Criticism of Campbell way off the mark
By Matthew Richardson
realfooty.theage.com.au
June 6, 2004
Richmond captain Wayne Campbell was asked on The Footy Show last week whether he thought rumours in a newspaper about the club's coach would affect how the team played in that weekend's match against West Coast.
He responded by saying that he didn't think it would influence the team at all, adding "no disrespect to The Australian (which carried the speculative article)" but he didn't think any of the players read the newspaper. Knowing my teammates, his assessment was spot-on because the guys usually stick to Victorian newspapers, which are delivered to the club.
Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I found it a strange coincidence that within a few days, The Australian's sports columnist, Patrick Smith, wrote an article that was highly critical of the club and, in particular, saying it must change its captain because leadership was "non-existent on the field".
He described Wayne as just "an adequate player", which to me was an absolute joke. If you are only an "adequate player", you simply don't win four club best-and-fairests, get All-Australian selection twice and (by the end of this season) AFL life membership for 300 games service.
He also said Wayne "has no presence" and "plays a style of game that does not inspire". That's pretty insulting to a guy who has on dozens of occasions been best afield and led the Tigers to victories.
A recent example springs readily to mind of him being a captain who led from the front: in the round-six match against Hawthorn, the club had its back to the wall and Wayne was not only our best player when the match was there to be won in the first half, but his presence across half-back, including some courageous marks going back with the flight of the ball, certainly inspired his teammates that night.
Again, in the win over Sydney the following week, his voice and his direction of the defenders was a settling influence on the team.
As for "hurried kicks and harried handballs" and a "frenetic disposal style", that just doesn't ring true. Sure, there will be times when a quick clearance from traffic is required, but Wayne is generally one of the more composed players in his disposal of the football, and rarely wastes a touch.
I can still recall the television commentary from All-Australian coach Garry Lyon in the opening round this year, when he commended Wayne for waiting for the right option against Collingwood, and delivering it precisely into our forward 50. Lyon said you would like the ball to be in Wayne's hands in such situations all the time, which is a pretty fair endorsement.
Smith reckoned that Wayne "does not run lines", which I would argue has been a feature of his game for more than a decade. For 12 years, he has been among the best endurance onballers in the competition - you don't survive in the midfield for that long if you're not. What Smith has obviously ignored is that the role asked of Wayne this season has been more one of setting up our attack from the back half of the field and organising the defence.
It also brings me to another issue: that of recognising what a huge effort Wayne has put in to come back from a ruptured Achilles in the off-season. Some suggested he might struggle to even get back on the field for the opening matches of the season, but the professionalism he put into his rehabilitation ensured otherwise. With a few matches under his belt, it wouldn't surprise me to see him back in the midfield in the second half of the season.
To me, the article contained a few cheap shots, such as describing Wayne as "delusional" for daring to think Richmond could be a top-four team this year. Tell me a captain that wasn't thinking the same thing in March. Does that make Nathan Buckley and Shane Crawford delusional?
You're in trouble if your skipper isn't positive enough to think you're a finals contender going into the year: it's hardly going to instil confidence in the rest of the team if he thinks otherwise. This is why I think such specific criticisms of Richmond's captain are unfounded. In fact, I'd go further and suggest there is reason to praise the job he's doing during a tough season.
He is exemplary in setting the tone for professionalism. In my time at AFL level, I've never seen anyone prepare better for matches and look after their body and the various niggles. I doubt there is a footballer in the league who has got more out of his body, which is why Wayne so rarely misses a match injured.
Then there is his consistency: it's rare for Wayne to have a really poor game, and I'm talking about a playing career that stretches back to 1991. In that time, he has nearly always finished in the top five in the club's best-and-fairest voting.
But it's also the little things that often go unnoticed by people other than his teammates. He's been happy to assist the younger players in various ways, and has made his Richmond hotel available for use on several occasions, which has probably cost him a fair bit of money from his own pocket.
If you still need any convincing, you'd get an endorsement of Wayne's leadership from Richmond coach Danny Frawley, who elevated him to the captaincy in 2001. Danny captained St Kilda for nine seasons, including its first finals appearance in 18 years, so he's knows a thing or two about identifying what is required to lead a team. He recognised those qualities in Wayne Campbell, and so does most of the football world.
http://realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/06/05/1086377187448.html
