Stuart Dew is the man Melbourne want.
MELBOURNE has declared Stuart Dew the heir apparent to Paul Roos, but Sydney was refusing to let him go.
The Demons want Dew to be the club’s senior assistant coach, with the promise of succeeding Swans premiership coach Roos in two or three years.
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Melbourne has contacted the Swans for a second time in recent days requesting Dew be let go from the final year of his coaching contract.
But Sydney, which unveiled Hawthorn free agent Lance Franklin after sealing a contentious $10 million deal, believes Dew should honour his final season.
The AFL Coaches’ Association is backing Sydney’s hard line stance.
It is a meteoric rise for 2008 Hawthorn premiership hero Dew, who has only been an assistant coach since 2010.
Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland told the Herald Sun Dew was yet to agree to commit to the Demons.
Dew, 34, will meet with Swans coach John Longmire and football boss Dean Moore in coming days to consider a new beefed-up midfield coaching role at Sydney.
“Stuart has received an offer from (Melbourne) but hasn’t accepted it and is still keen to consider the role John and Dean offered him some time ago,” Ireland said.
“Until he decides whether he wants to go, there is not much for us to consider. If Stu in the end determines he wants to take on that role ... we will consider that or it might mean him finishing his contract here next year and then going to Melbourne.”
The Swans were instrumental in setting up a new AFL Coaches’ Association code surrounding contracted coaches.
Roos and Sydney figures have fallen out since his departure from the Sydney academy, with Sydney chairman Richard Colless accusing him of attempting to poach players.
Roos has denied that, and it is known Sydney’s resistance to releasing Dew is based on principle rather than any residual bad blood.
AFLCA boss Danny Frawley said the new code made it clear coaches could not break contracts unless there was an immediate promotion.
“Stuart is a contracted coach at Sydney and if Melbourne want him as an assistant coach they will have to wait until the end of next year,” Frawley said.
“At the moment Stuart is a contracted coach at Sydney.’’
The Swans argue Dew can honour his Sydney contract and still serve two years under Roos before taking the top job.
The decision would also see Roos more likely to serve three seasons at Melbourne rather than the initial two he has agreed upon.
Dew is earmarked to fill the midfield coaching role at Sydney vacated by highly-rated assistant Leigh Tudor, who is returning to Victoria.
Dew played in premierships with Hawthorn and Port Adelaide over a 206-game AFL career and has been an assistant coach at Sydney since 2010.
Sydney rates his football mind but also believes he needs several more seasons of experience before he is ready for a senior job.
He will leapfrog the likes of Scott Burns, Peter Sumich and Leigh Tudor, who are considered the next cabs off the assistant coaching ranks.
Former Geelong premiership skipper Cameron Ling agreed to join North Melbourne as a leadership consultant.
Ling rule himself out as Roos’ senior assistant last month saying he wanted to coach at some stage but was “keen for another year in media”.
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