Rivals say Judd should accept Eagles job
The Age - Breaking News
February 23, 2006 - 2:59PM
Richmond and Hawthorn AFL skippers Kane Johnson and Richie Vandenberg have urged West Coast's Chris Judd to accept the Eagles' captaincy.
With the Ben Cousins' booze bus affair leading to the reigning Brownlow Medallist resigning in disgrace as captain, Judd is seen by most as the logical successor.
But it is believed Judd is uncomfortable with the prospect of replacing Cousins as Eagles' skipper.
Johnson and Vandenberg - both entering their second seasons as AFL captains - said they understood Judd's reticence but urged him to take the job, and the Eagles to allow him to grow into it.
"I'd say he's definitely the best man for the job," Richmond skipper Johnson said.
"I reckon at some stage he will take it - he'll just take a bit of convincing in the next couple of weeks.
"It's obviously hard if you think you're not ready but the club does.
"They've just got to give him a chance to grow into the role - you need 12 to 24 months to become the leader you want to be.
"You can't just go straight into it and become a superstar leader like a Wayne Carey."
Vandenberg, who leads a young rebuilding Hawthorn side, said having a strong leadership group - including Cousins - would help Judd settle in.
"The biggest thing for Juddy is that he wouldn't take the whole burden upon his shoulders - I'm sure they've got a strong leadership group there," Vandenberg said.
"He'd have a good support network around him and Ben would still be a good leader within the group.
"If he doesn't feel he's quite ready, then the club will probably respect that.
"But with some gentle coercion, he'll be fine."
Johnson said Judd's ability as a match-winner was an ideal attribute to be skipper.
"I don't know him personally - just from hearsay of what people say about him ... that he's a natural leader and he leads without even thinking about it.
"You look at Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide captain) and these sort of blokes - they're match-winners on the ground which make you a pretty special captain."
http://theage.com.au/news/Sport/Rivals-say-Judd-should-accept-Eagles-job/2006/02/23/1140563907414.html
