Collingwood coach Craig McRae has endorsed his assistant Justin Leppitsch as a senior coach-in-waiting.
While Leppitsch has previously held the head role at a club - at Brisbane from 2014 to 2016 - he has since reverted back to an assistant role with both Richmond and now the Magpies.
With the Tigers now on the lookout for a new head coach in the wake of Damien Hardwick’s resignation, McRae was asked whether he expects Leppitsch, who has links to Punt Road, to be chased by Richmond in their coaching search.
“Well, I’m not sure, that’s up to them to decide,” McRae replied SEN The Run Home.
“But he’s a great mate of mine and he’s at the top of his game.
“I’ve seen him coach for 10 years now and have known him for longer than that.
“His strategic mind is as good as anyone I’ve ever seen.
“I hope we don’t lose it (at Collingwood) because he’s playing a pivotal part right now in our game plan and our strategy.”
Along with Leppitsch, former Carlton head coach Brendon Bolton is another one of McRae’s assistants at Collingwood.
While Leppitsch and Bolton didn’t achieve what they set out to in their initial stints as senior coaches, McRae is certain that they’re both well and truly capable of taking the reins at a club as they’ve improved considerably since those stints.
“Leppa is his own person too, he’s very unique,” McRae said.
“The perception out there that Brendon Bolton and Justin Leppitsch are no longer capable of being senior coaches (is wrong), they’re miles better coaches than what they were when they were coaching (at senior level last).
“They’ve self-admitted to that and time will tell on that (if Richmond tries to hire him).
“But he is a very good coach.”
Richmond assistant Andrew McQualter has taken over at Punt Road on an interim basis until the end of the season.
The club is yet to announce how they’ll go about finding their next head coach for 2024 and beyond.