Roylion
23 Apr 2003, 09:51
Interesting article from Tim Watson in today's Melbourne Age.
Caracella must change ways
While all players were unhappy about the popular (Hardwick) moving on, Caracella was particularly filthy on the club.
Former Bomber Blake Caracella is facing the most searching time of his career. Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews has drawn a line in the sand and sent him back to the club's reserve grade team. He won't return until he changes the way he plays.
At the moment, Queensland is not looking beautiful one day and perfect the next. In a lot of ways, it's the continuation of a nightmare that began with the trading of his good mate at Essendon Damien Hardwick to Port Adelaide in October 2001.
While all players were unhappy about the popular Bomber moving on, Caracella was particularly filthy on the club. He couldn't accept the financial reasoning. Others got on with the business of trying to win another flag in 2002 but Caracella was never able to put the episode behind him. His way of handling the disappointment didn't endear him to the front office.
Staff spoke privately to him about the salary cap squeeze and his contractual demands and how he, too, may become a casualty, but he refused to believe them. In the end, it was a decision to head down the highway to Geelong or up the highway to Brisbane.
Cats coach Mark Thompson is a Caracella fan, having spent the early part of his coaching career at Windy Hill helping to shape him as a player. Caracella had been part of Thompson's class of kids in the Essendon reserves and like a lot of the players, he had formed a close bond with the coach. The two speak regularly and the pupil is still keen to hear what his mentor has to say.
Thompson worked hard over the phone to convince him his future was at Skilled Stadium. Caracella, though, felt Brisbane offered the best opportunity for him and was eyeing the spot Des Headland had just vacated.
The 2002 season itself was disappointing, too. Despite being in the club's top possession winners, Caracella failed to finish in the top 10 in the best and fairest.
In categorising players, he would be termed an outside player. In the Essendon machine of 2000-01, he was part of the overdrive system.
A gifted athlete, he has always had the ability to run out a game. Plotting his performances on a graph would reveal big second-half and time-on possession gathering. When the direct opponent lagged, he pounced. He was also a key player at Essendon's stoppages.
The problem was that he wasn't moving on as a player and wasn't developing another side to his game. No one believed he would ever play with the courage of James Hird or the aggression of Mark Johnson, but to improve and become a more valuable player he had to start hunting his own ball. And this is where he has fallen foul of Matthews.
It is no surprise that Matthews values hardness in footballers above all else. This attitude defined his Collingwood team and took it to a flag. With considerably more talent, he has built the all-conquering Lions in his own image.
The recently departed Headland took a long time to earn his stripes but the lessons learnt served him well and turned him into a more complete player. It will be interesting to see whether he continues to improve out of the Lions' environment.
Matthews is a hard taskmaster, not easily moved or impressed. He never flinched on the field and rarely blinks off it. When telling Caracella how he wants him to play, he'll point to Luke Power, who is a more complete player than Caracella but who once was seen as an opportunist small forward. So far has he come that Matthews felt enough confidence in him in last year's grand final against Collingwood to play him on Leon Davis in defence.
In more recent times, what would have made Matthews's moustache twitch in an upwards motion would have been the courage displayed by Power in last Thursday night's game against the Pies. On two occasions, he went back with the flight of the ball with seeming little care for his own safety, but perhaps with the coach's message ringing in his ears: "When it's your turn and the ball is there, win it."
There is a hurdle now Caracella has to jump. Completion of it will not only win over his new teammates and the coach and secure a spot in the best team in the land but it will also deliver a component to his game that will round him off.
Early in the Dons' premiership year of 2000, he was dropped from the team.
Hurt, he went back to the reserves, did what was asked of him and returned not only an influential player but to finish third in the club's best and fairest.
There's form that Caracella will be back, and better, too.
Hopefully Caracella can repeat what happened in 2000.
Caracella must change ways
While all players were unhappy about the popular (Hardwick) moving on, Caracella was particularly filthy on the club.
Former Bomber Blake Caracella is facing the most searching time of his career. Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews has drawn a line in the sand and sent him back to the club's reserve grade team. He won't return until he changes the way he plays.
At the moment, Queensland is not looking beautiful one day and perfect the next. In a lot of ways, it's the continuation of a nightmare that began with the trading of his good mate at Essendon Damien Hardwick to Port Adelaide in October 2001.
While all players were unhappy about the popular Bomber moving on, Caracella was particularly filthy on the club. He couldn't accept the financial reasoning. Others got on with the business of trying to win another flag in 2002 but Caracella was never able to put the episode behind him. His way of handling the disappointment didn't endear him to the front office.
Staff spoke privately to him about the salary cap squeeze and his contractual demands and how he, too, may become a casualty, but he refused to believe them. In the end, it was a decision to head down the highway to Geelong or up the highway to Brisbane.
Cats coach Mark Thompson is a Caracella fan, having spent the early part of his coaching career at Windy Hill helping to shape him as a player. Caracella had been part of Thompson's class of kids in the Essendon reserves and like a lot of the players, he had formed a close bond with the coach. The two speak regularly and the pupil is still keen to hear what his mentor has to say.
Thompson worked hard over the phone to convince him his future was at Skilled Stadium. Caracella, though, felt Brisbane offered the best opportunity for him and was eyeing the spot Des Headland had just vacated.
The 2002 season itself was disappointing, too. Despite being in the club's top possession winners, Caracella failed to finish in the top 10 in the best and fairest.
In categorising players, he would be termed an outside player. In the Essendon machine of 2000-01, he was part of the overdrive system.
A gifted athlete, he has always had the ability to run out a game. Plotting his performances on a graph would reveal big second-half and time-on possession gathering. When the direct opponent lagged, he pounced. He was also a key player at Essendon's stoppages.
The problem was that he wasn't moving on as a player and wasn't developing another side to his game. No one believed he would ever play with the courage of James Hird or the aggression of Mark Johnson, but to improve and become a more valuable player he had to start hunting his own ball. And this is where he has fallen foul of Matthews.
It is no surprise that Matthews values hardness in footballers above all else. This attitude defined his Collingwood team and took it to a flag. With considerably more talent, he has built the all-conquering Lions in his own image.
The recently departed Headland took a long time to earn his stripes but the lessons learnt served him well and turned him into a more complete player. It will be interesting to see whether he continues to improve out of the Lions' environment.
Matthews is a hard taskmaster, not easily moved or impressed. He never flinched on the field and rarely blinks off it. When telling Caracella how he wants him to play, he'll point to Luke Power, who is a more complete player than Caracella but who once was seen as an opportunist small forward. So far has he come that Matthews felt enough confidence in him in last year's grand final against Collingwood to play him on Leon Davis in defence.
In more recent times, what would have made Matthews's moustache twitch in an upwards motion would have been the courage displayed by Power in last Thursday night's game against the Pies. On two occasions, he went back with the flight of the ball with seeming little care for his own safety, but perhaps with the coach's message ringing in his ears: "When it's your turn and the ball is there, win it."
There is a hurdle now Caracella has to jump. Completion of it will not only win over his new teammates and the coach and secure a spot in the best team in the land but it will also deliver a component to his game that will round him off.
Early in the Dons' premiership year of 2000, he was dropped from the team.
Hurt, he went back to the reserves, did what was asked of him and returned not only an influential player but to finish third in the club's best and fairest.
There's form that Caracella will be back, and better, too.
Hopefully Caracella can repeat what happened in 2000.