Richmond ready to take up the challenge
Danny Frawley
richmondfc.com.au
13 March, 2003
If there's one thing I've learned in my three years of coaching at the game's highest level, it's that you can't afford to worry about matters over which you have no control.
The news this week that star Richmond big man Brad Ottens would be sidelined for up to half the 2003 season due to a prolapsed disc in his back is a classic example of this.
Obviously, Brad is a very important player at Tigerland, and he's figured prominently in our plans for this season. To be told that you're going to be without the services of a player of his calibre for the next few months is certainly not what you want to hear as coach.
However, I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I was to dwell for too long on Brad's absence and allow it to become a negative force around the team.
From the outside looking in, it must appear incredibly cliched when a coach or a club official claims the loss of a key performer like Brad Ottens will create opportunities for other players within the group.
But you must understand that in such a team game as AFL football, reliance on any one individual is not a healthy situation - regardless of how talented that individual is.
As coach, I feel it is my duty to be positive and upbeat at all times. It's not a case of false hope or bravado either.
Injuries, unfortunately, are part and parcel of the league football scene. Always have been, always will be. How you cope with those injuries is the key.
As much as we'll miss Brad (and I'm sure every Tiger fan will join me in wishing him a very speedy recovery), we're now devoting our energies to how we can best cover him.
That is something we do have control over -- and we certainly have the playing resources to be able to work around Brad's absence.
In Greg Stafford and Ray Hall we have two other quality big men who we know are capable of shouldering the ruck burden.
Believe me, despite what some sections of the media would now have you believe, there's plenty for the Yellow and Black Army to look forward to in 2003.
Although our pre-season form hadn't been too flash, I thought there were some real positive signs in last Saturday's six-goal victory over Carlton at Optus Oval.
We had much closer to a full-strength side out on the park, and the further the game went, the better we looked.
The most pleasing part of the performance was the fact that we kicked 20 goals and had 12 different goalkickers.
If we are to improve significantly this year, then it's really important that we share the goalkicking load. Even before the full extent of Brad's injury problem became known, we realised we had to develop other avenues to goal this season besides Ottens, Richardson and Stafford.
Those big blokes clearly are proven goalkickers and they provide very strong targets up forward. However, there's been a tendency for us to put all our eggs in the 'talls' basket when it comes to kicking goals. That's made us too predictable and it's something we need to change this season.
The inclusion of Kane Johnson and Justin Blumfield will undoubtedly help us in that regard, as they have shown throughout their league careers a capacity to push forward and kick goals.
Johnson and Blumfield, along with Joel Bowden, Mark Coughlan, Aaron Fiora, David Rodan, Kayne Pettifer, Andy Krakouer and Greg Tivendale are the sort of players we believe can provide some added strike power up forward for us in 2003 -- and make us a much more unpredictable factor for opposition teams to counter.
The pre-season form of players such as Darren Gaspar, Leon Cameron, Rory Hilton and Kayne Pettifer has been particularly pleasing and gives me great heart for the journey ahead.
'Gas' is jumping out of his skin in readiness for the new season. He's fitter than what he was last year and extremely enthusiastic about recapturing his best form and helping the Tigers achieve success.
Leon, unlike last year, has put in a full pre-season and, as a result, is reaping the benefits. He hasn't missed a beat since the end of last season and has shown during the practice matches that he still has a fair bit of good football left in him, despite being in the twilight of his league career.
Rory has made an impressive return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of last season and he definitely shapes as a key player for us this year, while young Kayne has really added some bite to our forward line and presented himself well in the pre-season matches.
All in all, I'm convinced there are many reasons why we'll make our supporters proud in 2003 . . .
Danny Frawley
richmondfc.com.au
13 March, 2003
If there's one thing I've learned in my three years of coaching at the game's highest level, it's that you can't afford to worry about matters over which you have no control.
The news this week that star Richmond big man Brad Ottens would be sidelined for up to half the 2003 season due to a prolapsed disc in his back is a classic example of this.
Obviously, Brad is a very important player at Tigerland, and he's figured prominently in our plans for this season. To be told that you're going to be without the services of a player of his calibre for the next few months is certainly not what you want to hear as coach.
However, I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I was to dwell for too long on Brad's absence and allow it to become a negative force around the team.
From the outside looking in, it must appear incredibly cliched when a coach or a club official claims the loss of a key performer like Brad Ottens will create opportunities for other players within the group.
But you must understand that in such a team game as AFL football, reliance on any one individual is not a healthy situation - regardless of how talented that individual is.
As coach, I feel it is my duty to be positive and upbeat at all times. It's not a case of false hope or bravado either.
Injuries, unfortunately, are part and parcel of the league football scene. Always have been, always will be. How you cope with those injuries is the key.
As much as we'll miss Brad (and I'm sure every Tiger fan will join me in wishing him a very speedy recovery), we're now devoting our energies to how we can best cover him.
That is something we do have control over -- and we certainly have the playing resources to be able to work around Brad's absence.
In Greg Stafford and Ray Hall we have two other quality big men who we know are capable of shouldering the ruck burden.
Believe me, despite what some sections of the media would now have you believe, there's plenty for the Yellow and Black Army to look forward to in 2003.
Although our pre-season form hadn't been too flash, I thought there were some real positive signs in last Saturday's six-goal victory over Carlton at Optus Oval.
We had much closer to a full-strength side out on the park, and the further the game went, the better we looked.
The most pleasing part of the performance was the fact that we kicked 20 goals and had 12 different goalkickers.
If we are to improve significantly this year, then it's really important that we share the goalkicking load. Even before the full extent of Brad's injury problem became known, we realised we had to develop other avenues to goal this season besides Ottens, Richardson and Stafford.
Those big blokes clearly are proven goalkickers and they provide very strong targets up forward. However, there's been a tendency for us to put all our eggs in the 'talls' basket when it comes to kicking goals. That's made us too predictable and it's something we need to change this season.
The inclusion of Kane Johnson and Justin Blumfield will undoubtedly help us in that regard, as they have shown throughout their league careers a capacity to push forward and kick goals.
Johnson and Blumfield, along with Joel Bowden, Mark Coughlan, Aaron Fiora, David Rodan, Kayne Pettifer, Andy Krakouer and Greg Tivendale are the sort of players we believe can provide some added strike power up forward for us in 2003 -- and make us a much more unpredictable factor for opposition teams to counter.
The pre-season form of players such as Darren Gaspar, Leon Cameron, Rory Hilton and Kayne Pettifer has been particularly pleasing and gives me great heart for the journey ahead.
'Gas' is jumping out of his skin in readiness for the new season. He's fitter than what he was last year and extremely enthusiastic about recapturing his best form and helping the Tigers achieve success.
Leon, unlike last year, has put in a full pre-season and, as a result, is reaping the benefits. He hasn't missed a beat since the end of last season and has shown during the practice matches that he still has a fair bit of good football left in him, despite being in the twilight of his league career.
Rory has made an impressive return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of last season and he definitely shapes as a key player for us this year, while young Kayne has really added some bite to our forward line and presented himself well in the pre-season matches.
All in all, I'm convinced there are many reasons why we'll make our supporters proud in 2003 . . .