Rawlings turns to the job at hand
Martin Boulton | June 7, 2009
JADE Rawlings overcame the "head spin" of becoming the AFL's newest senior coach and quickly set about turning Richmond's dismal season around with a clear message to his players.
"We really want to get some life into the second half of the year," he said yesterday.
The 31-year-old will coach Coburg in the VFL for the last time today before returning to Punt Road and charting a course for his 11 games as caretaker of the embattled club.
"The fundamentals are pretty good … finals footy this year might be a bit hard, but we'll play a sustainable brand that's going to stack up in finals for whoever takes over (and) whatever happens in the future. We'll be repetitive in how we go about it and there'll be a real level of consistency."
After slumping to their ninth loss this year in Friday night's 68-point flogging by the Western Bulldogs, the Richmond players woke yesterday to life without Terry Wallace as coach.
The task of rebuilding their shattered season now rests with the youngest senior coach in the league.
Rawlings paid tribute to Wallace, saying their friendship "will go well beyond now" after Wallace gave him an opportunity to coach after hanging up his boots in 2006.
"Terry Wallace afforded me opportunities at the age of 28 when I retired and I'm very fortunate to have worked under him," he said. "I consider him a mate, he's been terrific to me in two-and-a-half years."
Richmond assistant coaches Wayne Campbell, David King and Craig McRae all applied for the caretaker role, while Brian Royal opted out of the selection process.
"A couple of other guys are probably a bit disappointed, but the support I've had already from the assistant coaches and the players has been outstanding," Rawlings said.
The former Hawthorn, Bulldogs and North Melbourne player said he was "over the moon" when told he'd been successful and felt "very humbled and extremely excited" to be guiding the club on-field.
Rawlings refused to speculate about the senior coaching job beyond this season.
"I'm excited about this next 11 weeks and what we're going to try and implement," he said. "I'm very fortunate to be able to coach this footy club … we'll get this place going and continue to move forward."
His former coach at Hawthorn, Peter Schwab, said Rawlings had a good temperament for coaching and would grasp his opportunity over the second half of the season. "Jade was always interested in strategies, the way we set up and always had good, strong input as a player," Schwab said.
"It doesn't surprise me he's gone into coaching, by all accounts he's done very well at Coburg and he'll be very good with the young players."
Richmond president Gary March said it was a tough decision, but Rawlings' 18 months with Coburg was a significant factor in choosing him ahead of the other assistants.
"The decision came down to the fact Jade had coached his own side over the past two years and it was less disruption to our assistant coaching structure," he told SEN radio
"We just felt it was the best outcome for the football club, to get the best out of our list over the next 11 weeks."
He said Campbell, who came back to Punt Road after a brief role with the Bulldogs, would come under strong consideration for the job next year despite missing out this week.
"Wayne's taken it fantastically well, spoke to the group after Jade, and Wayne's about the best of the Richmond Football Club, so it doesn't discount him at all."
Asked if the Tigers would aim to lure ex-Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley, March said the club would seek out the best possible candidates to fill the coaching job next year.
"We would be sounding out any quality person of the ilk of Nathan … we won't discount anyone and we'll get the right person for the Richmond Football Club."
He also said Matthew Richardson, who is Rawlings' brother-in-law, was likely to play three or four games at the end of the year and "would probably go around" again next season.
Jade Rawlings - facts and figuresAge 31
Recruited from Devonport, Tasmania.
Drafted Pick No. 94 in 1994 AFL national draft.
Played Hawthorn (1996-03) 116 games, Western Bulldogs (04-05) 29, games, North Melbourne (2006) 3 games
Brownlow Medal votes 20
1998 AFL Rising Star nominee
2000 best clubman (Hawthorn)
2003 International Rules series
2003 Hawthorn 3rd best and fairest
2007-09 Richmond assistant/development coach
2008-09 Coburg (VFL) senior coach
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/rawlings-turns-to-job-at-hand/2009/06/06/1244234424271.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
