Pressure off, now start from scratch
Shane Crawford | June 07, 2009
CARETAKER coaches cannot change the past, but they can play a significant role in shaping a club's future.
It is a situation that certainly applies to Jade Rawlings and the road ahead for the Richmond Football Club over the next 11 matches.
Whether or not Jade has the role next year doesn't really matter. The focus should be on giving the club the best chance to make significant steps for the rest of 2009.
And it starts this week, getting his team ready for the clash with West Coast at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
It's a very winnable game, given the Eagles' form and the winning percentage stats of caretaker coaches in their first week in the job.
The important thing about Richmond is that, in many ways, the pressure is off a little.
No one really expects them to come out and win a swag of matches.
The thing fans will want to see is a competitive football team again, one that perhaps even pinches a few games in the next three months.
It won't be easy, but if I was the caretaker the first thing I would be doing is sitting the players down and laying down a few basic ground rules.
I'd be wiping off the information that sits on the Punt Rd whiteboards and starting again.
I say that without meaning any disrespect to Terry Wallace. The players need a change, a new voice and a simpler way ahead for the rest of the season.
I would unveil a few team rules, but keep them basic.
The rules would be simple things such as playing fast and furious footy, taking the game on when you get the chance, using the ball efficiently or giving it to someone who can and committing to the group to be better than you have been.
Don't confuse players with detail, just tell them that Richmond's season starts here.
The first 11 weeks should be wiped from memory, as I am sure most Richmond fans would love to do. It is important to start with a clean slate.
If you were not getting a game or had been pigeon-holed by the coach, I would explain it was all going to change.
It is important to know what the board requires from you as a caretaker, and if they want you to play the kids, then that's what you do.
Personally, I would be forgetting all about birth certificates. The players who deserve to play and play within the team rules would play, and the ones who don't wouldn't.
I wouldn't freeze the older players out.
We need to know if any of the six players aged 30 or over deserve another season.
Matthew Richardson might be the exception, for a very important reason. I would be seeking a meeting with the board to try to get it to commit to Richo for 2010, and put him on ice for this year.
Richo wants to play on, and he deserves to play on. We just don't want to see him pushing himself to get back from a serious injury too early.
I'd consider setting up another over-30, Ben Cousins, as a permanent half-forward.
Sure, he would be handy in the midfield, but the Tigers desperately need players in the forward line who can kick.
It's been one of their downfalls, having too many players who butcher the ball. Cousins doesn't, and I can really see him delivering it inside 50m with precision.
I might even consider moving Chris Newman to half-forward as well for similar reasons.
Turnovers have killed the Tigers this year, and they cost them so many goals against the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Being direct is one of the keys to success, and that's how the top teams operate.
So I would be saying to the likes of Brett Deledio and Nathan Foley not to run sideways. Grab the ball, run with it and go straight every chance you can.
I would encourage them to run in numbers, go fast and furious and take risks. You will make mistakes, but you might foster some confidence.
The flip side would be that if you can't use the ball well, or give it to someone who can, it's back to Coburg.
Another thing I would do is give the players a bit more ownership in team meetings.
Make them responsible to the group, and let the group judge them as much as the coach. There should be no place to hide in the Monday reviews.
Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has a novel way of knowing what his players are thinking.
He speaks to four players - Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Luke Power and Jed Adcock - at the end of each quarter to get their feedback on what is happening out on the field.
The next 11 games for Jade and Richmond are not especially about winning or losing. Just ask Brett Ratten who didn't win a match in his first six games as caretaker.
It is all about uniting the players around you, giving them some simple alternatives and hopefully regaining some of the respect and confidence they have lost.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25598107-19742,00.html
