Former Coburg star Phil Cleary slams club for coach sacking Patrick Lane
From: Moreland Leader
August 14, 2012 COBURG legend Phil Cleary has condemned the club's decision to bump senior coach Adam Potter to a development role next year.
In his Inside Football column last Wednesday, Cleary said the VFL club would be coached by a Richmond identity for the last year of Coburg's alignment with the AFL Tigers and Potter had been offered the Development League coach's role.
The AFL club and its VFL affiliate originally planned to maintain their alignment until the end of 2014, but have mutually agreed to bring forward the termination of the agreement.
Richmond will field a stand-alone side in the VFL in 2014, following the likes of Collingwood and Geelong, while Coburg will again stand on its own in the state competition and revert back to the Lions.
Potter is said to be considering his options but Cleary, a life member at Coburg and coach of the club's 1988-89 back-to-back VFA flags, believes he should continue at the helm.
"I don't speak for the club. I'm a life member and the last premiership coach, but I work in the media. What I can do is comment publicly about these things," Cleary said.
"I had a good conversation with (Richmond football manager) Craig Cameron. It would appear Coburg put a proposal to Richmond that would enable Richmond to have their own coach next year."
Cleary chose not to raise the issue during last Saturday's ABC broadcast out of respect to Potter, who first wanted to address his playing group.
"I clearly believe that Coburg would be better off with Adam Potter in the transition year, no question about that," Cleary said.
"It appears to me that it's a product of Coburg needing Richmond's support for the next 12 months."
Coburg president Bill Balakis conceded the club's decision to bump Potter centred on financial constraints.
"We had to look at the alternatives but Richmond have been pretty good with this whole thing," Balakis said.
"I feel disappointed (for Potter), but our hands are tied."
Potter and the Richmond Football Club did not return calls.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/localfooty/former-coburg-star-phil-cleary-slams-club-for-coach-sacking/story-fn53khop-1226450140726
