And Benny Gale's Opinion

[Koalalill]

From todays Herald Sun 12/8/03

Gale says Frawley not to blame
12 August 2003 AFL
By MIKE SHEAHAN

BRENDON Gale says the player group rather than the coach is the root of Richmond's problems.

Gale, the most prominent of the club's recently retired players, says Frawley remains the man for the job, despite a 14-27 win-loss record in 2002-03.

"I think their list is thin. It's not as good as many people think," he said yesterday.

He said Saturday night's 80-point loss to St Kilda at Telstra Dome left him "lost for words".

He warned Richmond supporters to "learn to be patient", endorsing the call made early in the season by the club's director of football, Greg Miller.

"It's going to be really hard, it's going to be really frustrating; there's no quick fix.

"I think the supporters are going to have to learn to be patient. I just don't know what the options are."

The obvious alternative, the favoured method for previous administrations at Punt Rd, is to seek new hope in a new coach.

Gale says that would be a cop-out. "It lets guys (players) off the hook."

The 244-game ruckman-forward, who played his last two years under Frawley's coaching, said the club had the right man.

"I think he is; yeah, I do. I think he's a real good fella, a good man with good values and good principles, and that's half the battle.

"I just think the club needs a better list. I don't think it's a quick fix.

"If it takes four or five years, so be it. Collingwood did it that way.

"We've never bottomed out; that's the trouble," he said, a reference to the perceived benefits of finishing at the bottom of the ladder and earning early draft selections.

Yet, Richmond has finished 14th twice, 13th and 12th during the past 10 years. Brad Ottens aside, it hasn't made anywhere near enough from its early selections.

Gale predicted heavy pruning at the end of the season.

"No doubt, there's going to have to be some hard decisions made on some players."

Asked whether he would trade Matthew Richardson and Joel Bowden in favourable circumstances, he preferred not to comment.

He said an emotional attachment to the club and friendships with former teammates coloured his view.

 

[Koalalill]

And Benny's opinion compliments of The Age



Tigers warned no position is safe
By Karen Lyon, Nabila Ahmed
August 12 2003


Richmond faced a lengthy process to rebuild playing stocks and Tiger fans should be under no illusion about the size of the task ahead, former ruckman and former head of the players' association, Brendon Gale said.

The 244-game veteran said the Tigers would need to make tough decisions on its "thin" playing list at the end of the season, and indicated few players would escape scrutiny.

"In a season like this no-one is safe," Gale said.

He said the club would "need to give someone up" in a bid to gain higher draft picks and secure "quality kids".

Richmond's loss to St Kilda by 80 points at the weekend was its 10th loss in the past 11 games and its biggest loss of the year.


Gale said the team needed to have "a crack" in its remaining three games - against Essendon, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn - or there could be serious ramifications.

"If you have a crack and the side loses, people understand . . . (But) they have got to compete or real pressure will come to bear on the board."

Gale said the club should continue to support coach Danny Frawley but needed to make strong decisions on its playing list.

"The process is going to be long and a change of coach is not going to fix it. There are no quick fixes," he said. "There is no point in sacrificing another coach to appease the masses. They have to stick with Danny, he is a good man." Other respected former Tigers joined Gale in backing Frawley.

Four-time premiership coach Tom Hafey said he was a strong Frawley supporter: "I like to see the club being very supportive of the coach. I like to see the coach given every opportunity to do his job without being criticised, criticised, criticised."

Despite labelling the year "disappointing", club legend Francis Bourke believed there was light at the end of the tunnel.

"I don't think that all is lost," he said.

"I feel we have the nucleus of a very good team . . . I don't believe it is a lost cause by any stretch of the imagination."

Yesterday Frawley - who does not usually speak at a Monday morning training session - chose to front the media alongside stand-in captain Matthew Richardson and said the performance against the Saints was "unacceptable".

He vowed to rectify the performance by the end of the year.

"We realise it's totally unacceptable and we wanted to make sure our supporters and members knew from the coach down to the bootstudder that it wasn't good enough," Frawley said.

There was further bad news out of the match yesterday, with midfielder Tim Fleming cited for striking Nick Riewoldt, a clash that left the Saint concussed and bleeding from the mouth.

Frawley said the effort against the Saints had fallen alarmingly below an acceptable standard. "We weren't happy with the way we played in a whole range of areas - our attack at the contest, the way we moved the ball, the way we used the ball, the way we didn't hit our teammates up, so look, we realise that it was unacceptable."

In the absence of the injured Wayne Campbell, Matthew Richardson has captained the side and yesterday promised a better effort from the players.


This story was found at: http://realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/11/1060588327654.html

 

[Harry]

Benny, Benny, Benny, obviously your 10+ years at the club has clouded your vision.

How anyone can turn around and say that the playing list is thin and not good enough and then say its not the coaches fault in the same breath is hard for me to comprehend. What has Frawely been doing for the past 4 years? Is it not his responsibility to build and develop the list?

RFC is now conveniently saying that the playing list is thin, that we've gone short on our list, basically that the list is not good enough. For the second half of the season we have been virtually injury free and have had virtually our best 22 besides Gaspar and Campbell.

We have had our best 20 players on the park and have managed to lose 10 out of 11. How pathetic is our list considering Frawely was eying off a flag with these same players. I doubt if any other team has had its best 20 available for this amount of time.

Now if RFC are blaming our list and not the coach for our pathetic performances then they are basically saying that we need to get rid of approx. half of our best 22 plus all the fringe players which is approx 25 players or so. How can we be in such a state where approx. 25 players need to be discarded yet not look at the coach and question his ability to both put a decent list together and develop the players?

How can someone say the players need to be held responsible for once and not the coach when it is the coaches responsibility to do just that - hold the players accountable.

The plain and simple fact is that Frawely overated the list in thinking we are much better than we really are, he cannot implement a modern attacking competitive game plan and has basically set us back many many years.

RFC - you can support the coach as much as you like but you will find out the hard way that he is not up to it. RFC - I for one am sick of your incompetence.

 

[shawry]

How come you are so enlightened Harry but those within the club seem to be in your opinion so deluded? Why is that?

 

[Harry]

I don't know shawry - but its obviously the case considering how we are going.

 

[shawry]

Yes we are going poorly but it is not obvious that it is Frawley's fault that that is the case.
*smile* list of players.
*smile* club culture of losing for too long.
Not enough past resources put into recruiting.

Possibly too:
His support staff may not be up to it, not sure jsut possible.
Being stuck continually midrange does not help come draft itme.
LAarge number of injuries to key components of our structure ie Ottens ealier and Gaspar now.
Coburg struggling to perform means less pressure on for places, guys get games to oeasily.

There are number of factors and possibilities, dont forget there are 15 other teams trying to do the same thing aswell, and especialyl the interstate clubs who are run more like business' than footy clubs it really does make it hard for a club like Richmond to succeed.

I am confident Miller and Campbell are on the right track, unfortunately it will take time and if they back Frawley, i back Frawley. I think his passion and his emotions he feels after games is what i like most about him, he does hurt when we lose.
His tactics are ok, is ver y defensive minded but i also think we ahve a lot of lazy playerrs who dont run hard enough or back themselves.

 

[mightytiges]

He warned Richmond supporters to "learn to be patient", endorsing the call made early in the season by the club's director of football, Greg Miller.

"It's going to be really hard, it's going to be really frustrating; there's no quick fix.

"I think the supporters are going to have to learn to be patient. I just don't know what the options are."

Part of having patience is having faith in those making the decisions. It's extremely hard to continue to have faith in those who have been there now a number of years (Beck - 8 years, Frawley - 4 years) and who have contributed to and continued on with the same old mistakes of the past and then hope all of sudden they now find enlightenment and the right path for the Club to head in.

"I just think the club needs a better list. I don't think it's a quick fix.

"If it takes four or five years, so be it. Collingwood did it that way.

"We've never bottomed out; that's the trouble," he said

Agree we've never bottomed out over the past 10 years. However, by recruitng fringe players from other sides who are not up to it such as Hudson, Houlihan, Fleming and Nicholls instead of going for youth, Danny has repeated the mistakes of his recent predecessors and wasted the past four years not building up the list with young talent to replace as oppose to substitute those who aren't up to scratch.

 

[YeahNah]

The enemy of the best is the good. For too long we haven't tackled the problems because we haven't acknowledged the problems. Benny is a clever and astute person. Doesn't mean he's always right, but I'd reckon he is more often than not. DF will be here next year. Get over it. Move on. The focus is on rejigging the list. That's the best news we've had for 20 years.

 

[kb7882]

Ably summed up YN. I for one am bored sh!tless with all this Spud stuff. Let's get on with cleaning out & rebuilding the list.

 

[Fighting Fury]

Yep...message from the Club is coming through loud and clear. Frawley is there next year so let's just get on with having a long hard look at the drafts and trades.

One thing though...does it annoy anyone else that people are telling US to be patient?

After 20 plus years of mediocrity we should now be patient?

As a lifelong Tiger member, I don't recall ever being consulted before the Board sacked a coach?

I never rang the Club and told them "Bartlett has to go".

Why does the Club intimate that we are the problem? That we should be patient?

None of us sit in at selection, or in the coaches box, or decide personally whether to pick Hudson over some 18 year old with potential.

 

[Maskedman]

Couple of quick points from me on recruiting.

1) The coaching staff only get to see the hopefuls at the Draft Camp, remember they are too busy during the season to go and watch these kids play. What the make their selection on is the review / report they receive from the recruiting manager. The coach shouldn't be blamed if the recruiting manager stuffs up his job, the coach has to make the best of it. I'm not saying that Greg Beck got them all wrong, after all he did turn up Coughlan, Rodan, Newman & Zantuck.

2) Is it just me or does it seem that Benny is positioning himself for either a return to the coaching staff or a board position? Either way would be good to have some more real Yellow & Black blood around the place in an active capacity.

 

[Rosy]

As a lifelong Tiger member, I don't recall ever being consulted before the Board sacked a coach?

I never rang the Club and told them "Bartlett has to go".

Why does the Club intimate that we are the problem? That we should be patient?

Agree FF, what amazes me is a couple of people on here post about how we are the problem too. If only I had have been asked my opinions at times through our tragic past, ha.

 

[Ruthless Tigers ?]

Aside from Benny's comments did anyone take not of Clinton Casey's comments that based on Saturday's performance the club was on the right path....which game did he see?

 

[Dean3]

I think the sensible interpretation of Casey's comments is that we are on the right path in reviewing the current list. It is fairly safe to assume that he doesn't mean that 80 point thrashings are what we are after. :

 

[Roar34]

I've watched Benny in his media appearances and he impresses me just as he did in his playing days. We could do a lot worse than have someone like him around the club.

 

[the claw]

Ably summed up YN. I for one am bored sh!tless with all this Spud stuff. Let's get on with cleaning out & rebuilding the list.

you might be bored shitless hartbalme but you forget beck & frawley have a big say on who we clean out & draft and i for one wouldnt trust them to organise a naughty in a brothel with a $1000.00 bill yet alone draft a half decent kid to the rfc just look at the tom roach decision most pundits believe hes not worth a 3rd pick and if they are right its another wasted choice at around pick 40

 

[Omarkum]

No Rosy , neither myself nor others have ever said WE are the problem...from what I recall the gist was that ....weak administrations have, In the past , been stampeded by the narrow focused , sack the coach crowd and that people had to realise that the problems lay much deeper. In failing to see this HAVE Added to the problem.

One of occassions Robert Walls has been right was when he said a few weeks back,that the club had to look at its foundations , rather than just blame the coach when the building collapsed.

I am not convinced by Casey , but I do beleive they are attempting to address the foundations that this mess was built on. Lets go with that instead of screaming SACK SPUD THE DUD , over and over.

We all would accept Tom Hafey's credibility and his word is support Danny Frawley and stop the " criticize , criticise, criticise ".... ! An endless stream of narrowly focussed bagging does nothing to help.

I am all in favour of finding the right coach for Richmond, but that coach wont come if we dont have those foundations laid . That is why Malthouse did not wont to know us.

I heard Sheedy speak at an Essendon do in Sydney four years back and he said had he Gone back to Richmond the Board would have probably said " bewdy and thrown a barbeque on the banks of the Yarra". An obvious allusion to the lack of the perspective it takes to build a successful club.

 

[Roar34]

I think the only way we will ever see Sheeds back at Punt Road is as a visitor.