New coach, new challenge for Hartigan
1:58:53 PM Wed 6 April, 2005
Matt Burgan
Exclusive to afl.com.au
A new coach at a football club can bring a number of emotions for players. It can offer new hope, opportunity or spell the end of a playing career.
For young Tiger Brent Hartigan, Richmond's appointment of Terry Wallace as coach at the end of the 2004 AFL season came with some apprehension.
"(I was) a little bit (apprehensive). As a junior you try and earn respect as quick as you can and when (former Richmond coach) Danny (Frawley) disappeared out of the club, you have to earn the respect of a totally new coaching staff again," Hartigan said.
"It's not the hardest thing in life, but it definitely took some rethinking, knowing that you have to earn the respect before you can get a game."
Prior to Wallace joining the club, Hartigan had been given a great opportunity under Frawley, which resulted in the small defender/midfielder playing 19 matches and finishing seventh in the club's Jack Dyer Medal, in just his first year at Tigerland.
"I got a lot of opportunity last year and Danny, over the year, let me go out and play my natural style of game and the supporters tend to like that - players getting out there and having a go - so as a young bloke that's all you can do, but I really enjoyed the experience and gave it my all," Hartigan said.
Hartigan's 2004 season was a fine season, considering he was drafted the previous year as the club's sixth selection and the 70th player selected overall.
He was drafted on the back on playing in a premiership with the Calder Cannons, winning Calder's best-and-fairest award and gaining a spot on the half-back flank in the 2003 TAC Cup team of the year.
Hartigan indicated former Richmond recruiting manager Greg Beck was a strong supporter of his in the lead-up to the 2003 NAB AFL Draft.
"Greg Beck always said he wanted to take me in some way and they had other ideas on who they wanted, so they had to take them first, but it worked out in the end," Hartigan said.
"They said they were going to take me and they did, so there wasn't much expectation that I would be drafted and when I was drafted there wasn't expectation either."
After a solid first-up year in 2004, Hartigan battled osteitis pubis leading into this season, which forced him to be an emergency for Richmond's season opener against Geelong. He said he understood the situation despite being disappointed.
"Come game day, I sat in the stands and thought I'd love to be playing out there with the boys and that was the bit I missed," Hartigan said.
"Terry said to me that he wanted to give me one more game and see if you're ready and it was good from my point of view that I had to prove that I'm worthy in the 22 and it made me sit back and think that I've got to lift my game now.
"I'm not just a first year player that's going to get a chance and whatever happens, happens, I need to be a player in the 22 that's going to contribute week-in-week-out."
As it panned out, Hartigan was back in the team for the second round and was a fine contributor in Richmond's first win of 2005.
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=194381
