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Top 5 coaches under the most pressure in 2020

A list of the top five coaches who are under the most pressure heading into the 2020 season.

Published by
Alex Caiafa

Here is out list of the top five coaches who are under the most pressure heading into the 2020 season.

Adam Simpson - West Coast

After a 2019 campaign which saw the Eagles bow out disappointingly in the semi-finals, the Eagles went out and acquired Tim Kelly from the Cats to add more superstar talent to an already star-studded midfield and push the Eagles further into premiership contention in 2020.

This means Simpson is somewhat under pressure to an extent in the sense that the Eagles now need a top-four finish and at least a preliminary finals berth for their year to be in any consideration as a success.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MAY 17: Adam Simpson, Senior Coach of the Eagles coach addresses the team at three quarter time break during the 2019 AFL round 09 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Melbourne Demons at Optus Stadium on May 17, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos)

Stuart Dew - Gold Coast

The Suns have severely under-performed over the past two seasons under Stuart Dew, but with some shrewd recruitment and potential top-end picks to come in and make an immediate impact in 2020, Dew is under some pressure now to start showing some improvement in this young list and start getting some more positive and competitive results.

LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 23: Suns head coach Stuart Dew during the round 14 AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Gold Coast Suns at University of Tasmania Stadium on June 23, 2018 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Chris Scott - Geelong

The Cats bowed out in the preliminary finals to the eventual premiers Richmond in 2019. They lost Tim Kelly to West Coast which was a key loss, but gained solid midfielder Jack Steven from St Kilda and big forward Josh Jenkins from Adelaide during the free agency/trade period to stock up with more top end talent and keep the team in their premiership window.

This now has Scott is under more pressure than ever to get his team one step further into a Grand Final after having a flurry of talent and being eliminated at the preliminary final stage in three out of the last four years. The time needs to be now for the Cats to break the barrier and make it to the big dance.

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Chris Scott senior coach of the Cats speaks to media during a Geelong Cats AFL training session at GMHBA Stadium on September 17, 2019 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Ken Hinkley - Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide has arguably been the most inconsistent team in recent seasons. The Power have enough talent in the club to make finals and perform well, but they just can't seem to get it right when push comes to shove, with Hinkley at the forefront of the inconsistencies.

It appears to be a 'finals or bust' season in 2020 for the Power and Hinkley will be in the limelight for the most of it with all eyes in the AFL and in particular the club's board, on him.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 17: Power head coach Ken Hinkley looks on during the round 22 AFL match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Port Adelaide Power at Marvel Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Simon Goodwin - Melbourne

Melbourne went from a preliminary final and being one of the hottest teams in 2018 to second-bottom on the ladder in 2019 in what was an extremely disappointing output by the Demons on all fronts.

Melbourne, and in particular Goodwin, will be looking to re-capture that form that saw them break out in 2018, and with some solid recruiting in the free agency/trade period, the pressure is on for Goodwin to get the Demons back into the finals and performing well on a consistent basis or things could turn sour very quickly.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 18: Demons head coach Simon Goodwin looks upfield during a Melbourne Demons AFL training session at Gosch's Paddock on February 18, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Published by
Alex Caiafa