Danny's view on 2003

[gustiger12]

Tigers United
Richmond coach Danny Frawley
richmondfc.com.au
4:24:12 PM Mon 24 March, 2003

The Tigers' motto for the 2003 season is simple, but, hopefully, effective
- 'one in, all in' . . .

Basically, after such a disappointing season last year, we just want to get back to what the Richmond Football Club is all about - a hard-working club, a club that people love to support, a club that's got a real feeling of
togetherness (one in, all in) from the president to the boot-studder, from the players to the supporters and members. We're striving to make Richmond a club where everyone who supports us, feels a close part of the Tiger community.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand and appreciate the frustration of our fans with the Club's lack of success during the past couple of decades. It's been a very tough time for them, but through it all they've stuck
tight and shown just how much the Richmond Football Club means to them. It's that passion, loyalty and devotion which we are so keen to repay this season and beyond . . .

We want to make sure that our supporters come to every Richmond game knowing that we're going to be super-competitive, and that they leave the ground proud of our efforts on the day - win, lose or draw.

I'd like to think that if mistakes are made by the boys in a match it's because they're not bringing anything back into the rooms with them - they're leaving it all out there on the ground. In blunt terms, they're busting their guts for the Yellow and Blacks every time they pull that famous Tiger guernsey on. To me, that is a tremendous starting point for us.

There will be no promises or predictions from Punt Road this year, other than saying we want to ensure we have a red-hot go each week, and make our
supporters proud. If we do that, the results will take care of themselves.

Although it's still very early in the year, there's been some really pleasing signs with the way the players have tackled their pre-season work. I'm not going to sit here and say that we're flying, we're doing this, we're going to do that, we're bigger and better . . . We've got a hell of a lot of work to do with our mindset and the way we go about our football. But we're quietly confident that we're going to be very competitive in 2003 - and we'll just wait and see how it all pans out. As they say, the proof will be in the pudding.

I must say that I feel blessed with the support I've received off the field this year with Greg Miller, Wayne Brittain and Paul Spargo coming into the Club. Greg Hutchison taking over as our Football Manager adds a lot of stability to our football department, too. I believe the changes that we've made off-field since the end of last season have really strengthened us and given us the necessary foundations to build a period of sustained success for the Tigers.

When you start at the top and look at Greg Miller . . . he's got no peer in terms of his ability as a football administrator. The key ingredient he's got is character - and you certainly need people like that when you're
under the pump, as you frequently are in this caper. Anyone can be warm and fuzzy when things are going well, but I've already seen, when a couple of things haven't gone our way during the off-season, just what a terrific asset Greg Miller is going to be for the Richmond Football Club, and for me as coach. To be able to tap into someone with his vast reservoir of
football experience and knowledge, is very comforting indeed.

 

[gustiger12]

We're also very pleased to be using the talents of Dave Wheadon in a full-time opposition analyst role this year. My main focus now is wholely and solely on our players, which is exactly the way it should be. I don't have to worry so much about the opposition because I know Dave's got all that covered. He's out there watching them train and play each week. He can come in and pick the duck's guts out of the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents and that benefits us greatly because,in my opinion, he's the best in the business when it comes to opposition analysis.

Wayne Brittain's already proving to be a big acquisition for us, which is hardly surprising given his character and coaching track record. I don't know of too many senior coaches that leave a club like Wayne did, and then get courted by about five other clubs who were desperate to secure his services. We were just absolutely over the moon to get him here and it hasn't taken long for him to win the respect and admiration of the players. That's a natural occurrence when you're switched on and have such a strong work ethic as 'Britts' does. The same applies to Paul Spargo, who has also created quite an impression in his brief time at Tigerland. 'Spargs' has an
excellent coaching record at country football level and is the type of character who players respond extremely well to. Throw in Spargs' old Kangaroos' teammate Darren Crocker, who is now into his fourth year as an
assistant coach at Tigerland, and you can see what a formidable off-field team we have.

It's now a matter of getting the best out of our playing group on a consistent basis. I don't think our playing style will change too much this season. We want to make sure our defence is rock-solid because we had a few problems in that area with our structure last year. If opposition sides are going to beat Richmond, they're going to have to play really well . . . that's the way I want it.

Our midfield, of course, is going to change somewhat this season. Over the past year or two the Tiger midfield has lost players of the calibre of Matty Knights, Paul Broderick and Steven Sziller. I know 'Szills' was here for only a couple of years, but he filled an important role. And, you simply can't replace players such as Broderick and Knights. They're champions and they're a great part of this Club, but we have to look at it now as the start of a new era with our midfield. We just have to make sure we get the team's next midfield up and running.

Two talented youngsters in Mark Coughlan and Dave Rodan spring to mind in this regard, as do the two seasoned performers we picked up in last year's
trade period - Kane Johnson and Justin Blumfield. There's no doubt Johnson and Blumfield will take the pressure off the likes of Wayne Campbell, Joel Bowden, Duncan Kellaway, Clinton King and Greg Tivendale in the midfield, which will be a significant boost for the team.

As I stated previously, a midfielder of Matty Knights' quality is irreplaceable. We need our younger players - the likes of Coughlan, Rodan, Tivendale and Fiora - to pick up the slack created by Knighter's retirement
and provide us with those silky skills, the vision, the running ability and the footy smarts that were the trademark of the Tigers' champion little left-footer. It's going to have to be the combination of a few players to
do that because they're mighty big boots to fill.

With the personnel we've now got, I think our midfield will be a little bit more attacking than previously, without getting away from the importance of two-way football and accountability. We want to give our players and, in particular our forwards, more use of the ball. Instead of attacking from centre half-back, where a lot of the time we've had to, I believe we now can go head to head with most teams in the vital midfield area. That's got to improve our chances of regaining respect within the football world, and making you proud of the Tigers in 2003 . . .

 

[tigerstrang]

Can you bwlieve this crap!

 

[plough_a_spud]

poor deluded soul

 

[tigerstrang]

Sounds life 2004 nothings changed!

 

[gustiger12]

God where did you pull that one from Tigerstrang.

Delving into the depths of darkness there.