TOPIC:

Grump wrote: Mr AFL,

I don't think that it is fitness,nor game plan or an ability to carry it out.

From the snippets of information that circle around the halls at leederville comments abt issues with cliques and players not buying into the club are mentioned.

These are rumours and inuendoes, I know, but when you hear it from players who still have friendships or mateships ex players or even ones from their junior days it seems to be worthy of some credence. It can also be their own issues.

Players have a history of making and breaking coaches and seasons with their petulance and attitudes. This is an area in any club that is one that constantly needs to be monitored and managed, perhaps the previous coach could not do it or even more scary did not know.

Add to that as well Grump. It is a combination of all these situations and I've just about had enough.

At the conclusion of this season, if players don't want in then they can leave. This though will all depend on who the new coach is heading into 2015.

Is Peter German available?

Was thinking about midfield recruits the other day and decided to have a look at the VFL. Ross Young still has it and is having a very good year.

Anyway my main point was I came across a bloke called Ben Duscher who currently plays for Essendon's VFL team.

Ben has played 18 games this year after having injury interrupted seasons previously and has been named in the best eight times. He is a quite solid at 186cm and 90kg's.

His stats this year (AVG):

Disposals: 20.2
Marks: 4
Tackles: 4.5
Goals: 9.12

He has trained with the AFL teams the Western Bulldogs and Essendon previously in the lead up to drafts but has not been drafted yet. Turns 27 at the end of September so would still have 3-4 good years left in him. Has played 72 VFL matches and kicked 62 goals and has been named in the best in 34 of those games.

Seems like he has elite kicking skills as he scored 28/30 in kicking efficiency at the 2011 AFL Draft Combine.

He was co-captain of the Bendigo Bombers in 2011, Bendigo Gold 2012 and Essendon in 2013.

He won the best first year player for the Bendigo Bombers in 2010 and won their best and fairest in 2011.

In 2012 he was runner-up in the Bendigo Gold best and fairest polling 185 votes. The winner was Brendan Lee on 190 votes. Ben only played 12 games that season because of injury and polled in 11 of those matches.

He also won the best and fairest for Essendon's VFL team last year.

Looking at his stats, age and what he has been able to achieve, he is someone that I would be picking up the phone and asking if he was interested in coming over to WA.

Marty has confirmed the club offered the role to Todd Curley who obviously turned it down and accepted the SF job instead and the club has now extended the search period until the home and away periods have finished in the AFL and other league comps.

au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/wafl/a/2...or-their-next-coach/

The question that has been on my mind, is when does the WAFC show some concern for a club that has clearly struggled for a considerable length of time and get involved like it did with the Peel FC when they were in financial crisis?

They bailed Peel out with about a $300 000 loan the club is still paying off, probably interest free and they put people in place after their CEO at the time was seen to be responsible.

The first area Perth needs assistance with is attracting a quality coach, and then they need to clear the decks of the dead wood on the board and attract fresh people with football and business know how.

I think it would be money well spent if the WAFC offered the Perth FC a $20 - 30 000 incentive payment in the first year, to entice an experienced quality coach who might be sitting on the fence about taking on the job due to the clubs recent history.

League administrations helping out clubs that have struggled over a long period of time is nothing new because the integrity of the whole competition suffers if the same clubs are succeeding and the same clubs are failing year in year out, as has been the case for the last 20 - 30 years.

Looks like Hagdorn was on the money.

We are already being mocked on radio by experts when reveiwing games in the wafl.

To be honest i think we are stuffed no matter who coaches us,to much damage has been done over a long period of time by those that are trusted to run this club,speak to them and i guarentee that they would see nothing wrong in the state the club is in and in fact i reckon they would strut around still on friday arvo's at the club Brandy in hand patting each other on the back telling each other what a wonderful job they are doing.

The fact we are re-advertising the position has nothing to do with "due diligence"
facts are,"no-one wants the job"!!
If i was Marty id forget the advertising,get this panel to put forward 2 or 3 names like a Gary Ayres for example and approach them,id be also be
re-approaching Mark Harvey and Darren Harris and pleading,offering sexual favours whatever it takes...to change there mind!!

I do know the longer this appointment takes the easier it will be for the likes of a Paul Bevan to pull the pin.

I'm not sure charity is what Perth needs, or is the financial position of the club worse than reported. What coaching options do you see from within the the Perth football club family, would someone home grown be more passionate. Armstrong, Cook, Bateman or Glass do any of these guys fit the bill.

Well that is what I am saying 30plus, maybe if the WAFC opens it's eyes it will recognize our club is not the most attractive proposition for a coach with experience and a good track record and lend some assistance to "entice" a Harris or Harvey to reconsider?

And interesting that in that article Marty has touched on the fact that a couple of players are taking a wait and see approach on who will be appointed, that determines whether they stay or go elsewhere next year. In a way i see that as encouraging if the likes of Bevan and Risol have not made up their minds yet but are putting the heat on the club to pull their finger out.

Over to you WAFC, are you just going to turn a blind eye to the Perth FC?

DD wrote: Well that is what I am saying 30plus, maybe if the WAFC opens it's eyes it will recognize our club is not the most attractive proposition for a coach with experience and a good track record and lend some assistance to "entice" a Harris or Harvey to reconsider?

And interesting that in that article Marty has touched on the fact that a couple of players are taking a wait and see approach on who will be appointed, that determines whether they stay or go elsewhere next year. In a way i see that as encouraging if the likes of Bevan and Risol have not made up their minds yet but are putting the heat on the club to pull their finger out.

Over to you WAFC, are you just going to turn a blind eye to the Perth FC?

Are you talking financial help?
I was led to believe our finances are as good as anyones and money was not an issue.
Anyway the wafc will not get involved,we are on our own imo.

I cant see any appointment going the advertised way getting made before the end of October to early November and i think the likes of Bevan and Risol will have already been offered contacts elsewhere.
We needed a coach in place now.

The club might be balancing the books but it doesn't mean it is flushed with funds though if they can pay that last dud $70k plus a car to be a part time coach then surely they can up the stakes for a better credentialed coach?

I think the Brent Guerra option is one worth pursuing further. Chance Bateman has said he will go where he goes so it sounds like Chance is keen to be an assistant coach to Guerra. Hopefully in a playing role, he has looked in good touch and as healthy as he has ever been since he retired from AFL.

I reckon any coach worth his salt wouldnt want to be paid "overs" i'd put guys like Harvey and Harris in that bracket.

If McMahon was being paid 70k a year(i find that staggering if true) then that would be enough to get any coach accross the line at wafl level imo!

Yep Guerra of all the rookies seems to be the best choice and one i think worth pursuing but wouldnt he have been in the 12 that have just applied if so that surely counts him out???