Nathan Buckley can put Richmond back on track as coach
Jonathan Brown | June 05, 2009
NATHAN Buckley looms as the first-choice answer to the coaching dramas at Richmond - if he wants to be.
While it's difficult for an outsider to judge the events inside Punt Road which saw Terry Wallace split with the club this week, and I've got no inside knowledge on Buckley, I'll be surprised if the former Collingwood captain is not at the top of the Tigers' hit list.
And if it works out that Buckley is in charge next year, he'll have Michael Voss to thank in part.
It's inevitable Buckley will be an AFL coach, but there's no doubt Vossy's first-year success with the Lions has strengthened the case for him to step straight into a senior job.
As much as popular opinion says you should do a coaching apprenticeship, I can't agree. Especially with long-time captains like Voss and Buckley who are so heavily involved.
I've noticed it myself as solo captain this year - you see a lot more about what goes on away from the playing group and it gives you a much greater appreciation of the things and a chance to formulate ideas on how you'd run your own club.
Voss and Buckley have followed a strikingly similar pathway in retirement, working as an expert comments man on TV while doing some part-time coaching with the AIS/AFL Academy.
I don't know Buckley well but I've enjoyed his commentary. It's obvious he's got a terrific footy mind and there's no reason he couldn't do an outstanding job in rebuilding the Tigers.
It was a merciful end for Wallace when the parties agreed to split and the right outcome. Once the club decided he wasn't going to be there next year it made sense for him to move on so they could do what they've got to do without feeling like they were going behind his back all the time.
The priorities are different now - it's not about a coach trying to save his job but a club getting ready for the next chapter under a new coach.
The writing was on the wall when Richmond were smashed by Carlton by 83 points in round 1.
Then, when they lost to Melbourne in round 4 it was going to take something special to save him.
The choice of caretaker coach, to be announced tomorrow, is an interesting one, and I'm hoping ex-Lions teammate Craig McRae, currently the Tigers' development coach, gets the gig.
The footy grapevine says "Fly" is hugely popular with the players and has a terrific rapport with them. He's a very good teacher, communicates extra well and is the sort of guy who would make footy fun.
When you've been through what the Tigers have been through, that's a good starting point.
A caretaker role can be a pathway to a full-time gig, as it was with Brett Ratten when he replaced Denis Pagan at Carlton midway through 2007. Likewise Paul Roos at Sydney in 2002.
But it can be a poisoned chalice, as it was when Roger Merrett replaced John Northey mid-season with the Lions in '98, only to be replaced by Leigh Matthews for '99.
Wayne Campbell, former Richmond captain and early favourite for the job next year, might be reluctant to take it on without any guarantees.
I won't even try to guess what will happen short term or long term, but it's terrific to have ex-teammates McRae, Justin Leppitsch, Brad Scott, Chris Scott and Nigel Lappin as part of the AFL coaching scene, in addition to Vossy, and in the mix for different coaching jobs in the future.
Just as it was back at Hawthorn in their heyday, when Allan Jeans' teams produced a lot of coaches, it says a lot about the Lions group of 2001-03 and is a big tick for "Lethal Leigh".
Wallace was part of that Hawks group, and as much as he'll admit his time at Punt Road has been a failure, he shouldn't carry all the blame and should still be favourably remembered.
One of only 17 people to play and/or coach 500 AFL games, he was a triple premiership player, a four-time B and F winner and a successful coach at the Western Bulldogs, missing a grand final by a kick in '97.
No doubt the 2009 Tigers are a better side than their 2-8 win/loss record suggests, and I'm tipping that whoever has the job to the end of the season will see some significant improvement.
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