Rodan sacking still lingers at TigerlandJon Pierik
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 21:51Former Richmond powerbroker Greg Miller says the Tigers had no regrets about trading the AFL’s “bionic man” David Rodan after the 2006 season but has revealed his messy departure left a lasting legacy at the embattled club.
Tiger supporters this week have again bemoaned the departure of Rodan, who, in his second match back after a radical knee reconstruction, gathered 27 possessions and powered Port Adelaide to a stunning 10-point win over St Kilda at AAMI Stadium last weekend.
Depending on who you talk to at Tigerland, Rodan was either unfortunate or treated shabbily after the ‘06 season when he inadvertently, and embarrassingly, heard he had been sacked by the Tigers during an acceptance speech by skipper Kane Johnson at the club's best-and-fairest count.
Rodan had struggled that season after returning from his first knee reconstruction, and coach Terry Wallace, having just finished his first year at Tigerland, felt Rodan wasn’t part of his ultimately doomed five-year plan.
The nuggety onballer was snapped up with a seventh-round selection in the national draft by the Power and rebounded so well he went on to play in the club’s losing grand final against Geelong.
Rodan has been pretty much a consistent performer since, again demonstrating his commitment and determination to return to AFL battle just 122 days after agreeing to pre-Christmas knee surgery that used a ligament of industrial-strength polyester fibres to replace his torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Miller, then Richmond football director, said Rodan had been the perfect clubman at Punt Rd but the match committee felt he couldn’t consistently win a midfield berth in a team that, ultimately, finished last in 2007.
“He didn’t have a good year and I guess Terry didn’t see him going ahead at the end of the year. It was his first year back after a knee op,” Miller told backpagelead.com.au. “There’s a million of those stories, aren’t there?
“The one thing I will say about him was that he was a fantastic clubman, everyone liked him, everyone was rapt to see him doing well. He was a popular person. He used to do rap dancing in the rooms, light up the room. He was a good rap dancer.”
Asked whether Rodan perhaps deserved more time to recapture his form after his initial, and traditionally repaired, knee reconstruction, Miller replied: “I think that’s a fair comment.”
“Some players need a change. He was a young guy, he’s done well,” Miller said.
“As you know, last year he got dropped for a few games. In terms of the decision, I don’t think Terry or any of the match committee had a regret one way or the other because these decisions are made all the time. The needs of a team and the balance of a team always differ.”
Miller said he wasn’t at the Tigers’ best-and-fairest count on that infamous night when Rodan, Tom Roach, the son of club great Michael, and rookie Jeremy Humm prematurely all discovered they were no longer wanted, prompting assistant coach Brian Royal to immediately deny the club had made any decisions about the trio's playing future.
Suffice to say, they weren’t at Punt Rd for pre-season training.
Miller said the embarrassing incident prompted the coaches and match committee to resolve to stop even informing the captain about what future trade plans were.
“It was a difficult thing. Sometimes you tell players early, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you wait until trade week,” Miller said. “I think the most important thing out of all that was to keep it a secret within a tight group.”
Miller, now working with player manager Ricky Nixon at Flying Start, said best-and-fairest counts held during the trade period were fraught with danger.
“I remember Peter Bell winning the best and fairest at the Kangaroos and the deal (with Fremantle) had already been done,” Miller said of the 2000 incident.
“He was getting up and had won the best and fairest, people were booing him instead of cheering him.
“Nowadays you are clever to not tell any player that may be drafted or traded until after the trade period. And, of course, that period after the grand final is when the trade period is on. They don’t marry in well the timing of those two events.”
http://www.backpagelead.com.au/afl/1084-rodan-sacking-still-lingers-at-tigerland
