Who is the 2026 AFL Coach of the Year? | The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge (22.09.26)
episodeTranscript
jump: chapters · speakers · find in transcriptTranscript
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Who are the top three AFL Coach of the Year candidates for 2026?
Have you done votes for the coach of the year? I haven't, but I could go off the top of my head. So one up to three, three being the most Brownlow style. Who are your three coaches of the year?
Three coaches of the year. I'll have to go one, Cox. Dean Cox, just from where they came from last year, he did a lot of work over the off-season from missing finals last year. Yes, they had a lot of injuries, but he did a lot of work on understanding what the players need.
Why does Luke Hodge rank Dean Cox as his #1 Coach of the Year?
And they were primed. They were in good form until all the stuff that unfolded. But as far as how he got them, the emotion he got them up for that first final, and they were a quarter away from playing in a grand final, which it was heartbreaking. You wanted for those players out there, you wanted them to get through because they did nothing wrong. Yeah. So that's why I've got Coxie down. There's a lot of coaches that I've stopped. Probably Sammy Mitchell's been unlucky there as well.
What makes Justin Longmuir a strong contender for Coach of the Year?
Two, Justin Longwell. I feel that he has got him to a stage. He's got him through that shaky stage from round 20 onwards. And that's why he's probably dropped. Even though they finished on top of that, he's probably dropped because it's still unknown how they're going to handle this pressure. They've been shaky the last six weeks. Can they respond? And the last one is Chris Fagan.
How has Chris Fagan’s resilience kept the Brisbane Lions in the conversation?
And for people out there, it's not the buy stage. It's a coach who's been there numerous times. We look at halfway through the year when they had 14 or 15 injuries where they – So many people said, do we put a line through the Brisbane Lions? I'm like, no, not yet. They've got resilience. There's storyline with it. Get everyone back and let's see how they respond.
What other coaches are mentioned as potential Coach of the Year winners?
So that's why I've got Chris Fagan for three for coach of the year. But JL, Coxie, Sam Mitchell, even Kingy. Kingy was outstanding. There's so many out there. It's a great field this year. It is.
No segments match your search.
Select any passage to copy it with its citation or turn it into a shareable card.
Chapters
5 chapters
1
Who are the top three AFL Coach of the Year candidates for 2026?
0:00–0:30
2
Why does Luke Hodge rank Dean Cox as his #1 Coach of the Year?
0:30–0:54
3
What makes Justin Longmuir a strong contender for Coach of the Year?
0:54–1:15
4
How has Chris Fagan’s resilience kept the Brisbane Lions in the conversation?
1:15–1:32
5
What other coaches are mentioned as potential Coach of the Year winners?
1:32–1:43
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Whateley
Alistair Nicholson in the studio! - AFL Coaches Association Senior Coach of the Year award | AFLCA CEO (22.09.26)
The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge | Whateley (22.09.26)
Brisbane's Grand Final schematic | The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge (22.09.26)
Fremantle's Grand Final challenge | The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge (22.09.26)
Lachie Neale falls victim to MRP's unwelcome ego... | The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge (22.09.26)
Which way did Hodgey's emotions lean during red time | The Leadership Portfolio with Luke Hodge (22.09.26)