Tickled pink or green with envy?
By Michael Gleeson and Len Johnson
The Age
May 27, 2005
Paul Keating once noted that there was nothing quite so ex as an ex-prime minister. In football, there is nothing so ex as an ex-coach.
At some clubs, such as Richmond, they consider coaches in much the same way as the Japanese do minke whales - a delicacy best harpooned. When a coach goes, every flaw at the club can be attached to him and conveniently sent out of the door at the same time.
Fans like to consider failure almost exclusively as the fault of the previous coach - the arrival of the new administration brings not just a clean slate but a fresh wave of optimism.
The outgoing coach's work in bringing on the young recruits, revitalising ageing champions and introducing a bold new game plan gets forgotten as the new regime racks up early successes.
How, then, do the four departed coaches from last year - Gary Ayres, Peter Rohde, Peter Schwab and Danny Frawley (pictured top) - feel as they watch the sides they nurtured suddenly start to make giant strides up the ladder?
Do they feel a sense of pride and ownership in the club's renaissance - or are they left with an empty, and uneasy, feeling in the pit of their stomach?
We spoke to the four ex-men about their mixed emotions, and the part they feel they played in setting up their clubs' revival.
DANNY FRAWLEYRichmond
2004 16th place, 3 wins
2005 2nd place, 7 wins
Danny Frawley carried himself with dignity when he left Punt Road. He walked from the coach's box into a job with Linfox and commentating on Triple M. He has only ever been full of praise for his successor, Terry Wallace, even when, as occurred this week, Wallace made comments that could easily be interpreted as a veiled swipe at him. "I am more than happy to see the list playing well," Frawley said.
Frawley seems unsurprised by the Tigers' results on the field this year, and points out that the new regime is benefiting from decisions made in his reign. "Two years ago we started rebuilding. I said it last June, and when I left, that I was out of contract, we hadn't made the finals and timing is big in football. You move on.
"Three years ago our midfield was getting smashed and now it's Kane Johnson, Mark Coughlan and Shane Tuck, all six-foot-two (188 centimetres), they smash in and the Richmond supporters love them and will get a kick out of watching them play, as I will. They are players we brought into the club. I am very happy to see them playing well.
"I am quite happy with where the list was. I always thought they had the best list of the four coaches that left and they were always going to be a prized pick-up, so fantastic, I think it is great for the Richmond members who have suffered a fair bit over the last three years. It is great for them to get some reward for effort. As I said, Terry is a very, very good coach and he is proving that."
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