Carlton stoppages coach John Barker says he eventually wants to become a permanent senior coach, but for the time being has stepped away from being involved in the recruitment process.
Barker was appointed as interm Blues coach during the 2014 season following the departure of Mick Mathouse, winning three of 14 matches in charge.
Barker said on the back of seeing both Chris Fagan (Brisbane) and David Noble (North Melbourne) appointed at AFL clubs after their significant experience working elsewhere in a football department, he was intent on waiting until the right opportunity presented itself again.
“I’ve actually taken a bit of step back from having a crack at those (senior) coaching positions,” he said on Sportsday.
“Seeing the likes of David Noble and Chris Fagan, who have made a real fist of it from an operational point of view, I’ve just thought that (maybe) in terms of longevity whether you’re better placed as a senior coach when you’ve experienced a gamut of roles at a footy club.
“On the back of that, I have thought that sometimes patience is a virtue and from that point of view, I’m more than happy to keep chugging along and keep growing the experience.
“If the right opportunity presents itself, then it might be time to have a crack at it sometime down the track.”
All clubs have been forced to significantly cut back the amount of money spent in football departments, resulting in several assistant coaches and other personnel departing at the end of last season.
Barker said he was hopeful that more money filtered through to football departments across the league as the sport recovers from COVID-related downturn in revenue.
“There is a bit of a squeeze on football departments from a soft cap perspective,” he said.
“I’ve got no doubt that more and more coaches will have to make that decision (on whether to continue in the industry) based on the joy they get out of it and their true purposes.
“I’m sure for a lot of coaches families will land up coming first, it’s testing times and testing for football bosses based on how they allocate their resources.
“The environments I’ve been in, good people are integral to successful environments.
“Those decisions will continue to be made and I’m hopeful that the soft cap starts to open up a bit more and makes those decisions a bit easier for the people who have a real passion for the game.”