Former Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch is highly sought after. Reports have linked him to jobs at both Carlton and Collingwood recently.
Speaking on SEN’s Whateley, Leppitsch said he would rather not confirm or deny anything and upset the apple cart within clubs.
“This is always going to happen I guess when you step into the media a little bit and you keep your future open, it’s open to speculation,” the former Brisbane coach said.
“I’m going to have many conversations about, not even just football, but business and other aspects of my life where my long-term future lies, so that’s not going to change from now until the end of the year.
“But one thing that will remain is the confidences. If I have a conversation in confidence it’s got to stay that way, which makes it difficult because at times you want to say ‘that’s actually very incorrect or that’s right’, but I have to keep it that way for fairness for everybody.
“There’s some parts you want to say are true or untrue, but I just can’t start doing that.
“One thing I’m very conscious of is the people currently in the industry as well. There’s a lot of security and insecurity attached to these sort of things and it’s not fair. A conversation is just a conversation and it doesn’t always mean at Round 9 that it’s going to end up in anything.”
Leppitsch added he isn’t yet sure whether he even wants to go back to coaching next year.
“My decision to go back to the game isn’t 100 per cent yet,” he said.
“If you asked me if I had to turn up for work tomorrow what my answer would be, it would probably be no.
“That’s as simple as it is regardless of what’s happening outside of that.
“People have got to remember, I left the game for a reason and you’ve got to come back for a reason, so there’s a lot to it.
“I still love the game, I coach two teams, I sit here and watch the game (for SEN) every week and analyse it and I’m really enjoying that part of it.
“Let’s be honest, the pressure is really on (Craig Hutchison) to sign up his number one talent, let’s cut to the chase,” he added, tongue in cheek.
“I do look at it and think I could help that club or they’re good in this area, or this is what they need, you sometimes think you could help that regime, you do have those thoughts.
“It’s not so much about anything else.”
Leppitsch served as Damien Hardwick’s senior assistant coach across Richmond’s three premierships.
You can hear him on SEN’s Whateley every Tuesday morning and on SEN’s Crunch Time on Saturday’s.