One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on April 23, 2009, 02:24:18 AM
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Coughlan return a timely fillip for Tigers
Jake Niall | The Age | April 23, 2009
RICHMOND is expected to select forgotten midfielder Mark Coughlan to play in what will be the 2003 club champion's first AFL game in nearly three years.
The Tigers are set to name Coughlan in the team for Saturday's Anzac Day clash with North Melbourne, which would be his first AFL game since round 12, 2006, when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament, beginning a litany of injury setbacks that have prevented him from adding to his 83 games.
Coughlan did not manage a senior game in 2007 or 2008, after the graft for his first knee reconstruction didn't take properly, forcing a second reconstruction in February 2007.
Further complications arose last year, after he had recovered from his knee problems, when he suffered a succession of hamstring injuries caused partly by the graft for the knee surgery.
Coughlan also had a minor knee scrape in the pre-season this year, but has played four times at VFL level this year. He had 29 possessions for Coburg last weekend, prompting his long-awaited return to senior football.
Coughlan virtually did not play at all for two years, returning to play for Coburg for eight games late last year.
The 27-year-old, who is out of contract at season's end, took the drastic step of travelling to Germany in the middle of the 2008 season to have radical therapy involving calf's blood to fix his troublesome hamstring. (He followed the same treatment in Munich as Geelong's Max Rooke and has not had any issues with his hamstring since.)
Coughlan's selection will be a fillip for his teammates and supporters. He is a popular figure with the fans, and at one point, after winning the best and fairest, was viewed as a potential captain of a club that has had relatively few on-field leaders.
Coughlan's lay-off from senior football is one of the longest in recent history, and can be compared with former Essendon star and Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, whose terrible run of knee injuries kept him out of the Bombers line-up from round 22, 1981, until 1985.
Remarkably, Daniher had another three-year absence from the game before returning in 1989.
Coughlan was drafted from WAFL club Perth by the Tigers with their second-round pick, No. 25, in the 2000 draft.
He was slated to play in Richmond's first NAB Cup game against Fremantle this year before he suffered a slight setback in his recovery and had a knee athroscope.
Coughlan, who turned 27 this week, played the first 34 games of Terry Wallace's tenure at Punt Road but has missed the past 58.
The Tigers will be further boosted by the return of their standout youngster Trent Cotchin, and Andrew Raines. The pair will return to the VFL at the weekend.
Cotchin, who has had an Achilles injury, has not played at any level this year. The boom teenager is widely regarded as the best talent to arrive at Richmond in the past decade. Despite an Achilles injury that delayed the start of Cotchin's debut season, he went on play 15 senior games last year.
Raines hurt his knee in Richmond's round-one debacle against Carlton.
It remains unclear whether Ben Cousins, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, will be fit to play with Coburg at VFL level this week.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/coughlan-return-a-fillip-for-tigers/2009/04/22/1240079730119.html
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Welcome back champ :clapping
A huge test for him on the fast track at Docklands. Not expecting too much after 2.5 years out but I just hope for his and our sake he can show signs he can keep up with the more speedier game since he last played. Cogs should be fine at the stoppages but it'll be open play which will test him out.
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Well TM, it looks like our discussion is finally drawing to a conclusion, one way or the other. The 'side event' of whether Coughlan is still up to AFL senior level will be quite fascinating in it's own right for the reason of him missing so much of his formative/best years, let alone our own discussion on it. I do know however, that at this point we would both agree the only thing we hope is for him to make a safe and successful return. Good luck Cogs, you have certainly done the hard yards in your efforts and at the very least earned the right to attempt your come back.
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All the best Cogs, what we know is that your output will reflect the upper limit of your capability. This is something very few of your teammates can say when reflecting on the first 4 weeks.
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Cmon Cogs you can do it :thumbsup
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No expectations. None.
Just hope he gets through his first senior game in an eternity unscathed.
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Coughlan story starts again now
Jake Niall | April 24, 2009
THE last time Mark Coughlan played a game of AFL football, the contemporary version of the hands-in-the-back rule didn't exist. Kevin Sheedy and Chris Judd were ensconced at Essendon and West Coast respectively. Geelong was an under-achiever with questionable leadership and coaching. Ben Cousins was the reigning Brownlow medallist.
Lance Franklin was a precocious talent in his second season who had recently played reserves.
Buddy is a vivid memory of Coughlan's last game. It was June 18, 2006, at Launceston. Franklin booted six after Coughlan's knee collapsed. "I went down in the first five minutes and sat there and it wasn't a great day for the guys," he recalled. "It was sort of the birth of Buddy Franklin … the first time he sort of shone. I had to sit there and bear the brunt of that."
Coughlan did not contemplate then that he would spend most of the next three years in the same position — sitting, watching the Tigers (mainly lose), rather than playing the game. He thought he would return within "seven or eight months" because, "as a young bloke, you think you're almost invincible in terms of your body".
The first knee reconstruction was not a success and it would be repeated in February 2007. Last year, as he was striving to return, Coughlan's hamstring — collateral damage from the knee (which requires a graft from the hamstring) — would not co-operate. It would take a trek to Germany, to the soft-tissue specialist Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfarth, and an injection of calf's blood for Coughlan to finally win his battle of wounded hammy in 2008.
The question isn't so much whether he considered retirement — "everyone that's had two or three years out of their sport would have thought about it at some stage" — but why he didn't give up. "Personally, just wanted to see if I could still do it," he explained. "I want to see if I've still got it.
"Then, there's a lot of, there's a lot of support from — members of the Richmond footy club, I just can't tell you how grateful I am. I really think they're the greatest supporters in the land. In three years, I haven't seen a negative comment made about me and I've watched every game that we've played."
The Tiger army might not have lavished such unconditional love upon a less capable player. Coughlan was the club's best and fairest in 2003, then seemed destined for the captaincy and he played the game in the preferred Richmond way: hard, willing to risk head and shin.
While Coughlan has faith in his body, he was cautious in his 2009 goals. "My ambition was to get a senior game … when I had the knee arthroscope (in pre-season) I just thought: 'I don't care whether it's between round one and seven, I just want to get a senior game and when I do I want to have an impact and stay in the side and make a bit of a difference'."
The midfielder said he would know within a month whether his career would continue. "It is what I want, but I've got to see how I go at senior level. I'll know after a month where I'm going with my career, whether I'm going to be another two or three-year player, or if it's going to be this year. That's basically how it is."
Coughlan admits to nerves about tomorrow night. The AFL footy of 2009 is somewhat different to the sport he experienced in 2006. In that sense, he's a kind of cryogenically-frozen footballer from the recent past, a measure of the game's progress.
Coughlan said he had been "pinged" a couple of times for hands-in-the-back upon returning to the VFL last year. "Head contact when you're going for a bump … I've been OK with that."
What about the rushed behind rule? "They haven't called one yet, have they?"
He was acutely aware that the rules governing conduct towards umpires had "changed a lot", adding, "you just can't say or anything demonstrative or make any hand signals or anything any more. It's becoming like rugby union I think in that respect, which is good for the game".
"There's certainly a big element of unknown for me when I go out there on Saturday night. Just in terms of where the game's gone.
"I don't think the game's changed dramatically in terms of you've still got to win your own ball, you know, the stoppages are really important, more important than ever, because teams are becoming so quick at — I think it's quick movement of the ball, as opposed to quick leg speed.
"The hardest thing was reading the flight of the ball, when the ball's in the air — that was the one that took a little while to come back."
Only a tiny minority of players survive out of the game for three years and, while Coughlan was never fleet of foot, he sees pace — whether he has enough of it — as another question that can only be answered on the field.
In the course of his sabbatical, Coughlan went overseas to Vietnam and America, studied accounting and finance, got involved in property development, spent time with his family — he lives with his sister in the CBD — and became another frustrated Richmond supporter.
"It's about keeping busy with your time and having not, not sitting down on the couch and having too long to think about it, because that's when you start to struggle."
Coughlan has an eclectic support group: the extended Tiger family and his own (who are in Perth), plus another member of the two-reconstruction support group, Carlton's Richard Hadlee.
Hadlee provided the positive example of what can be achieved. "Hads has gone through two knees and he's playing really good footy at the moment. I've been in touch with Hads, he's also from Perth, we played a little bit of footy growing up. It's actually guys like that as well that keep you on track, and just sort of give you a little bit of confidence."
Terry Wallace has been another key supporter, otherwise Coughlan would not have been given a two-year contract in 2007. Coughlan observed of his coach's awful situation: "As a person he's very consistent, very level. I haven't seen a change in his personality or attitude … Terry's been great to me when it's mattered in terms of keeping me on track."
When Wallace called to tell him he would play, Coughlan felt a "load off my shoulders". He had cleared "a hurdle I at one stage didn't think I'd get to".
As the interview concluded, I related to Coughlan the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus, the man whom the Gods condemned to roll a rock up a mountain for eternity. Whenever Sisyphus reached the summit, the boulder would roll down the other side.
"What was it? Syphillis? That's a bloody terrible name," said Coughlan, who accepted the merits of the analogy, with this important exception. "Hopefully the rock stays on top this week."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/coughlan-story-starts-again-now/2009/04/23/1240079801805.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
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Coughlan ready for different ball game
24/04/2009 4:08 PM
Paul Gough
Sportal
Coughlan has vowed not to change his renowned fierce approach to the game despite so long on the sidelines.
"It (winning the hard ball and tackling) is a very important part of the game and it's part of the game that I built my early career on so I hope I can get out there tomorrow and assist in that way."
Since winning Richmond's best and fairest as a 21-year-old in 2003, Coughlan has played just 41 of the club's past 114 matches :(
Full article at:
http://sportal.com.au/AFL-news-display/coggo-raring-to-go-69152
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good luck to cogs, fabulous NEWS :thumbsup
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This and the Cuz story are the only positives to come out the season so far. It is a shame that we as a group of supporters rely on a kid who who has only played half a season and a bloke who hasnt played for 3 to be the shining light. Having said that, all the best Cogs and look forward to seeing you,cuz and cotch in the same team.
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Well it feels like groundhog day
But anyway "GO COGS"
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Good luck to the bloke. Was the shining light at Richmond once apon a time.
F**k all you pricks who bagged the bloke and did not want to give the chance to fit and have another crack. I hope you do not 'barrack' for RFC this week when he gets the ball.
Start Deledio, Cogs, Foley in middle. Tuck tags. drop jackson
week after cotcin + cousins on wings.
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Cogs on 3aw aftergame
* Emotional night especially it being ANZAC day and the anthem and all.
* Felt like my first game after 3 years out.
* Need a couple of games to notice all the changes to footy. But the ball movement is the most notable change thanks to Geelong.
* How did you keep the motivational levels up? Good question. Wanted to see if I could come back. Club has been very supportive. Teammates fooling around. Supporters stick by the club too which helps. Been good to me.
* We went 1-on-1 tonight. Had Firrito and was concerned at the start as he got a few possies but good after that.
* 3 years out means too much couch time thinking. Wanted to know if I still had it.
* Connolly said the first round shocker knocked the stuffing out of us. Taken a month to get over the disappintment to round 1. The build up was huge. Cogs said he was never so positive about the upcoming season during the preseason.
* Cogs' expectations tonight were to just beat his opponent. 16 possies to Firrito's 11 so he did his job. Cogs had 8 contested possies and lead with 5 tackles.
* Nahas will be a good acquisition for us this year.
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The song in the rooms had cogs in the middle of the group copping it like a first gamer! Brings a tear to ones eye to watch it!
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This team can really make you lose faith at times, but watching the side sing the song for Cogs gives you hope that winning really means something to these guys
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well done Cogs. well done.
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Tuck tags. drop jackson
Dont think so, what was your assessment on Jackson's game tonight.
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He had over 30 possies, made a couple of foul ups but made up for it with sheer hard work and head over the footy, a much improved footy player
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He had over 30 possies, made a couple of foul ups but made up for it with sheer hard work and head over the footy, a much improved footy player
Agree! Jacko stays! Cant drop a bloke who leads the possies. Nearly an unchanged line up next week injury permitting
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It was just fantastic to see Cogs back and most of all contributing. I was worried early on if he was going to be exposed for a lack of pace and AFL gametime when Firrito got away from him to set up North's first two goals but after that he was fine out there. Welcome back champ :clapping.
Just one other thing. How terrific was it seeing the boys all jumping on Cogs after the song. For a side that can play with none now that's real team spirit :thumbsup.
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He showed tonight that he's still got it, I can't wait to see him after another month in the game and has full match fitness back.
I'm not really a religious man, but I pray to the injury gods that he gets a good run at the rest of the year, the guy had paid his dues.
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
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Just one other thing. How terrific was it seeing the boys all jumping on Cogs after the song. For a side that can play with none now that's real team spirit :thumbsup.
Even Andrew Maher and Luke Darcy commented on how good that was.
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
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a few points
it is obvious that both richo and bowden are both the spiritual leaders of the club, joel was outstanding again last night and played with true tiger passion
newman is just the captain by title and is just an honest player who tries
COGS SHOWED LAST NIGHT THAT HE IS THE "CAPTAIN" and the next richo and joel as being the "real leader on the ground"
his presence made a huge different , just him being in the miodfeild mad the a huge difference in our attitude
WELL DONE COGS
ps, btw, im not a big fan of jacko, he made a couple of silly skill errors last night, but THE RANGA WAS SUPER LAST NIGHT NIGHT AND HIS ABILITY TO BE AT EVERY CONTEST AND UNDER EVERY PACK WAS AMAZING! AND HIS BODY WORK WAS A TREAT
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
yeah same old been injured excuse.
browny not playing well must be injured
simmo ditto
patto ditto
now thompson ditto
everyone had big hopes on him and he is yet to play a senior game. Hislop also and where is he.
come on mate.
anyways move it to another thread this is about Cogs and how good is it when a player comes back like he did.
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Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
:wallywink
Because he's ignorant as well as stupid.
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
yeah same old been injured excuse.
browny not playing well must be injured
simmo ditto
patto ditto
now thompson ditto
everyone had big hopes on him and he is yet to play a senior game. Hislop also and where is he.
come on mate.
anyways move it to another thread this is about Cogs and how good is it when a player comes back like he did.
Our first win for the season and somethings never change.
God you are stuffing boring. :sleep
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
yeah same old been injured excuse.
browny not playing well must be injured
simmo ditto
patto ditto
now thompson ditto
everyone had big hopes on him and he is yet to play a senior game. Hislop also and where is he.
come on mate.
anyways move it to another thread this is about Cogs and how good is it when a player comes back like he did.
Well Simmo's injury is one that Jackstar seems to think will force him into retirement at the end of the year, however he played well for Coburg so take that up with him.
As for the others, the excuse will stop being used when you stop ripping into injured players, it's not rocket science.
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The club needs to sort of protect Mark Coghlan, we just cant leave it to him to get the hard footy, Thomson needs to come in as well to provide assistance. Anyway it wasnt a bad start for Mark, lets hope he just gets through the rest of the season. Id love to see him get to atleast 100 games.
Please Ramps if Thompson was the clearance stoppage king we so needed why has he not played a game yet and probably wont yet for a while.
Why do you constantly critisise players for not getting a game when they've been injured in the preseason? Thompson is just getting back into it and will hopefully start pushing for selection soon.
yeah same old been injured excuse.
browny not playing well must be injured
simmo ditto
patto ditto
now thompson ditto
everyone had big hopes on him and he is yet to play a senior game. Hislop also and where is he.
come on mate.
anyways move it to another thread this is about Cogs and how good is it when a player comes back like he did.
This coming from someone who hijacks every thread with anti-wallace rhetoric? Please........
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Sometimes clubs have large numbers of injurys danny. ya fool.
Cogs is a champion. How much more enjoyable is it watching this football club with Cogs in the side?
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Sometimes clubs have large numbers of injurys danny. ya fool.
Cogs is a champion. How much more enjoyable is it watching this football club with Cogs in the side?
your not wrong there. Forget about the footy, watching Cogs full stop was sensational
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It was a a very good comeback game.
The emotion in the afterwards said alot about the RFC and its passion...
It is there just need to keep front and centre
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a few points
it is obvious that both richo and bowden are both the spiritual leaders of the club, joel was outstanding again last night and played with true tiger passion
COGS SHOWED LAST NIGHT THAT HE IS THE "CAPTAIN" and the next richo and joel as being the "real leader on the ground"
Yep Cogs right up there in the spiritual leader stakes at the club :thumbsup
(http://images.slatterymedia.com/images/thumbs/main/179874.jpg)
(http://images.slatterymedia.com/images/thumbs/main/179873.jpg)
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Great Pics MT.....look at the passion in the boys faces in the second pic.It gets me fired up.BRING ON THE SWANS
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Just the first step
Rebecca Williams | April 26, 2009 11:30pm
COMEBACK kid Mark Coughlan says it will take him time to re-adjust to the faster pace of the game after his long-awaited return in Richmond's breakthrough win against North Melbourne.
Coughlan was feted by his teammates in the rooms after the Tigers' 36-point victory against the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night - his first AFL match since Round 12, 2006.
Capped by the team's first win of the season, it was a successful return for the 2003 Tigers best-and-fairest winner, who had 16 disposals and five tackles and played 69 per cent of the match.
But the 27-year-old said the speed of the game had moved on during his time on the sidelines.
"I have got a little bit of work to do," Coughlan said after the match.
"It's just the quick ball movement. I felt OK in the legs, it's just the way the ball moves around.
"It's going to take some games, getting used to the pace again.
"Hopefully I'll improve over the next few weeks."
But just getting through the game was enough for Coughlan, who has had to overcome two knee reconstructions and chronic hamstring problems.
While he was thrilled to be back, he said there were times he had doubted if his body would let him return.
"You do think that over three years, for anyone that hasn't been out there for a while, you probably go through that," Coughlan said.
"But the support that I have got from the club has been great and it was great to get a win.
"It's just a monkey off the back and the result was excellent.
"I am usually staying in the suit all night rather than getting in the playing gear, so just to put the boots on was a buzz.
"I'm sick of the suit, I'm ready to throw it out."
Coughlan was told early in the week that he would be making his comeback against North, and said he waged a battle with his nerves before the match.
"I was pretty nervous, I just tried to relax for as long as I possibly could before the game," he said.
"I was just on the edge come game time."
Teammate Daniel Jackson said Coughlan, who received a round of applause for his first kick of the night, had been an inspiration for his teammates.
"It was fantastic to have Mark Coughlan back, he just epitomises how to go about your football," Jackson said.
"He does everything right on the track and when he's out there, he's always prepared to put his body on the line.
"If you saw us after the game we had him in the circle and everyone was pretty emotional and just rapt to have him back in the side.
"He does everything right off the field, he never complains or never puts a foot wrong and it's just great to see him back out there again."
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/sport/afl/story/0,26547,25388629-5016212,00.html
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Welcome back Cogs. You were so missed.
Still on a high from seeing him back in the Richmond 24 jumper.
And how good were the scenes in the rooms after the game. Inspiring stuff.
I could ramble on, but there really are no words to describe how awesome it is to see Mark Coughlan play again.
:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow
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One of the few Tiges who played a 4 quarter game today. Well done Cogs :clapping.
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yep, today we saw the cogs of old
hope his body holds up and newman steps down as captain. good to see ciuz captain us next yr but cogs would be special
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i think cogs is improving ea week, conditions suited him today with alot of stoppages, occasionally he's found wanting when the game opens up a bit appearing a fraction slow to dish out first option, this should improve with more senior exposure
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one of 3 good things to happen in a very dull and pathetic year for our club
Cogs
Cuz
Nahas
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one of 3 good things to happen in a very dull and pathetic year for our club
Cogs
Cuz
Nahas
Add Rance, Collins & Gus to that list for starters
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i think cogs is improving ea week, conditions suited him today with alot of stoppages, occasionally he's found wanting when the game opens up a bit appearing a fraction slow to dish out first option, this should improve with more senior exposure
Two players excelled in todays conditions....Cogs and Nahas...Both wet weather specialists
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Smokey old fella ;D
See your lad is doing a great job there you ;D be getting your cake soon :thumbsup
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Smokey old fella ;D
See your lad is doing a great job there you ;D be getting your cake soon :thumbsup
A good result for all concerned! ;D
This week was the first week I have been confident that he still has enough to offer the senior side. I saw glimpses in the first couple of weeks but this was his best game by far and showed that although pace might not be his strong suit, you can't underestimate courage, work ethic and a football brain.
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I have to say this and I am expecting to get battered for saying it but I still have major concerns
The game is just so quick and the opposition run off him so easily at times :-\
I actually think it is in the oppositions plan to run off him.
Thought some of his kicks were poor - I know his kicking has always been his biggest weakness but a times he struggled to kick it 10 metres forward.
I hate getting seduced by stats but I read with interest that with 28 odd touches his effiecency of disposal was only 57%. I wanted to do the appropriate research before I posted this ;D
If we are going to bag others for their poor disposal we should be prepared to share it around
NB: not sure how it all looked on the TV but at the game some things can look very different - just my opinion
Bash away folks ;D