|
Carlton will review every aspect of their football department after sacking coach Brendon Bolton midway through the AFL season. Assistant coach David Teague will serve as caretaker coach for the remainder of the season after chief executive Cain Liddle had informed Bolton on Monday morning of his axing. A shattered Bolton fought back tears while saying he accepted the club's win-loss record had left his position untenable.  Bolton coached Carlton to 16 wins from 77 games, with the Blues winning just four of its past 43. "I'm disappointed but I've got no grudge here to hold," Bolton told reporters at Ikon Park as the entire Carlton list watched on. "I was privileged enough to coach the club at the highest level. I'm now just looking forward to being a dad for a while. "We've made decisions all in the long term. Ultimately, the long term probably got me. But I think now it's set up for whoever takes over to reap the rewards." Sunday's insipid loss to arch-rivals Essendon sealed his fate, prompting Liddle to recommend Bolton's axing to the board. The 40-year-old had been aware his days were numbered. "I was spoken to by Cain last week who said there was a little bit of pressure now on the win-loss," Bolton said. "This morning, once I got the phone call, I knew the writing was on the wall." Club president Mark LoGiudice, who insisted he would not consider his own position, said the Blues could not afford to sit back any longer while bottom of the ladder and two games adrift of their nearest rivals. But LoGiudice insisted the club had not spoken to any other prospective coaches, including former North Melbourne mentor Brad Scott. LoGiudice said the loss to Essendon, in which the Blues mustered just four goals, had contributed to Bolton's demise. "It didn't help, obviously," he said. "The way we lost some of the games helped the decision, I suppose." The club has come under fire for its list management strategy under Stephen Silvagni's guidance. Last year, Carlton traded future draft picks with Adelaide, a move that cost them the No.1 selection at this year's draft on current ladder standings. The Blues attempted to use the same pick to secure Dylan Shiel from GWS but the star midfielder went to Essendon. "We've gone to four drafts. We always envisaged that we'd look to on-trade to be able to bring in ready-made talent," Liddle said. "At this point, we're comfortable with that decision. But like all the areas of the football club, we'll continue to review our recruiting and list management to ensure we've got the very best people and the very best processes." Under Bolton, Carlton in 2016 finished 14th with seven wins; 16th with six victories in 2017 and last with only two wins last season. Bolton had an overall winning percentage of 20.78 - the third lowest of any senior VFL/AFL coach in charge for at least 60 games. Liddle acknowledged the club had risked losing talent had it continued down the same path under Bolton. "If you were to go through another year like last year, that would be tough," he said. "I understand that players want to play footy because they want to win premierships. We need to put this club in a position where it can do that."
|
