Kevin Bartlett backs Mick Malthouse
Finn Bradshaw | June 02, 2009 04:28pm
KEVIN Bartlett has called for the Tigers to aggressively pursue Mick Malthouse as Terry Wallace's replacement.
The Tigers yesterday announced Wallace would be stepping down after Friday night’s game against the Bulldogs. Richmond will announce a caretaker coach on Saturday, then embark on a search for a long-term successor.
Bartlett, a club legend, today said the Tigers should make Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse – whose contract with the Magpies runs out at the end of this season – their No.1 priority.
"The first thing Richmond should do is check out the coaching status of Mick Malthouse,” Bartlett said on his show on SEN radio. “The Collingwood coach comes out of contract, if he’s gettable, (the Tigers should) go hard."
The Herald Sun reported this morning that Wayne Campbell was the front-runner for the job, but Bartlett – who played 403 games for Richmond before coaching the club for 88 matches – said it needed an experienced, successful coach.
“The word is Richmond could be looking at a young, untried coach, that’s the modern trend,” Bartlett said.
“Malthouse is still hungry, has not lost the passion. (His teams have played in) five grand finals, two premierships, (he is) tough as nails, cagey, and gets the absolute best out of his team.”
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25576066-19771,00.html