Sheeds thinks it would be a great idea!
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Carey a fit for new-look Tigers
11 July 2004
Kevin Sheedy
Sunday Herald Sun
IF I were on the phone to that wonderful place in the sky and could talk to legendary Tigers administrator, the late, great Graeme Richmond, I would ask: "Why don't you go after Wayne Carey as coach in 2005?"
In his unique way GR might reply, "Crikey, that boy might have a plan on his hands".
This may be Richmond's one chance to get a freak into the club who could do something sensational.
Is there a problem in taking a risk? Carlton took a risk when it recruited Ron Barassi in 1965 and he had never coached before.
The Blues wanted someone to change the club's direction totally and one of the greatest players of the era was the man to do it.
My question is, if Wayne Carey could be lured to the challenge, wouldn't you get someone who has shown great leadership and is the next bloke into the greatest team of all time.
Coaching is a different game to Barassi's era, when he had one or two assistants. Now we have a panel of coaches.
With a good support group, Carey could be one of the best marketing, decision-making, iconic young coaches you could hope for.
If you look at the coaches hired at various clubs in the past 20 years, there have been some average decisions made, so you can't lose on someone with so much talent.
Of the recent greats Gary Ablett does not want to be involved in coaching, and Carey has made a mistake and been buried for it, but he will bounce back.
What he did has probably happened in every workplace in Australia, but not a lot of footy teams.
I don't sit in judgment, but, in the end, you have to move on. He needs a career after 35, and his decision-making will get better.
Like Carey, Leigh Matthews's magnificent career had a black spot, too, He was deregistered, and there are not many footballers who have been. Lethal smashed Geelong's Neville Bruns and he might have felt the bloke at the time deserved it. The next year Matthews was coaching Collingwood.
Carey has the ability to lift a club and be a great leader of his team.
In the end it will be interesting what Carey's former mentor Denis Pagan's opinion would be on whether Carey could coach in the short-term future.
Tim Watson's sacking should not discourage brave clubs wanting to hire recently retired players with little experience.
Does that mean it will never be done again?
Maybe Watson was going down the right track, but could not keep the job long enough to have all his draft choices there the way Grant Thomas has now. I don't know.
No doubt, Damian Drum did the right thing at Fremantle. Did Watson, too?
The best assistant coaches are a great help to a football club and a young coach. At Essendon, we have had Mark Williams, Denis Pagan, Neale Daniher and Mark Thompson. What more could I have asked for?
In my case, when I came to Essendon I hadn't coached, but I had very good advisers in Brian Donohoe and Kevin Egan in the early days. Carey would find out who he needed and who he could trust.
There is no doubt Carey probably needs a break, but Richmond will miss an opportunity.
Carlton did it, Brisbane has done it with Matthews. Hopefully, people think Essendon went out and got a young coach who changed the club around a little bit with no experience.
Richmond got Tommy Hafey who had only coached in the bush. North Melbourne lured Barassi to change its club, and he launched the Roos with the help of the 10-year rule.
Then Essendon got me to change the club. Then Adelaide got Malcolm Blight to change it. He had coached, but he changed the way the Crows were perceived in the community.
Who is next? Carey? Why not?
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,10099809%255E32425,00.html
