Hot sauce rankings: Tim Watson’s 2025 pressure meter for all 18 AFL coaches

Essendon great Tim Watson has completed a hot seat meter on all 18 AFL coaches heading into the AFL season.

Instead of using levels of pressure for his rankings, Watson used hot sauce as a guide with the heat on coaches ranking from Very Mild all the way through to Extra Hot.

Watson went through his hot sauce list alphabetically through the clubs, with Adelaide’s Matthew Nicks the first cab off the rank receiving an ‘Extra Hot’ rating.

Check out Watson’s heat meter below.

ADE – Matthew Nicks   

Contracted until the end of 2026

EXTRA HOT

BRI – Chris Fagan 

Contracted until the end of 2027

VERY MILD

CAR – Michael Voss   

Contracted until the end of 2026

MILD

COL – Craig McRae    

Contracted until the end of 2026

VERY MILD

ESS – Brad Scott     

Contracted until the end of 2026

HOT

FRE – Justin Longmuir 

Contracted until the end of 2025

HOT

GEE – Chris Scott     

Contracted until the end of 2026

MILD

GCS – Damien Hardwick    

Contracted until the end of 2029

MILD

GWS – Adam Kingsley     

Contracted until the end of 2028

MILD

HAW – Sam Mitchell 

Contracted until the end of 2027

VERY MILD

MEL – Simon Goodwin     

Contracted until the end of 2026

EXTRA HOT

NM – Alastair Clarkson    

Contracted until the end of 2027

HOT

PA – Ken Hinkley     

Contracted until the end of 2025 – will be replaced by Josh Carr for 2026

No rating

RIC – Adem Yze    

Contracted until the end of 2026

MILD

STK – Ross Lyon       

Contracted until the end of 2026

MILD

SYD – Dean Cox     

Contracted until the end of 2028

VERY MILD

WCE – Andrew McQualter     

Contracted until the end of 2027

VERY MILD

WB – Luke Beveridge  

Contracted until the end of 2025

EXTRA HOT

Overall

EXTRA HOT: Matthew Nicks (ADE), Simon Goodwin (MEL), Luke Beveridge (WB)

HOT: Brad Scott (ESS), Justin Longmuir (FRE), Alastair Clarkson (NM)

MILD: Michael Voss (CAR), Chris Scott (GEE), Damien Hardwick (GCS), Adam Kingsley (GWS), Adem Yze (RIC), Ross Lyon (STK)

VERY MILD: Chris Fagan (BRI), Craig McRae (COL), Sam Mitchell (HAW), Dean Cox (SYD), Andrew McQualter (WCE)

No rating: Ken Hinkley (PA)