He didn't captain the Dees, play 200 games or leave the club and play in a premiership team. He isn't visible in the media. To this point, his name has never been raised publicly as a potential handover candidate.

Luke Beveridge, who played the first 42 of his 118 games with Melbourne (then 31 with the Bulldogs and 45 with St Kilda), is coach of the Hawthorn backline. He and Hawthorn's caretaker coach, Brendon Bolton, should be examined closely by the Demon hierarchy, which might be compelled find their man soon if Roos decides to vacate after only two seasons.

You will hear that Beveridge and Bolton ''lack the profile'' to coach Melbourne, which ''needs someone who can sell the club.'' This is utter nonsense – as outmoded as the place kick. This pair, in fact, fit the profile (as in type of person) the Dees need.

They are experienced assistants. Both have coached teams in their own right. Bolton has coached no less than five different teams – three in Tasmania, plus Box Hill and now what is likely to be a very short and productive stint coaching the Hawks during Alastair Clarkson's convalescence.

Beveridge began his coaching career in the amateurs, where he took St Bede's Mentone to a three-peat of consecutive C, B, then A grade flags. He went to Collingwood in 2010 (premiership year) to work in development, and is in his third season as coach of Hawthorn's backline – which managed to contain most teams, despite the overlapping absences of Brian Lake, Ryan Schoenmakers and Josh Gibson this year.

I am not suggesting that Melbourne should automatically appoint one of Beveridge or Bolton, both of whom are viewed as potential long-term senior coaches by the Hawks. The point is that they are the type of candidates that the Dees should consider, and that the club cannot afford to anoint as coach-in-waiting anyone who lacks significant coaching experience.

Collingwood's Ben Hart, Geelong's Blake Caracella, Fremantle's Peter Sumich, Adelaide's Mark Bickley and Sydney's Stewart Dew – whom the Demons were interested in appointing as  the understudy to Roos – are among the other assistants who've been in the system for at least five years and should be on the long list.

Cameron Ling has been raised in the media as a prospective coach of the Demons, and one can see why. Ling is an impressive former captain of an outrageously successful club who speaks with concise authority about the game.

But Ling has not coached, besides a part-time gig with North Melbourne. While could eventually turn out to be the second coming of Norm Smith, we have no way of knowing whether he can cut it or not. He might shape as excellent raw material, but so did Michael Voss, who was seduced by Brisbane's beanie-blindfolded board and took the Lions job without any apprenticeship, when – as Vossy subseqently admitted – he should have taken a position as an assistant (at West Coast) and learnt the caper.

Nathan Buckley did an apprenticeship that was shorter than the ideal and, however one assesses his performance in 2012 and 2013, he wasn't nearly as ready as Ken Hinkley when the road-tested Port coach arrived. Bucks is fortunate to have inherited a strong team and club and while he has every chance to succeed in the long haul, he should be the last of the thin-resume favourite son appointments. James Hird, obviously, would have been better served by a meaningful apprenticeship. Ditto for Matthew Primus, and to a lesser extent, Brett Ratten, whose record at Carlton looks respectable in hindsight.

Ross Lyon worked in the system for 11 years before he landed the St Kilda job, Alastair Clarkson was an assistant or coach at state level for seven years and also had worked as a teacher. John Longmire had nine years with the Swans before succeeding Roos. All told, Hinkley coached in the country or worked as an AFL assistant for 17 years prior to Port's belated appointment. Brendan McCartney followed a similar long and winding road to Whitten Oval.

The evidence is overwhelming about the value of experience. You would think the AFL industry had seen enough examples to eschew the sexy ex-player without coaching runs on the board. Alas, there are still people on club boards who don't apply the same logic to footy as other enterprises. BHP's next chief executive won't be a champion geologist.

As it stands today, Roos intends to coach the Dees for 2015 and possibly 2016 before handing over to an assistant. The understudy, thus, will not have long to settle in. He must be ready to coach before he takes the wheel. This is not a job for the P-plater.

Melbourne can consider Voss, Ratten and even John Worsfold if he regains the coaching bug. There's no reason why a coach who hasn't succeeded in the past won't succeed in his second attempt. It's just that AFL clubs, on the whole, won't hire anyone with the whiff of past failure about them (Worsfold does have a flag, too).

Bolton's record, incidentally, stands at 4-0. He's never played AFL footy, and even today the Hawthorn cheer squad would struggle to pick him in a line-up. Winning games during Clarkson's recovery will surely enhance his standing.

Melbourne has revived its fortunes and entire outlook by hiring Paul Roos. But if it does not find a suitable successor to Roos, the revival project will unravel. It couldn't afford to let Roos pass, and it cannot afford a relapse when he leaves. Experience isn't preferred for the next coach. It's essential.