Peter Schwab

Peter Schwab (born 22 September 1960) is a former Umpiring Director for the AFL[1] and former List Manager at AFL football club, Brisbane Lions.[2] He is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL/AFL[3] and has held many roles in VFL/AFL football.

Peter Schwab
Personal information
Nickname(s) Schwabby
Date of birth (1960-09-22) 22 September 1960
Original team(s) Bennettswood
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1980–1991 Hawthorn 171 (38)
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2000–2004 Hawthorn 104 (49–55–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1991.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2004.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Playing career

Hawthorn

Recruited from Bennettswood Football Club, Schwab played with Hawthorn Football Club from 1980 to 1991. He played 171 games and scored 38 goals. Schwab was used mainly as a utility. Schwab was also part of the 1983, 1986 and 1988 flags with Hawthorn.[3][4][5]

1989 Grand Final suspension

Schwab missed Hawthorn's 1989 VFL Grand Final victory after he was suspended for striking Essendon's Andrew Manning.[3][6]

Coaching career

Richmond Football Club assistant coach (1992–1995)

In 1992, Schwab became assistant coach at the Richmond Football Club.[5]

Hawthorn Football Club assistant coach (1996–1997)

Schwab returned to Hawthorn as assistant coach under senior coach Ken Judge in 1996 and 1997.[7][5]

AFL Umpiring Department (1998–1999)

Schwab then managed the AFL Umpiring Department for two years.[5]

Hawthorn Football Club senior coach (2000–2004)

Schwab became Hawthorn's senior coach for five seasons from 2000, when Schwab replaced Ken Judge, who resigned as Hawthorn Football Club senior coach at the end the 1999 season. He took Hawthorn into the finals in his first year.[3] They eliminated Geelong in the first elimination final, but the following week they were eliminated by Kangaroos in the semi-final. He took the Hawks to the finals again in 2001, where they eliminated Sydney in the elimination final and they eliminated Port Adelaide in the semi-final. They eventually lost to Essendon in a thriller at the MCG in the Preliminary Finals. Also during the 2001 season, Schwab took a leave of absence for one game, after Schwab was first diagnosed with a benign arrhythmia of the heart.[8] Assistant coach Chris Connolly then took over as interim senior coach in the absence of Schwab, for the Round 17, 2001 against Carlton, and Hawthorn won this game, with Ben Dixon kicking the winning goal after the siren.[8][9] In 2002 and 2003, Hawthorn under Schwab just missed out of the finals, finishing 10th and 9th.[10]

In the 2004 season, Schwab announced during the pre-season that the Hawks would win the premiership; however, by Round 16, 2004, the Hawks under Schwab sat in the last position on the ladder with two wins and fourteen losses, and there was pressure on Schwab to resign.[11] Schwab then announced he would step down at the end of the 2004 season.[12] However, after one more game, the Hawks under Schwab were thrashed by the Kangaroos by a margin of 80 points in Round 17, 2004, and he resigned immediately, citing it was too hard to continue.[13][14] Schwab was replaced by assistant coach Donald McDonald, who became caretaker senior coach of the Hawthorn Football Club for the remainder of the 2004 season.[13][15][16]

Years later, in 2022, Schwab reflected on his resignation as senior coach of Hawthorn in the Herald Sun and stated: "Once the 2004 season started, things started to spiral down, we had some personnel issues, but there were reasons why we were so poor, but failure accepts no alibis, so it kept coming and we weren’t getting any better. If anything we were getting worse", and "I wasn’t right and the players weren’t right".[17]

Post AFL senior coaching roles

He also coached Australian rules football at prominent Melbourne School Wesley College, Melbourne, for a number of years from 2006. He currently works for De La Salle College, Malvern, as of 2018.[18]

Other football roles
  • Marketing Manager at Hawthorn Football Club
  • Head of the AFL umpiring panel.[1] 2016 to 2017
  • Chairman of the AFL Match Review Panel. 2005 to 2007[19]
  • Chief Executive Officer of AFL Victoria. April 2007 – November 2010[7]
  • "Special comments" contributor for ABC radio and writer for The Age
  • AFL Director of Coaching 2010 to October 2013[19]

Brisbane Lions

In November 2013, Schwab took up the role of Senior Director of Coaching and Development at Brisbane Lions.[2] In this role, Schwab oversaw the management of the coaching staff and provided support to Senior Coach, Justin Leppitsch.[19] Schwab left the Brisbane Lions Football Club on 1 December 2016 to accept the role as the AFL's national umpiring director.[20]

AFL’s national umpiring director

Schwab then took up the role of AFL's national umpiring director on 1 December 2016,[21] until he was sacked from the position on 14 November 2017 after serving in the role for one year.[22]

Awards
  • Life member of the Hawthorn Football Club 1988[23]
  • Life member of the AFL

Personal life

Schwab went to Burwood High School and completed a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), Physical education at university. Schwab was a PE teacher at St Michael's Grammar School

References
  1. "AFL-bound Peter Schwab confirms departure from Brisbane Lions" [The Age], 3 December 2016.
  2. "Peter Schwab joins Brisbane to mentor Lions coach Justin Leppitsche" by Andrew Hamilton, Herald Sun, 2 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2003). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (5th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 648. ISBN 1-74095-032-1.
  4. "PETER SCHWAB". Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  5. "They made the brown and gold". 12 May 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  6. Hinds, Richard (19 September 2005). "Swans must hope there is justice with compassion".
  7. "AFL Victoria names Peter Schwab as new CEO" by staff writer, AFL Victoria, 20 March 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  8. "New heart scare for Schwab". 7 April 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  9. "In a HOT seat for a day: Gary O'Donnell's rare insight as Sheeds' stand-in". 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  10. "PETER SCHWAB". Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  11. "Schwab to stand down as Hawks coach". 21 July 2004.
  12. "Schwab to quit Hawks at season's end". ABC News. 21 July 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  13. "Schwab calls it quits at Hawthorn after change of heart". 27 July 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  14. "Schwab departure now immediate". ABC News. 26 July 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  15. "Schwab out immediately, McDonald in". 27 July 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  16. "McDonald's on menu as Schwab goes". 27 July 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  17. "Sacked Podcast: Peter Schwab on preliminary final pain, wild seasons and the prediction which cost him his job". 4 April 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  18. "Schwab joins De La Salle" https://www.vafa.com.au/schwab-joins-de-la-salle/
  19. "Schwab and Hahn join Lions" by lions.com.au, Herald Sun, 3 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  20. "Brisbane Lions face another setback as Peter Schwab confirms departure". TheGuardian.com. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  21. "Peter Schwab has confirmed his departure from Brisbane to take up a position with the AFL". 1 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  22. "AFL umpires boss Peter Schwab sacked after less than a year in the role". 14 November 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  23. "Life Members", Hawthorn football Club, 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
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