Tigers of old want Malthouse
Dan Silkstone | June 11, 2009
GET Mick Malthouse.
That's the message yesterday from the legends of Richmond. Mal Brown and Tommy Hafey were star attractions at a function to promote the 50th birthday of the club's past players' association. Their thoughts, though, were on the future.
And football's conventional wisdom has certainly shifted in favour of youth.
Hafey yesterday raised half an eyebrow at this week's appointment of 31-year-old Jade Rawlings as interim coach.
"He's obviously impressed the people who have made that appointment, because I thought there was a few people who could have taken over," he said.
Though he pronounced Rawlings a "good fella", Hafey's preference for 2010 was clear.
"I'd go for Michael Malthouse of all the people likely to be available," he said.
"We need the best available. We've made so many mistakes in recent times. We've got to make certain we get this right."
Brown said the Tigers needed to be daring and go for an appointment that would excite the club's supporters.
"Take some risks," he said. "Richmond has become, over 29 years, the beige football club. It has done nothing colourful, nothing from left field, until they got Ben Cousins."
The Western Australian hard man described Rawlings as "a very fine young man", but added: "At the end of the day, Malthouse has coached Collingwood even better than he coached the Eagles, and if he's available the club have to sit down and work out where they are going."
Again bucking conventional wisdom, Hafey cautioned against a cleanout of senior players at year's end.
"I wouldn't think there would have to be massive changes," he said.
"The coach would need to see everybody, the new coach … before they start making decisions. I think some of them could be very, very useful."
Both wanted to see Matthew Richardson go on for another year.
"He is obviously our best player," Hafey said. "And I think he probably will be next year and the year after."
Brown, especially, was keen to see another year from Cousins, a player who he said "has pulverised opinion".
The Tiger pair's support for Malthouse reinforces the already stated views of another club legend — Kevin Bartlett — that the club should explore the possibility of bringing the dual premiership coach back to Punt Road.
Richmond has already appointed a subcommittee that will vet applicants for the coaching job using industry best practice.
Brown, rather more old-fashioned, suggested a simpler set of criteria.
"Has that coach played in a premiership? And has he coached premierships?" he said.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/tigers-of-old-want-malthouse/2009/06/10/1244313187090.html
