.50
Leon Cameron 6.00
David King 11.00
Chris Bond 13.00
Ken Hinkley 13.00
Guy McKenna 21.00
Wayne Campbell 34.00

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Back in June I made a comment in a previous post that I thought Jade Rawlings at $10 for the coaching job was great value.

Now over a month later the bookies have pulled  him back to a $2.00 hot favourite, but I still think there a bit of value here. He has had success with the group and the team seems to respond to him well. The Richmond board members have given him full support as the caretaker coach and I feel they have no other viable choice at the moment but to keep Rawlings. Taking all this into account this gives him a great chance to continue the job next year.

Allot will depend on the results for the rest of the season. The Tigers play Melbourne, Sydney, Collingwood, Hawthorn and West Coast. I think they should at least win three of the final five games.

Now that Buckley has dropped out of the list I think the Richmond board may announce the coach sooner rather than later. They could have hoped to snap up Buckley but had a plan B if thinks went wrong. The Plan B announcement may be only days away so it might be worth getting your bet on soon.

Here’s the North Melbourne Coaching Odds from Sportingbet

North Melbourne Coaching Job

John Longmire 3.00
Darren Crocker 3.50
Damien Hardwick 5.00
David King 5.00
John Blakey 11.00
Ken Hinkley 13.00
Leon Cameron 41.00
Brad Scott 21.00
Anthony Rock 26.00
Glenn Archer 31.00
Jade Rawlings 41.00
Donald McDonald 67.00

There hasn’t been a great deal of hype over this job. I think this is what North wanted and it is going to make it hard to predict the incoming coach.

The Kangaroos are currently going through the rebuilding process both on and off the field and I think they will assign a new face to the coaching job that we don’t know a great deal about. Yes, he may be on the list above but I don’t think he is it the top 5 names so be cautious when betting in this market.

Ken Hinkley might be worth a few dollars with all the work he has done with Geelong in the past but don’t put your house on it.

The favourites for the Richmond coaching job have been dropping like flies leaving the betting markets up in the air on who will get the top job.

First it was hot favourite Kevin Sheedy who on July 2nd declared he was the man to turn the Tigers around and had the backing of SEN radio broadcaster and long time Tiger great Kevin Bartlett. Then nine days later he put his hand down after long meetings with club officials saying that the club was bigger than an individual.

I think there was mixed emotions in the Richmond camp about the potential of Sheedy taking the helm. Richmond president Gary March said on the Footy Show that Sheedy wouldn’t get the job as long as he is President. Not much encouragement for other coaches looking for the job. Kevin goes down as one of the most decorated player/coaches around.

Richmond club captain and now assistant coach Wayne Campbell set his intentions to coach as soon as Terry Wallace announced that he wouldn’t go on.

It was only three days later after Kevin dropped out of the picture that Campbell also followed suit. He said that he just wasn’t ready for the job.

“I reckon I’m about 80 per cent, and that’s nowhere near enough. It’s just such a full on job.”

“In the last few weeks, I just got a feeling I wasn’t 100 per cent prepared,” he said.

For someone that has been in a coaching position since 2007 you would think you would know what was needed before announcing that you wanted the job.

How I see it is both Sheedy and Campbell were knocked back from the club early and rather than tarnish their coaching reputations they spin up a story in positive light.

I think the Richmond board have made a decision and have two names in mind, Nathan Buckley and current stand in coach Jade Rawlings.

Buckley ($3 favourite at Sportsbet) continues to state that he is ready to coach and is in talks with both Richmond and North Melbourne. Maybe he is waiting to see if Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse resigns with the club which he looks more likely to do every day.

Rawlings on the other hand has had the initial support from the club as a stand in coach but hasn’t had much early success.

“I’m going for it” he said

“I’m in it head deep, and I want to come out the other side as Richmond senior coach.”

Sportsbet has drifted him out on the last couple of weeks to $14. If you feel Rawlings has a chance I’d get in early, the odds can tumble very quickly when any word gets out.

If you join Sportsbet through Sportsbet Blog today they will give you a $50 free bet to place on any market including the Richmond job. Checkout the latest odds here.

What’s you opinion? Do you think Bucks or Rawlings will get the job or will Ken Hinkley or even Mick Malthouse get the nod?