Tigers turn to Cameron Schwab
Stephen Rielly | July 30, 2008
RICHMOND's future football operations head may belong to the club's past, with former chief executive Cameron Schwab yesterday linked to the position that was taken from Greg Miller on Sunday.
Schwab, who is due to return to Victoria early next week after seven years as Fremantle chief executive, has been touted as a potential successor to recently sacked Melbourne chief executive Paul McNamee. But the Demons may have to vie with the Tigers, who are understood to have an interest in bringing the 44-year old-back to Punt Road.
Schwab, eldest son of the legendary Richmond general manager Alan Schwab, and brother of former club director and current Professional Footballers Association chairman Brendan Schwab, became the youngest chief executive in AFL history when he was placed in charge at Punt Road by Graeme Richmond in 1988.
Schwab resigned six years later and before joining the Dockers in 2001 he worked for the Demons both as head of football operations and as chief executive.
It was with Melbourne that Schwab began his career in the game, as a teenage recruiter in the early 1980s, but a return to Richmond would be a true home-coming. Moreover, he is understood to be reluctant to take on the responsibilities of chief executive with another club immediately but is keen to stay in the game. Last week, he went so far as to say Melbourne was not a consideration.
At a relatively young age, with a Richmond heritage that seems to have become important in recent days and considerable experience, Schwab fits the description Richmond president Gary March gave as the person he says the club wants to replace Miller. Schwab is also available.
March used the word "contemporary" to describe Miller's successor but said the appointment would also have to be experienced given that he will be expected to have immediate input into decisions made about drafting, trading and possible changes to the football department in the off-season.
It is understood, for example, that thought is being given to replacing several of Wallace's assistant coaches, a number of whom have been with him for almost four years.
Schwab was not available for comment yesterday but Richmond sources confirmed that he was being considered.
Should he return to Punt Road, Schwab will have to deal with the potentially destabilising issue of whether coach Terry Wallace should be re-contracted beyond 2009.
Rest of article at:http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24098625-2722,00.html
