Blake Caracella LEAVING

[torch]

Blake Caracella LEAVING end of year 

[The Machine]

As good as he has been, we move on.

[one-eyed]

Highly rated Tigers assistant set for new challenge

AFL.com.au
Marc McGowan
Aug 5, 2019 7:52PM

SENIOR-coach-in-waiting Blake Caracella will complete this season at Richmond before moving on from Tigerland.

AFL.com.au understands Caracella, who is the club's offensive coach, and the Tigers have agreed to an amicable parting of ways.

He re-signed for two seasons in October last year, after joining Richmond ahead of the 2017 season then performing a pivotal role in the club ending its 37-year premiership drought.

Caracella played 187 games for Essendon, Brisbane and Collingwood, including being part of the Bombers' 2000 premiership and the Lions' 2003 flag.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick was a teammate of his in that Essendon side.

Caracella has since become a highly rated assistant coach at three clubs across 13 years and is regularly discussed as someone in the mix to be an AFL senior coach one day.

There are two openings at the Bombers, with AFL.com.au reporting in July that opposition strategy coach Rob Harding and forwards coach Paul Corrigan were pursuing other opportunities.

Part of Harding's current role includes ball movement, an area Caracella has excelled in at Richmond.

The 42-year-old previously worked at Geelong from 2010 to 2016, including the Cats' 2011 premiership, and Collingwood between 2007 and 2009.

He has worked alongside the Tigers' football boss Neil Balme at all three of his coaching stops, after Balme also recruited him to the Magpies as a player for the 2005 season.

Caracella was also accepted into the AFL's exclusive Level Four coaching course in 2015, alongside the likes of Simon Goodwin, Stuart Dew and Brendon Bolton.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-08-05/highly-rated-tiger-assistant-set-for-new-challenge

[one-eyed]

Mick Warner on Talking Footy reckons Caracella will end up at Essendon.

[rogerd3]

The club is on the move, beware 17 other clubs.
Assistants and players = all wanna join Tigerland.
It's tough work knocking back offers...

[lamington]

Man I am so bummed about this. His appointment to the club really changed the way we took the game on. Who ever replaces him has really big shoes to fill

[yandb]

Hardwick has already put a plug in for his mate Bolton

[torch]

Caracella is the best AC out there!

Who would we replace him with?

Please NO to Bolton!

[Tiger Khosh]

There’s been many a great assistant coach who didn’t cut it as a senior coach their first go around.

Our boy leppa an example of this. Not saying Bolton is the answer but wouldn’t rule him out based on his stint at the blues.

[mightytiges]

True, TK. Bolton was assistant coach at Hawthorn when they won their threepeat. Leppitsch is another who struggled as a senior coach but has been an important part of our success as an assistant.

It'll be interesting to see who we go after. Do we go after an assistant from another top challenger to get the intellectual property. Likewise, they could be from a club we've had trouble beating even over the past 3 years (eg: Bulldogs).


ps. I think this will be Essendon's third ex-Tiger poach/appointment if Caracella ends up there: Richardson, Rutten and now Caracella. Everybody wants to be us .

[big tone]

Massive loss IMO.

We can be as positive as we want about it but it’s not a coincidence the side was turned around when he got to the club.

Why are people wanting to leave the RFC? Especially while we have been so successful in the past 3 seasons.

3 really good operators in the last couple of years.

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Massive lose IMO.

We can be as positive as we want about it but it’s not a coincidence the side was turned around when he got to the club.

Why are people wanting to leave the RFC? Especially while we have been so successful in the past 3 seasons.

3 really good operators in the last couple of years.

People leave for many reasons. I would think Blake is looking to move up to a senior position. That won’t happen at Richmond. Worsfold, however, is nowhere near as secure and I’d imagine Blake is all over that.

[eliminator]

Very big loss. Very astute assistant coach.

[Tiger Khosh]

Assistant coaches move around all the time.

As for Dan Richardson (assume that’s the third person you are referring to) his position was heavily marginalised after Balmey came in and took over the majority of his responsibilities.

[Andyy]

Massive lose IMO.

We can be as positive as we want about it but it’s not a coincidence the side was turned around when he got to the club.

Why are people wanting to leave the RFC? Especially while we have been so successful in the past 3 seasons.

3 really good operators in the last couple of years.

Surely for senior opportunity.

Agreed otherwise. I hope his influence sticks and losing him doesn't hurt too much.