:33:40 PM Mon 28 June, 2004
Jordan Chong
Sportal
Another coaching scalp has fallen, with Richmond coach Danny Frawley notifying the club that 2004 will be his last season at the helm.
A statement issued by the club said Frawley will remain coach until the end of the season.
"It has been a tough call to make because of how passionately I feel about my coaching role at the club,” Frawley said in the statement.
"By taking this course of action now it gives the club the best possible chance to actively enter the market place for a new coach without any constraints."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the club for the strong support it has given me throughout the past five years."
Speculation has been rife in recent weeks suggesting Frawley was about to resign, but those suggestions were consistently denied by club officials.
He reportedly spent the weekend with his manager Ricky Nixon, plotting his exit strategy from Punt Road and laying his some foundations for his future.
The coach has been under heavy pressure from not only the club's supporters but also various sections of the media this season due to the team's poor on-field performance.
Richmond is 15th on the ladder, with only four wins from 13 rounds.
He has been coach since 2000, with the best result a preliminary final appearance in 2001. His record with the club is 45 wins and 59 losses.
In a recent newspaper interview, Tigers president Clinton Casey stated his personal view was the club needed an 'experienced coach'.
But in the statement, Casey 'complimented' Frawley on his 'selflessness, great loyalty and his strength of character'.
"Danny’s legacy to the Club will be felt for many years to come. His dignity, morality and his courage under fire will be instrumental in life lessons the playing group will carry over to the next era,” Casey said.
“His decision will alleviate the continual media pressure on both him and his family," he added.
Frawley played 240 games for St Kilda between 1984 and 1995 and was captain between 1987 and 1995. He was then an assistant coach at Collingwood for four years.
http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=157077