Richmond happy with Coughlan rather than Cloke

[Nicholas]

Tigers got it right with Coughlan
1:01:14 PM Thu 15 May, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Related Content:

Other Paul Gough columns


When Mark Coughlan came off under the blood rule to a standing ovation in the dying minutes of Saturday’s thumping win over Essendon at the MCG, Richmond officials could have been excused for patting themselves on the back.

And not because the Tigers were in the process of completing a memorable win over a side that has the wood on them in recent years, nor because Coughlan had been the inspiration behind the victory with 29 possessions, nine clearances and six tackles.


No, the reason all Richmond officials from coach Danny Frawley to the club’s recruiting staff were entitled to be proud was because the events of last Saturday showed once and for all they were right to make a highly publicized, and at the time, highly-criticised recruiting decision three years ago.

The lead-up to the 2000 national draft had been dominated by talk of which club – Richmond or Collingwood – would use its second round draft pick to select the son of David Cloke, a legend at both clubs.

Cloke had played 219 games and featured in two premierships for the Tigers and had played 114 games for the Magpies – squeezed in between his two stints at Richmond – meaning his son Jason was eligible to play for either club.

At 189cm the young Cloke looked to be a potential key position player and this was proven last year when in his first AFL season he played a key role in helping Collingwood to the grand final by being able to hold down the demanding centre-half-back position – before a suspension cost him a place in the grand final.

And with Cloke having such a big impact and of course being a highly-valuable and difficult to find key position player, the Tigers were heavily criticized – even by their own fans – for not deciding to recruit the son of one of the club’s greatest ever players.

But drafting players is all about filling your club’s needs at that particular time and in the lead-up to the 2000 draft the Tigers made no secret of the fact they were desperate to unearth a midfielder.

The Tigers would have loved to have had the young Cloke in their line-up but what they desperately needed was a young midfielder capable of eventually leading a midfield that for a decade had been carried by two players – current skipper Wayne Campbell and former skipper Matthew Knights.

So the Tigers decided to use their second round draft pick – the pick which at that time had to be sacrificed to pick a player under the father/son rule – for a then unknown teenager from Perth, Mark Coughlan.

This allowed to Collingwood to grab Cloke with its own second round pick in that same draft.

And while there is no doubt that Cloke will be a fine player – despite his current form trough – there can be little doubt that the Tigers went the right way in grabbing Coughlan.

After playing only a handful of games in 2001, Coughlan starred in second half of 2002 and finished third in the Tigers’ best and fairest.

But that effort drew very little public attention considering it was in a year in which the Tigers finished 14th.

However the club’s fantastic start to the 2003 season – five wins in seven games and the only Victorian side in the top seven – is in no small way due to Coughlan and now all other clubs and supporters are indeed starting to take notice of previously little-known number 24 for Richmond.

In fact Saturday’s performance – which came in a side not only missing Campbell but a host of other big names including Richardson, Ottens, Holland, Blumfield and Duncan Kellaway – showed that beyond doubt the Tigers got just what they needed in gambling on Coughlan ahead of a Cloke – a genuine AFL midfielder.

Coughlan not only showed he is capable of leading the

[HAL]

Why not? Hmmm. . . . . . Interesting explanation.

[Cam]

what rot. there are 30 coughlans in every draft, every year, that need a favourable opening in their selected club for them to bloom. there are maybe 3 or 4 clokes each year, 1 or 2 of whom have the impact our boy has. hopeful richmond, very hopeful.

[drew1602]

[JLC]

Coghlan is a gun. Ive been to a fair few Richmond games with my mate and he has played brilliant football. Richmond have quite a few tall players and midfield was their weakness. Therefore naturally they are happy with Coghlan.

If Coghlan played for Essendon he would have a much higher profile.

jlc

[Nicholas]

Well Cam looks like he might be ok, though he was a log at under 18s level and Travis might be ok but the family drives the club mad. And David makes a fool of us every time he goes on tele. I think we could have done with a class midfielder rather than someone who will never be a key position player because he is too short, and slow and cannot kick.

[BigMac]

What shit! It was up to the Clokes to decide where he wanted to go and he chose Collingwood because of David's links to Mick.

Notice they haven't been saying anything for the last year and a bit. Now Jason is in the two's for a spell, all of a sudden they've made the "correct" decision. FMG!

[BigMac]

What shit! It was up to the Clokes to decide where he wanted to go and he chose Collingwood because of David's links to Mick.

Notice they haven't been saying anything for the last year and a bit. Now Jason is in the two's for a spell, all of a sudden they've made the "correct" decision. FMG!

[Nicholas]

He chose Collingwood because Richmond didn't want him. Ask them? Jason actually followed the Tigers.

[Culprit]

I think you may find it had a lot to do with their parents where they went to. The Colingwood Football club helped them (the parents) out when they needed it.

What else would Richmond say?

Besides all their supporters are talking finals, lets see how they talk in about 8 rounds

[Blanch]

The eagles are happy with Adkins too. We're happy with Williams. Who gives a toss what any other club is happy with. The point is we are happy with clokey. Full stop. End of Story!

[AnthonyC]

That's right BigMac, if I remember correctly it was David who advised Jason that he should choose us, not least because we are a far more professional club (thats a no brainer). Again yes, as I understand it was up to jason not richmond to decide, moroever we had 2nd rnd pick #19, and the tiges had #25. Wish they'd get their facts right.

Whether or not coughlan will be/is a better player than Cloke, it is far too early to tell (of course we know the answer to that).

[chicken wing]

Isn't it also typical that the story states "and the only Victorian side in the top seven"...since when did we start talking about the top frickin seven! I'm sure its still a final eight, which contains another Victorian club of note. You've gotta puke at the way these clowns pull together a loose collection of utter rubbish to try and make their feeble points.

Cloke is going to be of more value to us than Coghlan would have been...we've got midfielders up to our ears. As mentioned, Cloke has a form slump and suddenly Richmond have made the right decision. The only time Richmond will make a correct decision is if they decide to fold.

[chicken wing]

In fact, Richmond, please merge with St. Kilda, Melbourne, Hawthorn and Geelong. That way we'll only have one totally irrelevant and boring super-club in Victoria to be indifferent towards.

[Brown26]

I think coghlan is playing some excellent football atm, and good on him. But I don't see how oyu can compare Cloke ot Coghlan - fact is if we had've had that pick we wouldn't have taken a midfielder, so we wouldn't have taken coghlan at all.

Further, if Cloke was playing for Richmond he would be playing a key possy for them (in the one's) because they're incredibly injured atm, and I reckon if you gave them the choice they would swap the two AT THE MOMENT to give them more height.

Whilst your point about Coghlan being a good player is correct Nicholas, Cam is also right, he has to be better next year, and better the year after, and the year after that, then we might stop and wonder if the choice was the right one. He may simply drift off and become just another ok Richmond midfielder like so many have before him. Having said that of course, not many of us doubt cloke will improve.

Also, tha article talks him up as if he's Nathan Buckley Jrn, I don't hink Richmonds sucess is completely due to him, he's playing well, but so is Johnson, Vardy, Krakoer etc, he's not carrying the midfield by any means.

Good on the young kid for having a real crack at AFL level, but he will be judged not by his last 5 games, but by his next 50, as will Jason. I'm not confident that the gap in form that exists at the moment will exist in two seasons time.

- Ben