Hawks fly, Tigers flounder
17 April 2007 Herald-Sun
Garry Lyon
THE popular perception is that Terry Wallace had his choice of either the Richmond or Hawthorn job at the end of the 2004 season and elected to go with the Tigers, Garry Lyon writes.The thought being that their list may have been a little further advanced. Fair enough, for at the time it would have been a pretty subjective call.
The Hawks appointed the untried Alistair Clarkson. Both coaches remain in the position today.
Two seasons and three games down the track there would be few in the football world who would share Wallace's opinion of the respective lists right now.
One sits on the precipice of an exciting new era, buoyed by the continued development of an ultra-exciting combination of young, tall, powerful, athletic key position players and hard-running, ball-winning midfielders. The other is staring down the barrel of having to rebuild all over again.
It reflects a brave, totally transparent recruiting philosophy implemented by Clarkson on his arrival.
Trade those who don't figure in the long-term future of the club for the highest draft selections they can deliver, and then take the best young kids.
Start with the spine of the team, then build around them.
Pick players on what they can deliver over a 10-year period, not what they can deliver now, be prepared to suffer some short-term pain and don't deviate from the stated goal.
The Tigers appear to be in a state of flux. Richmond has a smattering of talented youngsters, an ageing goal-to-goal line and carries some expensive investments whose return has not matched expectation.
The gap between the two has widened markedly in a relatively short space of time, in terms of quality, succession planning and balance.
The Tigers have no one to compare with Buddy Franklin, arguably the most exciting talent in the game and a player they overlooked in favour of Richard Tambling.
There is some irony in the fact that he is as close to a mirror image of a young Matthew Richardson as you could hope for, with one important exception. Kicking goals for him is as natural and exciting as it is laborious and excruciating for Richo.
Brett Deledio has been a success, and at selection No. 1 you would expect nothing less. But is he any further advanced than Jordan Lewis or Grant Birchall or even the rapidly emerging Clinton Young?
That trio have gone past Tambling, and the Tigers' number No. 4 selection in the 2005 draft needs to start having a greater impact on games.
Jarryd Roughead is going to be a very good player. Along with Simon Taylor, Xavier Ellis, Stephen Gilham and Ben McGlynn, they have all played roles in the Hawks' past two wins. Comparatively, Dean Polo and Nathan Foley would get a tick from Richmond supporters. Adam Pattison, Luke McGuane and Cameron Howat seem some way off it.
Tiger fans want to know where Danny Meyer (No. 12 in the '05 draft) is at. They want to know if Jarrod Oakley-Nicholls (No. 8 in '06) is going to be a 10-year player. They want to know if Cleve Hughes (No. 24 in '06) will hold down a key position within a couple of years.
With Matthew Richardson 32, Darren Gaspar turning 31 and Kane Johnson, Nathan Brown, Joel Bowden and Troy Simmonds turning 29, these questions become more pressing and the answers more important.
The Hawks can still look forward to introducing blue-chip youngsters like Beau Dowler, Beau Muston, Matt Little, Thomas Murphy and big Max Bailey, while their young veterans Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Trent Croad have plenty of football ahead.
Clarkson's attitude to list development is even more obvious when it comes to recycled players. In his time he has added just two players from other AFL clubs. Brent Guerra remains, while Bo Nixon was delisted in 2005.
At the same time he moved on Mark Graham, Jon Hay, Nathan Lonie, Lance Picioane and Peter Everitt.
Wallace would appear to have more of an open mind.
Over time he has added Mark Graham, Trent Knobel, Troy Simmonds, Patrick Bowden, Kent Kingsley and Graham Polak. Some have succeeded, some are still grappling with their baggage.
Aaron Fiora, Brad Ottens and David Rodan have all moved on and continued their careers with other AFL clubs.
The result is that one club has been unwavering in its commitment to stack its list with the best kids it can get. It was never better illustrated than at the 2005 national draft, with Hawthorn having five of the first 22 picks.
They selected, among others, Xavier Ellis, who they knew was going to play the following year with Melbourne Grammar, Dowler, who was recovering from a broken pelvis and not expected to play much footy at all and Muston, who was still recovering from a knee reconstruction.
The Hawks are in good shape for years to come on the back of their steadfast approach to their list development. The Tigers' future is far less certain. They have had a bit of a dabble everywhere: elite kids, high-profile trades, high-risk trades and now talk of a 2011 timeline.
If the senior job at these two clubs came up now, I know where most aspiring coaches would send their applications.
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