Richmond's vital cog
29 March, 2006
Paul Gough
Sportal for afl.com.au
There was once a time in the AFL when a player would look forward to a spell on the interchange bench about as much as most men look forward to a days' shopping.
But in these days of non-stop running and with recent rule changes designed to make the game even more continuous, a spell on the bench during matches - even for the game's best players - is now considered a necessity rather than a punishment.
Richmond star Mark Coughlan knows better than most the value of the odd spell during matches because it's something that, unlike the elite midfielders in most AFL clubs, he usually has to do without.
Last year Coughlan - the Tigers' 2003 club champion - along with skipper Kane Johnson and surprise packet Shane Tuck virtually carried the Tigers' midfield on their own - in stark contrast to other clubs which sometimes had up to a dozen players rotating through the midfield.
But with the return from a knee injury this year of David Rodan, plus the expected improvement of players such as Brett Deledio, Chris Hyde, Nathan Foley and Richard Tambling - Coughlan is looking forward to getting some much-needed help in the midfield.
"It's just so hard to play the full four quarters in the midfield these days," he told Sportal.
"You look at a team like the Eagles, who have the best midfield, and even (reigning Brownlow Medalist) Ben Cousins has his fair share of time on the bench."
While most experts believe it was the loss of Nathan Brown with his broken leg in round 10 last year that resulted in the Tigers' plummeting from the top four - with seven wins in the first nine games - to eventually finish 12th with just three more wins for the season, Richmond coach Terry Wallace believes there was much more to it.
And one of the key factors he believes was the Tigers' lack of midfield options saying Coughlan in particular became "stressed out" in the second half of last season.
Coughlan still managed to play all 22 matches last year, a fantastic effort considering he came into the season under a major injury cloud after missing nearly all of 2004 due to osteitis pubis, and ended the season third in the competition for tackles (123) and sixth for handballs (235).
But he paid a heavy price physically and by season's end needed surgery to both ankles.
"That set me back a bit at the start of the pre-season but since then everything is fine and it also gave me the chance to give the rest of the body a break as well."
As a result Coughlan feels as good as he ever felt going into a season and hopes the Tigers' increased midfield options will propel the club back into the finals for the only the third time since 1982.
At just 23, Coughlan already has five seasons and 71 games behind him but is yet to play in a final.
"I'm sick of watching the finals and seeing players I know from other clubs playing while we are watching at home," he said.
"And while you are not even thinking about finals at this time of the year, to play in them this year is top of the agenda for me."
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=253361
