Nathan Brown could be on the edge at Richmond
Jon Ralph | June 16, 2009
THE imminent return of injured Richmond forward Nathan Brown is set to test the scalpel of new coach Jade "The Blade" Rawlings.
Brown has missed the past two games with groin soreness but will come into calculations for the Tigers' Round 13 clash against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday week.
With the Tigers having already dumped veterans Joel Bowden and Troy Simmonds under Rawlings' new regime, Brown's immediate and long-term future remains uncertain.
Richmond's forward line was in harmony for the first time all year in Saturday night's 15-point win against West Coast, with inclusions Tom Hislop and Shane Edwards both kicking two goals.
It will be hard for Rawlings to change a successful formula, despite Brown's undoubted talent.
The former Western Bulldog will be 31 in February, and while he would prove handy in a successful team, a new Tigers coach could easily forcefully retire him.
While Simmonds is something of a whipping boy and Bowden has been branded as playing unaccountable football, Brown's situation is more delicate.
At his best he is a proven finisher capable of winning plenty of midfield ball, and has become a fan favourite.
Brown had a superb pre-season but his form has been moderate this year as groin soreness took hold, kicking 11 goals from seven games.
The injury means he has been unable to push his credentials to play next year.
Potential coach Nathan Buckley said on radio at the weekend that of Richmond's five players aged 30 or older, he believed only Matthew Richardson and Ben Cousins would survive what is expected to be a savage cull.
While Brown will be keen to play more senior football this year, he would be aware rushing back and playing while half-fit might also be counter-productive.
The club could dodge a decision on bringing him back immediately by using his injury and lack of preparation to ease him back through the VFL.
He made his comeback from a broken leg through the Coburg reserves in June 2007.
The Richmond match committee, comprising Rawlings, his assistants and football manager Ross Monaghan, picked the side that defeated West Coast.
But a separate list management committee is set to make decisions on the club's over-30s, hopefully in conjunction with a senior coach appointed within a week of the end of the club's season.
That list management group is run by head of football Craig Cameron, and includes head recruiter Francis Jackson, board member Tony Free, chief executive Steven Wright and caretaker coach Rawlings.
While the over-30s are a separate issue, Coburg regulars Jake King, Jordan McMahon, Adam Thomson and Tom Hislop have contracts for next year.
So while the club might be keen to cut eight or more players, that might prove difficult.
Bowden and Simmonds are expected to play for Coburg this Saturday against Port Melbourne in the second week of the VFL's split round.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25642097-19742,00.html
