GIANT ‘KING’-SLEY CROWNED COACHES COACH
Adam Kingsley is the 2023 Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year
Adam Kingsley has ridden the wave of the ‘Orange Tsunami’ with the first-year coach recognised as the 2023 Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year for a superb season in charge at the GWS Giants.
After a 16th place finish in 2022 and with a team in transformation, Kingsley led the Giants to a preliminary finals berth where they came up agonisingly short to Collingwood by one-point at the weekend.
The former Richmond assistant was awarded 263 votes from his peers, which saw him edge out Grand Final combatants Collingwood’s Craig McRae (197) and Chris Fagan (164). The votes take into consideration performance up to and including the preliminary final, with available resources, player talent and team management all part of the voting criteria.
Appointed to the role in August last year, Kingsley’s influence was central to the Giants surfing their way up the ladder.
Kingsley’s success also came after a challenging start where the team found itself on the wrong side of the ledger at 4-7 and in 15th place on the ladder at the halfway mark of the season.
The award named in honour of coaching legend Allan Jeans was presented to Kingsley by AFL Hall of Fame inductee and his former coach Mark Williams via Zoom.
“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this award, particularly given it’s an award voted on by the other coaches. I’m grateful for the support I’ve received this season from the club and our players but also a whole new coaching group and I’m exceptionally proud of the way we’ve come together to build a whole new program,” Kingsley said.
“While still disappointed by the result on Friday night, in time I think we’ll look back on this season with a great amount of pride, particularly in the growth of our group. I’m determined to continue to learn and grow and, along with our great group of assistant coaches, am excited by what we can achieve together into the future.”
AFL Coaches Association CEO Alistair Nicholson congratulated Kingsley on his first season in the top job.
“Adam has shown a tremendous ability to inspire and lead his side in his first season in the role and he thoroughly deserves to be voted by his coaching peers as the 2023 Monjon Allan Jeans Senior Coach of the Year,” Nicholson said.
“We all saw last Friday night the improvement the Giants have made in such a short amount of time and Adam deserves a ton of credit for the way he has applied himself and organised his team to again be one of the most dangerous up and coming sides in the AFL competition.”
“Congratulations Adam, what an honour to be recognised by your peers in this way, and well done to the assistant and development coaches and those around and above him at the Giants.”
The 2023 AFL Coaches Association Awards announced throughout the night, included the Neale Daniher Lifetime Achievement Award, AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year, Career and Education Award, Media Award and Development Coach of the Year.
Neale Daniher revealed the winner of the 2023 Neale Daniher AFL Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award as former Adelaide Crows Senior Coach and long-time football person NEIL CRAIG. (See below for background on Neil Craig)
Former Adelaide Crows General Manager of Football, John Reid and Captain Mark Ricciuto, Brendon Bolton and Cycling coaching legend Charlie Walsh, were part of the tribute package speaking of how inspiring, intelligent, dedicated and what a special human Neil Craig is.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, Craig’s former Captain at the Crows, also had a chance to reminisce on their years at Adelaide together, as well as touching on Craig’s coaching progression and philosophy and paying tribute to his incredible contribution to the game.
The AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year Award went to JAMES RAHILLY for his work as forwards coach at the Adelaide Crows in the 2023 season.
Rahilly, who joined Adelaide as forwards coach in 2021, had an immediate impact upon his arrival, with the Crows increasing their scoring power in all three years he has been in the role and in 2023 were the highest scoring team in the competition.
This year saw veteran key forward Taylor Walker kick a career-high 76 goals to finish second in the Coleman Medal and earn his first All Australian selection.
Geelong’s Nigel Lappin finished in second place and Hawthorn’s David Hale was third.
The 2023 AFL Coaches Association Development Coach of the Year Award was a tie between last year’s winner, Adelaide Crows Development and SANFL Coach MICHAEL GODDEN and 2023 AFL Hall of Fame inductee, Port Adelaide Premiership Coach and now Melbourne Development Coach, MARK WILLIAMS.
Godden joined Adelaide in 2019 as AFL midfield coach and was appointed head coach of the Crows’ SANFL team in 2021.
In the past two years he has guided the team to back-to-back preliminary finals and best-ever finishes in the home and away season with 12 wins in 2022 and 13 wins in 2023.
Hall of Fame member and premiership-winning coach Williams was appointed as Melbourne’s Head of Development in December 2020.
The highly respected Williams joined the Demons with more than 40 years industry experience as a player and coach and in the last three years he has worked closely in developing the club's younger players, helping them push to the next level in their footy careers.
Brisbane’s Scott Borlace finished third for the second year running.
Hawthorn assistant coach ADRIAN HICKMOTT was awarded the 2023 AFL Coaches Association Career and Education Award, being recognised for furthering his coaching credentials through study and career development.
Hickmott is currently completing The ‘Management Edge’ Diploma of Leadership and Management and has just completed a six- week course ‘Master your Performance Mindset’. He has a Masters of Sports Coaching and has shown real commitment and investment in not only his professional but personal development evident in the variety of courses completed over the years.
For a tenth-straight year, GERARD WHATELEY was the coaches’ pick for the 2023 AFL Coaches Association Media Award for his work on Fox Footy’s AFL360 and SEN 1116 in 2023.
2022 MONJON ALLAN JEANS SENIOR COACH OF THE YEAR
1. ADAM KINGSLEY – GIANTS – 263 Votes
2. CRAIG MCRAE – COLLINGWOOD – 197 Votes
3. CHRIS FAGAN – BRISBANE – 164 Votes
2023 AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR
1. JAMES RAHILLY – ADELAIDE CROWS
2. NIGEL LAPPIN – GEELONG
3. DAVID HALE – HAWTHORN
2023 AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION DEVELOPMENT COACH OF THE YEAR
= 1. MICHAEL GODDEN – ADELAIDE CROWS & MARK WILLIAMS – MELBOURNE DEMONS
3. SCOTT BORLACE – BRISBANE LIONS
LIST OF ALL AFL COACHES ASSOCIATION AWARDS & PAST WINNERS
BACKGROUND ON NEIL CRAIG
2023 NEALE DANIHER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
PLAYER
320 SANFL GAMES
STATE
COACH
SANFL
AFL CAREER
ADELAIDE CROWS – 1997 to 1999
ADELAIDE CROWS – 2001 to 2011
MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB – 2012 to 2013
ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB – 2014
CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB – 2015 to 2017
GOLD COAST SUNS – 2019 to 2021
OTHER ROLES
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC CYCLING TEAM – 1999 to 2000
ENGLAND RUGBY UNION – WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN 2019
AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION – WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN 2023
