AFL great Leigh Matthews has taken a shot at Carlton’s front office over the treatment of coach David Teague, declaring: “Whoever’s running that football club has got no idea how to run a football club.”
Reports suggest Carlton is waiting for an update on former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson’s plans for next year before making a call on who will lead the team next season, following an external review into the football department.
Sam Mitchell is replacing the 53-year-old as Hawks coach next season and Clarkson was planning on having next year off before being approached for the Carlton gig.
Teague was expected to be punted from the role this week after the loss to GWS, but Blues president Luke Sayers told members on Monday the club would not be rushed into making a decision.
Matthews, a former champion player and coach, lashed the club for the way it has handled the matter, while advising Teague to “wait to be sacked”, rather than resign.
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“You wonder who’s running the footy club at Carlton,” Matthews told 3AW.
“I must say, from the outside, whoever’s running that football club has got no idea how to run a football club.
“I reckon it’s the people at the top of that football club that are the problem. Somehow or other, that is just not working.
“Sometimes when boards overplay their roles in what’s going on in the footy department, that’s when the club’s in trouble. The board has to appoint a CEO usually, but the board might be involved in appointing the football manager and the senior coach – and those three people run the footy club and let the board back out.”
Despite the constant innuendo around his position and the stress that comes from that, Matthews urged Teague to continue in the position until he’s told otherwise.
“There’d be a big part of David Teague, if I was him, you’d say: ‘I’ve had enough. I’m out of here.’ But he’s not going to walk out on his contract,” he said.
“I’d be waiting to be sacked, that’s what I’d be doing if I was David Teague. I’d just be hanging in there and don’t go resigning. Just make sure: ‘If they’re going to get rid of me, they’re going to sack me and they’re going to pay me out next year.'”
Carlton has struggled under Teague’s guidance over the past two years. The Blues finished 11th in 2020 and 13th this year.
Along with Clarkson, Ross Lyon has also emerged as a contender for the position after the former St Kilda and Fremantle mentor declared his intentions on Footy Classified last week.
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