Rd 1 Carlton vs Richmond Post Game Prognostications

[DJC]

and Nicholls

B4L did say the last 30 years Lods 

Not that I think great players can't go on to be great coaches at the same club.  We'll never know how successful Ratten could have been with us but, despite the bleating from the Malthouse apologists, he dragged us from the bottom into the finals.

I think that one of the key factors is ensuring that the coach, whether he is a club great or not, has done an apprenticeship, preferably with a successful team, and has coached in his/her own right.  I reckon Ratten would be a much better coach now than when he got the job with us.

The 'can't be a coach at your old club' mantra is a little like the 'can't be an AFL coach if you haven't played at AFL level' furphy. 

It was interesting listening to the ABC today.  Of course a lot of the talk was about Fremantle, the Bulldogs, the Swans and Collingwood but one of the commentators kept referring back to our game.  He was making the point that, if a couple of relatively easy goals had been scored, the conversation would have been all about the wooden spooners defeating a top four contender.  Yes, our 22 was strengthened by a couple of new blokes and the return of Gibbs, but the turnaround is really down to Bolton.  How good is it to have a coach who actually knows what he is doing?