At the moment there is two clubs defiantly after a new coach and with the latest news of Mark Williams re-signing there could still be one left in Mick Malthouse. With many of the coaching candiates who could coach at any of the clubs, which club is the best one for these coaches to try their hand at?
I think we can all agree that Collingwood is the best current club. It has the best potential list, the best culture, the most money, the best training facilities etc. So lets just look at Richmond & North Melbourne and go over their recent history, the playing list & the club culture.
We will split the two clubs lists into A class players, B graders, promising youngsters & the dead wood who be most likely delisted or moved on by the new coach.
If you disagree with my lists of the players, please write why in the comments section below.
Richmonds Dissection
Richmond should have been knocking at the top 8 at the very least, so there is potential in the playing list but there are also many passengers.
Richardson is a gun but after him. Whos the next player to take the clubs fortunes into a new era?
A Listers:
- Mathew Richardson
B Graders:
- Mitch Morton
- Brett Deledio
- Nathan Foley
- Daniel Jackson
- Chris Newman
- Luke McGuane
- Kelvin Moore
- Richard Tambling
Promising Youngsters:
- Trent Cotchin
- Alex Rance
- Andrew Raines
- Tyrone Vickery
Delisted Dead Wood:
- Jake King
- Jordan McMahon
- Kayne Pettifer
- Jay Schulz
- Jarrad Oakleigh-Nicholls
- Cleve Hughes
North Melbourne’s Dissection
They will always be a competitive side with their famous “Shineboner Spirit” but the current list under ex-coach Dean Laidley seems to be less non-North than normal. Since they lost the Shineboner of the century to retirement, the spirit has slowly been dieing with inspidid performances.
Daniel Wells, could almost be anything. Could a new coach take him from a promising player to a star?
A Listers:
- Brent Harvey
B Graders:
- Daniel Wells
- Michael Firrito
- Drew Petrie
- Adam Simpson
- Hamish McIntosh
Promising Youngsters:
- Jesse Smith
- Ben Warren
- Jack Ziebell
- Gavin Urquhart
- Lachie Hansen
Delisted Dead Wood:
- Corey jones
- Aaron Edwards
The Two Clubs lists & Club Dissected
I think its safe to say that the Richmond list has more short term potential with a better list of solid B graders and young guns in Tambling, Delido, Cotchin, Morton, Moore, Vickery & Foley.
However both sides have many players who have not taken that next step up into a promising young player into an A lister in Tambling, Oakleigh-Nicholls, Hale & Wells. This is what the new coach will need to do to make them a finals chance as their A Listers are nearing the end of their career (Harvey & Richardson).
Before we used to just focus on the list and how much money the club has but now especially with Richmond and their poor culture/ coaching history, any new coach would have to look at behind the scenes of the club both good and negative.
Behind the Scenes of the Kangaroos
- Money or should I say a lack of money is always an issue. Would you want an extra ‘away’ game just so you can make $400,000 – $750,000? Or would you rather play the Eagles at home and ensure its easier to win?
- Would you want your clubs existence to always be questioned with merger and re-location talk.
- Having a chairman in the Nine television network has its perks with positive exposure for you and your club/ players.
- Redevoloped Arden St from next year onwards to train from.
- Limited money being able to be spent on the Football department.
- The Wayne Carey v Archer/ Stevens infighting.
- The struggles of pulling a crowd to games.
Behind the Scenes of the Tigers
- The culture of underperforming for the last 25 years.
- The culture of sacking coaches.
- The Board! Better and more stable than before but is the cancer still present?
- Almost unlimited money, Richmond is one of the ‘big’ Victorian clubs.
- Get to play games at the MCG.
- Infighting between club legends.
- History of Richmond becomming a retirement home with recycled players getting fat on cashed up salaries before they retire.
Its time to think for Buckley as he chooses which club would be a better option to coach for.
So which Club Would You Choose?
In looking at it all, its a lot to take in, dissect and choose. Personally even after writing the article and thinking about it for two weeks, im still undecided. The Kangaroos has a more stable environment in the ‘infighting’ area BUT Richmond is more stable in the fact that North are always at merger & relocation talks.
So what do you think? If you where Nathan Buckley, Longmuire, Sumich or some other ‘soon to be’ coach, who would you choose? Let us know in the comments below including any other points about what I have written or may have missed.
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July 1st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Pretty simple answer for me: Richmond.
Despite the (admittedly massive) issues at Punt Road, I would hate to be at North more, with the constant battle to pay for players, equipment and even lunch.
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July 1st, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I agree that Richmond is more safe in their future than what North is BUT could not a successful coach change that? When they where successful in the 90s, they had no trouble in securing players (Grant & Colbert) and the issue with the equipment & training venues should be solved with the redevelopment of Arden st.
To me this can be solved easier than the culture issues…
Thanks for your comments Uncy.
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July 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
OK – I’m going to argue against your point number 2 for the Richmond “behind the scenes”. Both Terry Wallace and Danny Frawley had 5 years (well Wallace 4.5, but close enough) and with Wallace in particular there have been very clear expectations set that he wasn’t able to live up to.
Other than that I think you’ve mostly been pretty fair: I think that you’re probably missing a few names: (Troy Simmonds from the dead wood list, Robin Nahas for the promising youngsters and I think that Angus Graham has got himself to being a B Grade player at this stage). I also think that a coach is going to be able to set the direction of the club enough for the “retirement home” issue not to influence a coaches decision.
I actually think that the Kangaroos list has probably got talent the equal of Richmond’s, but the Tiges have got the money to develop these players properly.
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July 1st, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Maybe you do have a point, when you look at it as a block of 10 years you’ve had 3 coaches in Wallace, Rawlings and Frawley. That is not that bad as from memory every club in the last 10 years have had at least two different coaches.
I agree that I should add Nahas & Simmonds to the dead wood & Promising Youngsters but I do not think Graham is a B grader yet. He has the potential but he has been in and out of the side all year and a proper B grader should be in the best 10-20 most of the year round. This is all my opinion though..
Interesting you say this as most others do as well but I simply cannot agree with that. In doing the lists of A, B graders etc, the Tigers list seems to have more potential (especially short term). Yes they have more dead wood but 1-2 seasons its gone and you will be able to build on the B Graders and Promising Youngsters.
If you look at Norths best players this year, they are Ziebell & McIntosh, a first year player and a guy they tried to get rid of 8 months ago.
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July 1st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Since his first game this year, Graham has only been out of the side due to injury, and was brought straight back in without going through the VFL.
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July 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
@Geoff – your not giving up on him being included on my list are you
I hear your arguments and I see him play and maybe im a hard marker but I cannot rate him as a B grader yet. Maybe if he plays like this for the rest of the year…
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