Grant Thomas (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Grant Thomas is a former Australian rules football
player and coach. He most recently held the position of coach of the St Kilda Football Club from 2001–2006. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone.
in 1984, and finishing his career at Fitzroy
in 1985.
Following his retirement from the VFL at the end of 1985, in 1986 he moved to become the playing coach of Warrnambool
in the Hampden Football League. He won four premierships with the club in just five seasons until 1990.
in 1993 under Denis Pagan
.
In 1994 he was an assistant coach at St Kilda under Stan Alves
before moving on to pursue various business ventures.
. Thomas was then appointed as full-time coach.
Thomas had a focus on 'man-management' in his coaching style, as well as conducting practices on the running of the club that are common in the business world. This new style of coaching was characterised by Thomas's occasional use of jargon such as "processes" and "outcomes" – although they are now terms almost universally used by all coaches.
Thomas coached St Kilda to consecutive preliminary finals
in 2004 and 2005 plus a Wizard Cup
premiership in 2004.
While he initially came under fire for refusing to use the 'flood', Thomas slowly started to integrate the defensive style into his match-day approach with improved results. Despite the criticism, Thomas maintained an impressive win-loss record against some of league's most highly rated coaches, including Malthouse
, Pagan
, Eade
, Matthews
, Wallace
and Craig
.
Thomas once said in an interview about the St Kilda Football Club: "This club is what I'm about." http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/07/28/1153816383794.html
Thomas is only one of three coaches to coach St Kilda to three straight finals series. The others being Ross Lyon and Allan Jeans, St Kilda's 1966 premiership coach.
, Robert Harvey
, Justin Koschitzke
, Raphael Clarke
and Xavier Clarke
during the game, as well as the underdone Aaron Hamill
and Max Hudghton
, led to the Saints exiting the finals after leading for most of the match but being unable to run the game out. They finished the season in eighth position, which was not considered good enough by the club's president, Rod Butterss
.
On 12 September 2006 the St Kilda football club, announced that Thomas would no longer coach the club as a 'mutual' agreement. Thomas, however, maintained that the club had asked him to leave by sacking him and while he had accepted, it was not completely mutual. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20401966-11088,00.html The decision was a shock to the football world considering that Thomas was only the second coach to lead the Saints to three consecutive finals series. It is not known why he was sacked, but many factors include the controversial match against Fremantle in Round 5, 2006
in which the Saints were stripped of two points following a hearing the following Wednesday, which ultimately cost them a top-four spot and the double chance, the long-term injuries to Justin Koschitzke
, Aaron Hamill
and Fergus Watts
and starting the season with two interstate trips in four weeks.
Thomas has shown no interest in ever coaching another AFL club.
and his columns appeared every Sunday until he was sacked on the 19 July 2008 after an argument with the chief of football, Caroline Wilson
, because Thomas had accused Wilson of being a liar on radio station SEN 1116
. This led to Wilson having Thomas fired. He is now an expert commentator with Melbourne sports station SEN 1116
. Thomas was sacked by SEN on Monday 11 May 2009, initially announced as 'cost cutting', but presumed to be related to constant ridicule of umpires.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player and coach. He most recently held the position of coach of the St Kilda Football Club from 2001–2006. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone.
Playing career
Thomas began his career at the St Kilda Football Club in the VFL, debuting in 1978. He took a long time to break into the side as a regular senior player, but settled in as a centre half-back. He played 72 games for the Saints between 1978 and 1983 before briefly moving to North MelbourneKangaroos Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in 1984, and finishing his career at Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
in 1985.
Following his retirement from the VFL at the end of 1985, in 1986 he moved to become the playing coach of Warrnambool
Warrnambool Football Club
The Warrnambool Football Club are an Australian rules football club which compete in the Hampden Football League.Warrnambool are based in the city of the same name and have played in the Hampden Football League since 1933.-Maskell Medallists:...
in the Hampden Football League. He won four premierships with the club in just five seasons until 1990.
Post-playing career
After his retirement from playing, Thomas coached Old Xaverians in the VAFA in 1992 and was the chairman of selectors at the North Melbourne Football ClubNorth Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in 1993 under Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
.
In 1994 he was an assistant coach at St Kilda under Stan Alves
Stan Alves
Stan Alves, OAM was an Australian rules football player and coach. He played 226 games for the Melbourne Football Club in the 1970s, captaining them from 1973–1976 and finishing runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in 1975, before joining North Melbourne in 1977. Legend has it that he chose to play...
before moving on to pursue various business ventures.
St Kilda Football Club coach
With his experience in the business world, Thomas took a new philosophy to the St Kilda Football Club when he was appointed caretaker coach of the club in 2001 after the controversial mid-season sacking of Malcolm BlightMalcolm Blight
Malcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
. Thomas was then appointed as full-time coach.
Thomas had a focus on 'man-management' in his coaching style, as well as conducting practices on the running of the club that are common in the business world. This new style of coaching was characterised by Thomas's occasional use of jargon such as "processes" and "outcomes" – although they are now terms almost universally used by all coaches.
Thomas coached St Kilda to consecutive preliminary finals
McIntyre Final Eight System
The McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems. It is a playoff system of the top 8 finishers in a competition to determine which two teams will play in the Grand Final. The teams play each other over three weeks, with two teams...
in 2004 and 2005 plus a Wizard Cup
Australian Football League pre-season competition
The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...
premiership in 2004.
While he initially came under fire for refusing to use the 'flood', Thomas slowly started to integrate the defensive style into his match-day approach with improved results. Despite the criticism, Thomas maintained an impressive win-loss record against some of league's most highly rated coaches, including Malthouse
Mick Malthouse
Michael "Mick" Malthouse is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Collingwood Football Club.While his playing career included a premiership for Richmond in the VFL, he is best known for his Australian Football League coaching career.Malthouse is the most successful coach...
, Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
, Eade
Rodney Eade
Rodney "Rocket" Eade is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
, Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
, Wallace
Terry Wallace
Terry Wallace is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach.As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships as well as achieving All-Australian selection, and two Best and Fairests with the Footscray Football Club...
and Craig
Neil Craig
Neil P. Craig is a former Australian rules footballer, fitness adviser and former coach of the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League . As of 2012, he will be based in a new role as the Director of Sports Performance at the Melbourne Football Club...
.
Thomas once said in an interview about the St Kilda Football Club: "This club is what I'm about." http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/07/28/1153816383794.html
Thomas is only one of three coaches to coach St Kilda to three straight finals series. The others being Ross Lyon and Allan Jeans, St Kilda's 1966 premiership coach.
Sacking
After many injuries during the 2006 season, St Kilda finished sixth after the home and away season but were beaten in the elimination final by Melbourne. Injuries to Fraser GehrigFraser Gehrig
Fraser Gehrig is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles...
, Robert Harvey
Robert Harvey (footballer)
Robert Jeffrey Harvey is a former Australian rules football player for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League...
, Justin Koschitzke
Justin Koschitzke
Justin Gregory Koschitzke is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Career overview:Recruited in the 2000 AFL Draft at pick number two, there were high expectations on Koschitzke from a young age...
, Raphael Clarke
Raphael Clarke
Raphael Clarke is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League . He is the brother of Brisbane utility Xavier Clarke, who was also a St Kilda player from 2002 until 2009....
and Xavier Clarke
Xavier Clarke
Xavier Clarke is an Indigenous Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League . Formerly playing for St Kilda, at the send of the 2009 season he was traded to the Brisbane Lions.-Early life:...
during the game, as well as the underdone Aaron Hamill
Aaron Hamill
Aaron "Sammy" Hamill is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is best known for his time at the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League when he briefly captained the club....
and Max Hudghton
Max Hudghton
Max Kenneth Hudghton is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League....
, led to the Saints exiting the finals after leading for most of the match but being unable to run the game out. They finished the season in eighth position, which was not considered good enough by the club's president, Rod Butterss
Rod Butterss
Roderick "Rod" Butterss is an Australian investor, with stakes in property development and the recruiting industry.During the late 1970s, Butterss played in the St Kilda Football Club reserves side, but never made it to senior level...
.
On 12 September 2006 the St Kilda football club, announced that Thomas would no longer coach the club as a 'mutual' agreement. Thomas, however, maintained that the club had asked him to leave by sacking him and while he had accepted, it was not completely mutual. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20401966-11088,00.html The decision was a shock to the football world considering that Thomas was only the second coach to lead the Saints to three consecutive finals series. It is not known why he was sacked, but many factors include the controversial match against Fremantle in Round 5, 2006
AFL siren controversy, 2006
The AFL siren controversy of 2006 surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during Round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season...
in which the Saints were stripped of two points following a hearing the following Wednesday, which ultimately cost them a top-four spot and the double chance, the long-term injuries to Justin Koschitzke
Justin Koschitzke
Justin Gregory Koschitzke is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Career overview:Recruited in the 2000 AFL Draft at pick number two, there were high expectations on Koschitzke from a young age...
, Aaron Hamill
Aaron Hamill
Aaron "Sammy" Hamill is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is best known for his time at the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League when he briefly captained the club....
and Fergus Watts
Fergus Watts
Fergus Watts was an English-born Australian rules football player with the AFL's Adelaide Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. Watts was a forward line player. He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne...
and starting the season with two interstate trips in four weeks.
Thomas has shown no interest in ever coaching another AFL club.
Post-coaching career
In 2007, Thomas was hired as a columnist for The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
and his columns appeared every Sunday until he was sacked on the 19 July 2008 after an argument with the chief of football, Caroline Wilson
Caroline Wilson
Caroline Wilson is an Australian sports journalist, who currently appears on 3AW's pre-match AFL discussion, as a panelist on Nine Network's Footy Classified, and an occasional panelist on the ABC program Offsiders....
, because Thomas had accused Wilson of being a liar on radio station SEN 1116
SEN 1116
SEN 1116 , the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne, Australia, operating on 1116 kHz...
. This led to Wilson having Thomas fired. He is now an expert commentator with Melbourne sports station SEN 1116
SEN 1116
SEN 1116 , the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne, Australia, operating on 1116 kHz...
. Thomas was sacked by SEN on Monday 11 May 2009, initially announced as 'cost cutting', but presumed to be related to constant ridicule of umpires.
Trivia
- Thomas has 8 children. His son Tyson plays senior football for the Northern BullantsNorthern BullantsNorthern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne...
in the VFLVictorian Football LeagueThe Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
.