Tigers Court Prodigal Sons for Coaching Coup
By April Spooner for spittle.com
Richmond has formed a secret subcommittee to canvas interest among potential candidates for Terry Wallace’s coaching role should the Tigers’ continued poor form force the early departure of the team’s embattled coach.
Inside sources have informed spittle.com that a shortlist has been drawn up to lure some of the club’s favourite sons to Punt Road. The list includes club greats Mick Malthouse, Kevin Sheedy, Wayne Campbell and David Bourke.
While Malthouse’s Magpies have begun the season well, a groundswell of support for former captain Nathan Buckley to replace him at Collingwood could see Malthouse take the opportunity to cross Swan St to Richmond.
Malthouse has not denied that the winds of change could see him switch clubs. “You always remember your playing days fondly,” Malthouse told spittle.com, “and I’ve always thought I’d like to return one day to St Kilda”.
Buckley is also in the Tigers’ sights but did not want to jeopardise his chances of leading the Magpies. “I’ve already left one club on the brink of premiership success,” he said. “I won’t be making that mistake again.”
Lurking in the coaching background is former Tiger great and Essendon premiership mastermind Kevin Sheedy, who has already rejoined Richmond in a promotional role. “I said at the start of the year that I thought this group could win the premiership,” Sheedy said, “so clearly I have no *smile* idea. But the concept of a senile old git coaching Richmond isn’t as crazy as some of my ideas for a blockbuster match between the Tigers and Fremantle.”
One of the strongest pushes to replace Wallace is for former Tigers captain Wayne Campbell, who this year quit as an assistant at premiership aspirants the Western Bulldogs to return to the struggling Tigers.
However, Campbell has downplayed his coaching ambitions at Punt Road. “Since retiring as a player I’ve travelled all around the world only to end up back at Richmond,” he said, “so I’m obviously not the best person to devise a strategy to get the ball out of our backline.”
The dark horse in the shortlist is former player and current Coburg assistant David Bourke, who refused to rule out a challenge for the senior coaching role. “I learnt a lot about the Shinboner spirit in my time at North Melbourne, and I’ve brought some of that with me to Coburg,” he said.
“I’ve introduced some great team bonding exercises, such as ‘shag the vice-captain’s wife’ and presenting a rubber chicken to the player who has made the biggest *smile* of himself – and then challenging him to make a *smile* of the entire club.”
Bourke underlined his coaching aspirations by firing a salvo at the current coaching regime. “I’d like to see the club put more resources into strength and conditioning,” he said. “For too long Richmond has been giving games to scrawny broomsticks who are unable to put on weight. This sort of thinking was discredited in 1995.”
By April Spooner for spittle.com
Richmond has formed a secret subcommittee to canvas interest among potential candidates for Terry Wallace’s coaching role should the Tigers’ continued poor form force the early departure of the team’s embattled coach.
Inside sources have informed spittle.com that a shortlist has been drawn up to lure some of the club’s favourite sons to Punt Road. The list includes club greats Mick Malthouse, Kevin Sheedy, Wayne Campbell and David Bourke.
While Malthouse’s Magpies have begun the season well, a groundswell of support for former captain Nathan Buckley to replace him at Collingwood could see Malthouse take the opportunity to cross Swan St to Richmond.
Malthouse has not denied that the winds of change could see him switch clubs. “You always remember your playing days fondly,” Malthouse told spittle.com, “and I’ve always thought I’d like to return one day to St Kilda”.
Buckley is also in the Tigers’ sights but did not want to jeopardise his chances of leading the Magpies. “I’ve already left one club on the brink of premiership success,” he said. “I won’t be making that mistake again.”
Lurking in the coaching background is former Tiger great and Essendon premiership mastermind Kevin Sheedy, who has already rejoined Richmond in a promotional role. “I said at the start of the year that I thought this group could win the premiership,” Sheedy said, “so clearly I have no *smile* idea. But the concept of a senile old git coaching Richmond isn’t as crazy as some of my ideas for a blockbuster match between the Tigers and Fremantle.”
One of the strongest pushes to replace Wallace is for former Tigers captain Wayne Campbell, who this year quit as an assistant at premiership aspirants the Western Bulldogs to return to the struggling Tigers.
However, Campbell has downplayed his coaching ambitions at Punt Road. “Since retiring as a player I’ve travelled all around the world only to end up back at Richmond,” he said, “so I’m obviously not the best person to devise a strategy to get the ball out of our backline.”
The dark horse in the shortlist is former player and current Coburg assistant David Bourke, who refused to rule out a challenge for the senior coaching role. “I learnt a lot about the Shinboner spirit in my time at North Melbourne, and I’ve brought some of that with me to Coburg,” he said.
“I’ve introduced some great team bonding exercises, such as ‘shag the vice-captain’s wife’ and presenting a rubber chicken to the player who has made the biggest *smile* of himself – and then challenging him to make a *smile* of the entire club.”
Bourke underlined his coaching aspirations by firing a salvo at the current coaching regime. “I’d like to see the club put more resources into strength and conditioning,” he said. “For too long Richmond has been giving games to scrawny broomsticks who are unable to put on weight. This sort of thinking was discredited in 1995.”
