By Linda Pearce
realfooty.theage.com.au
April 30 2003
It took Mark Coughlan just a month or two of his first pre-season to appreciate the benefits of an AFL opportunity far from his home, his mates and associated temptation.
In Perth, student life meant student parties; in Melbourne, there were fewer distractions for an 18-year-old who quickly discovered that his greatest desire was to succeed.
Coughlan knew he would have to leave Perth after the 2000 national draft - Fremantle had traded away its early selections and West Coast's sights were set elsewhere. Sydney had been courting the junior West Australian representative, only to use pick 24 on Luke Ablett instead, thus leaving Richmond to nab Coughlan with its second choice at No. 25, having passed, controversially, on potential father-son target Jason Cloke.
It is increasingly hard to argue the faith was misplaced. Within a week, Coughlan had moved to Melbourne; within two years, he had finished an unexpected third behind Wayne Campbell and Matthew Richardson in the 2002 best-and-fairest despite playing only 16 games. Like his mates in the West, he is still studying - mechanical engineering, part-time through Deakin University - but in rather different circumstances - Coughlan's captain is his housemate and landlord and Melbourne's waterfront is now his home.
"I knew deep down it would be better for my football if I went interstate - just the mates and that sort of thing, just to get away from it all, and I think particularly to go to Melbourne," Coughlan said. "Mates don't really understand what it takes, so (I) might have got dragged down by them a little bit. They're all uni students having a bit of fun, so it would have been hard.
"I was pretty focused on footy, but I didn't realise what it took at AFL level. I had to change my ways outside the footy oval. I realised I couldn't go out as much and have as much fun, I guess. I liked going to a party, but that all changed as soon as I came to Melbourne."
Coughlan's social tendencies had not gone unnoticed at Punt Road, but nor were they considered unusual or worrying for a lad of his age, one smarter than most. Indeed, osteitis pubis was the greater handicap in that first pre-season, and a frustrating debut year restricted him to just five games.
The breakthrough came soon enough for a footballer who had played only soccer in Kalgoorlie until the age of 12. Having been targeted as one of the few "inside" midfielders in the 2000 draft, neither Coughlan's capacity to find the ball, his grunt or his unrelenting work rate have disappointed the Tiger faithful since what was a final, fateful, promotion from the VFL in round 10 last year.
Richmond lost to the Western Bulldogs that weekend and Coughlan was preparing to reacquaint himself with Coburg when summoned by coach Danny Frawley.
"It was a bit of a turning point," he admitted. "Matthew Knights was retiring, and so a spot was there on the ball, I guess, and Danny said he was going to give me the opportunity to take it, and it was just a matter of how I performed.
"If I'd been at another side, you never know, it mightn't have come up like that, but we were having a pretty ordinary year and it gave me a bit of confidence when he called me into his office and said he needed the young guys to stand up. I was probably the right player in the right position at the right time."
Coughlan even dared to hope for a top-10 finish in the club championship. Never did he dream of top three, and he was understandably shocked and a little humbled by his podium finish, acknowledging the guidance of Campbell, Leon Cameron and Knights - the former captain bitter about his enforced retirement but willing to help his young successor adjust to an increased role.
"Maybe they needed a midfielder to get the ball and I stuck my hand up in that area a little bit," said Coughlan, who has survived the increased scrutiny of his follow-up season to average close to 24 touches and six tackles in five rounds played against the likes of Lenny Hayes and Paul Hasleby.
Although Greg Hutchison, former Richmond assistant coach and now football manager, is as quick to emphasise the role of the more experienced Richmond onballers in shielding Coughlan from excessive attention as he is keen to protect the 21-year-old from premature hype, there can be no downplaying Coughlan's in-and-under contribution in Richmond's 4-1 start to the season.
Except, perhaps, by Coughlan himself. "Look, it's going all right. I don't think it's going as well as what everyone's saying," he protested. "I'm playing OK footy week-in, week-out, but nothing really standout-ish. I'd like to keep being consistent, I guess, but there are some areas of my game that can get better, so (I'll) keep trying to do that, too."
realfooty.theage.com.au
April 30 2003
It took Mark Coughlan just a month or two of his first pre-season to appreciate the benefits of an AFL opportunity far from his home, his mates and associated temptation.
In Perth, student life meant student parties; in Melbourne, there were fewer distractions for an 18-year-old who quickly discovered that his greatest desire was to succeed.
Coughlan knew he would have to leave Perth after the 2000 national draft - Fremantle had traded away its early selections and West Coast's sights were set elsewhere. Sydney had been courting the junior West Australian representative, only to use pick 24 on Luke Ablett instead, thus leaving Richmond to nab Coughlan with its second choice at No. 25, having passed, controversially, on potential father-son target Jason Cloke.
It is increasingly hard to argue the faith was misplaced. Within a week, Coughlan had moved to Melbourne; within two years, he had finished an unexpected third behind Wayne Campbell and Matthew Richardson in the 2002 best-and-fairest despite playing only 16 games. Like his mates in the West, he is still studying - mechanical engineering, part-time through Deakin University - but in rather different circumstances - Coughlan's captain is his housemate and landlord and Melbourne's waterfront is now his home.
"I knew deep down it would be better for my football if I went interstate - just the mates and that sort of thing, just to get away from it all, and I think particularly to go to Melbourne," Coughlan said. "Mates don't really understand what it takes, so (I) might have got dragged down by them a little bit. They're all uni students having a bit of fun, so it would have been hard.
"I was pretty focused on footy, but I didn't realise what it took at AFL level. I had to change my ways outside the footy oval. I realised I couldn't go out as much and have as much fun, I guess. I liked going to a party, but that all changed as soon as I came to Melbourne."
Coughlan's social tendencies had not gone unnoticed at Punt Road, but nor were they considered unusual or worrying for a lad of his age, one smarter than most. Indeed, osteitis pubis was the greater handicap in that first pre-season, and a frustrating debut year restricted him to just five games.
The breakthrough came soon enough for a footballer who had played only soccer in Kalgoorlie until the age of 12. Having been targeted as one of the few "inside" midfielders in the 2000 draft, neither Coughlan's capacity to find the ball, his grunt or his unrelenting work rate have disappointed the Tiger faithful since what was a final, fateful, promotion from the VFL in round 10 last year.
Richmond lost to the Western Bulldogs that weekend and Coughlan was preparing to reacquaint himself with Coburg when summoned by coach Danny Frawley.
"It was a bit of a turning point," he admitted. "Matthew Knights was retiring, and so a spot was there on the ball, I guess, and Danny said he was going to give me the opportunity to take it, and it was just a matter of how I performed.
"If I'd been at another side, you never know, it mightn't have come up like that, but we were having a pretty ordinary year and it gave me a bit of confidence when he called me into his office and said he needed the young guys to stand up. I was probably the right player in the right position at the right time."
Coughlan even dared to hope for a top-10 finish in the club championship. Never did he dream of top three, and he was understandably shocked and a little humbled by his podium finish, acknowledging the guidance of Campbell, Leon Cameron and Knights - the former captain bitter about his enforced retirement but willing to help his young successor adjust to an increased role.
"Maybe they needed a midfielder to get the ball and I stuck my hand up in that area a little bit," said Coughlan, who has survived the increased scrutiny of his follow-up season to average close to 24 touches and six tackles in five rounds played against the likes of Lenny Hayes and Paul Hasleby.
Although Greg Hutchison, former Richmond assistant coach and now football manager, is as quick to emphasise the role of the more experienced Richmond onballers in shielding Coughlan from excessive attention as he is keen to protect the 21-year-old from premature hype, there can be no downplaying Coughlan's in-and-under contribution in Richmond's 4-1 start to the season.
Except, perhaps, by Coughlan himself. "Look, it's going all right. I don't think it's going as well as what everyone's saying," he protested. "I'm playing OK footy week-in, week-out, but nothing really standout-ish. I'd like to keep being consistent, I guess, but there are some areas of my game that can get better, so (I'll) keep trying to do that, too."
