Grant Thomas (footballer)
Grant Thomas | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Date of birth | 14 February 1958 | ||
Original team(s) | Frankston YCW | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1978–1983 | St Kilda | 72 (21) | |
1984 | North Melbourne | 7 (1) | |
1985 | Fitzroy | 4 (0) | |
Total | 83 (22) | ||
Coaching career | |||
Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
2001–2006 | St Kilda | 123 (63–59–1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1985. | |||
Career highlights | |||
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Grant Thomas (born 14 February 1958) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He most recently held the position of coach of the St Kilda Football Club from 2001–2006. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone.
Playing career
St Kilda
Thomas began his playing career at the
North Melbourne
Thomas then moved to
Fitzroy
Thomas then moved to Fitzroy in 1985, where he played a total of 4 games and kicked 0 goals. Thomas then retired from his playing career from the VFL at the end of 1985. [3]
Warrnambool
Following his retirement from the VFL at the end of 1985, in 1986 he moved to become the playing coach of
Coaching career
After his retirement from playing, Thomas coached
In 1994 he was an assistant coach at St Kilda under senior coach Stan Alves before moving on to pursue various business ventures.
St Kilda Football Club senior coach (2001-2006)
With his experience in the business world, Thomas took a new philosophy to the St Kilda Football Club when he was appointed caretaker senior coach of St Kilda in 2001 after the controversial mid-season sacking of Malcolm Blight.[5][6] Thomas was then re-appointed as full-time senior coach of St Kilda.[7][8]
Thomas had a focus on 'man-management' in his coaching style, as well as conducting practices on the running of the club that are common in the business world. This new style of coaching was characterised by Thomas's occasional use of jargon such as "processes" and "outcomes" – although they are now terms almost universally used by all coaches.
In early 2002, with the team having come off a 122-point loss to Geelong and with players such as Aaron Hamill, Fraser Gehrig, Heath Black, Robert Harvey, Peter Everitt, Stewart Loewe, Nathan Burke and Justin Koschitzke sidelined through injury or suspension, Thomas decided to implement an extraordinary game plan in a match against Sydney which involved flooding the Swans' forward line and continually denying them the ball by kicking towards the boundary line when there were few options forward. The result was an 8.8 (56)–all draw, with Nick Riewoldt winning an AFL Rising Star nomination for his breakout performance.[9]
Thomas coached St Kilda to consecutive
While he initially came under fire for refusing to use the '
Thomas once said in an interview about the St Kilda Football Club: "This club is what I'm about." [1]
Thomas is only one of three coaches to coach St Kilda to three straight finals series. The others being Ross Lyon and Allan Jeans, St Kilda's 1966 premiership coach.
Sacking
After many injuries during the 2006 season, St Kilda finished sixth after the home and away season but were beaten in the elimination final by Melbourne. Injuries to Fraser Gehrig, Robert Harvey, Justin Koschitzke, Raphael Clarke and Xavier Clarke during the game, as well as the underdone Aaron Hamill and Max Hudghton, led to the Saints exiting the finals after leading for most of the match but being unable to run the game out. They finished the season in eighth position, which was not considered good enough by the club's president, Rod Butterss.[11]
On 12 September 2006, it was announced that Thomas would no longer coach the club as a 'mutual' agreement. Thomas, however, maintained that the club had asked him to leave by sacking him and while he had accepted, it was not completely mutual. [2] The decision was a shock to the football world considering that Thomas was only the second senior coach to lead the Saints to three consecutive finals series.
Thomas has shown no interest in ever coaching another AFL club.
Post-coaching career
In 2007, Thomas was hired as a columnist for
Banking
Thomas is co-founder of the neobank Up. The bank is collaboration between software development company Ferocia and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.[18]
Digital media
In Feb 2018, Thomas founded and launched the podcast "Sam, Mike & Thomo". Together with media personality Sam Newman and decorated media journalist and TV personality Mike Sheehan, Thomas releases a weekly podcast on a wide range of global and domestic topics and current events, with a sprinkling of AFL sport comments and opinions.
Personal life
Thomas has 8 children, 4 boys and 4 girls. Thomas has been married to Kerry Thomas since 1984. His son Tyson played senior football for the
References
- ^ "GRANT THOMAS". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "GRANT THOMAS". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "GRANT THOMAS". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "GRANT THOMAS". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Strength through loyalty". 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Butterss wouldn't melt in his mouth". 16 December 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Strength through loyalty". 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Butterss wouldn't melt in his mouth". 16 December 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Morris, Tom (25 April 2013). "Winding back the clock - Round 5, 2002". St Kilda Football Club. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final – Geelong v St Kilda – captain Lenny Hayes celebrates with the trophy". Slattery Media Group. 13 March 2004. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ^ "Strength through loyalty". 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Strength through loyalty". 1 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Angry Saints farewell Thomas". 13 September 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Sacked Thomas urges commitment to Saints". 15 September 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Noakes, Cameron (28 December 2008), Caro v Thommo, Round two
- ^ Lane, Samantha (11 May 2009). "Grant Thomas sacked by SEN sports radio". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Stevens, Mark; Ralph, Jon (23 September 2012). "Grant Thomas breaks his silence over his sudden exit from the media". Herald Sun.
- ^ "Up and away: Tech guru and former AFL coach launch Australia's first digital bank". Smart Company. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
External links
- Coach profile at Saints.com.au
- The Age Story (2006) Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine