Tigers may take a punt on Rohde
26 August 2004
Herald Sun
Mark Stevens and Mark Robinson
TERRY Wallace has sounded out sacked Western Bulldogs coach Peter Rohde about a back-up role at Richmond next season.
The new Tigers coach met Rohde yesterday to gauge his interest in joining a revamped football department at Punt Rd.
Rohde, who will coach the Bulldogs for the final time against Essendon on Sunday, will spend the next fortnight pondering his future.
The interest in Rohde comes as the off-field purge begins at Richmond.
Football manager Greg Hutchison and assistant coach Paul Spargo are already gone.
Assistant Wayne Brittain's future also appears grim - he is believed to be sending out feelers to other clubs.
Recruiting manager Greg Beck's position is also under review. Only assistant coach Darren Crocker appears safe.
Wallace has cast the net far wider than Rohde and is hell-bent on assembling the best possible team.
He has spent recent days holding discussions with several candidates for roles in his team - from possible assistants to IT experts.
"I have not given a commitment to any one person at this stage," Wallace said last night.
Wallace is attracted by Rohde's all-round skills, witnessed first-hand when the pair worked together for three years at Whitten Oval.
"He is an extremely good operator across a lot of different paths," Wallace said.
"He could fit into football manager territory quite comfortably, he has a phys-ed background with experience in strength and conditioning and he has coached senior football for two years. He's just stepped out. He's got a very broad base. Why wouldn't I want to speak to him?"
Wallace has also spoken to his former football manager at the Bulldogs, Paul Armstrong, who is a certainty to take up a position at Richmond.
Armstrong, who has been out of football for two years, staked his claim as a recruiter before opting for management. He could succeed Hutchison or Beck.
Hutchison, the former Melbourne caretaker coach, was told by Tigers director of football Greg Miller on Monday he was not required.
Spargo, however, has opted to return to Albury.
Miller yesterday confirmed Hutchison's departure.
"Hutchy has been excellent in the last couple of years, he's been outstanding in his job," Miller said.
"I feel for him. And I think he would be a great asset to anyone else who would be interested in the skills he has.
"But the coach wanted a fresh approach, he wanted new people around the place."
The Tigers are working with strategic planners, their priority being the budget for the football department.
"There's going to be restrictions on how many people he (Wallace) wants for financial reasons . . . we are going to be a very tight ship," Miller said.
"So who finally finishes up on the team is a little bit up in the air as we work out what we can afford and not afford."
Asked about Beck and Brittain's future, Miller said: "Nothing else has been done."
Hutchison's departure comes in the final week of Danny Frawley's coaching tenure.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,10568518%255E19771,00.html
