Barry Mitchell: New Assistant - Midfield

[Lach72]

http://www.fremantlefc.com.au/tabid/7009/Default.aspx?newsid=68921

Barry Mitchell joins Fremantle's coaching panel
Luke Morfesse,
11:59 AM Sat 11 October, 2008

Fremantle Football Club

Thu, Oct 09, 08
The Fremantle Football Club has finalised its key coaching appointments with the announcement today that Barry Mitchell, a member of Hawthorn’s 2008 premiership winning coaching panel, has been appointed assistant coach (midfield).

Mitchell, who played 221 AFL games with Sydney, Carlton and Collingwood, was assistant coach at Carlton for five seasons (2003-2007) before being appointed coach of Hawthorn’s VFL team, the Box Hill Hawks in 2008. Mitchell had previously coached the Northern Bullants in the VFL.

Fremantle chief executive officer Steve Rosich said he was pleased that the club had finalised its key coaching appointments well in advance of pre-season training.

“Barry is an experienced coach who has enhanced his coaching credentials by being part of a premiership winning club,” Rosich said.

“He had a long and distinguished playing career as a midfielder and is ideally suited to the role of assistant coach (midfield) at Fremantle.”

Mitchell, 42, said after coaching in the VFL for the past four years he was relishing the prospect of returning to coaching at the elite level.

“I’m looking forward to devoting all my energies to an AFL team and doing all I can at Fremantle to help further develop what is obviously going to be a young list,” he said.

“I’ve been working with younger players for the past five or six years, so I’m really excited about working with the younger guys at Fremantle and, hopefully, starting to climb up the ladder.”

While the majority of his coaching career was at Carlton, Mitchell said his one-year tenure on the coaching panel at Hawthorn had been a valuable experience.

“Hawthorn’s premiership has been built over the past four years,” he said.

“They went for a youth policy and developed a game plan and a strategy which has come to fruition.

“It’s not only the way they play and stick to their game plan, it’s also how they conduct themselves off the field and the discipline they adhere to.

“I know some of those things are already in place at Fremantle, so I’m looking forward to adding to that.”

Fremantle’s coaching panel is:
Mark Harvey, senior coach
Barry Mitchell, assistant coach
Todd Curley, assistant coach
Dean Wallis, assistant coach
Chris Scott, assistant coach

Today’s announcement follows the appointment last month of general manager of football operations Chris Bond and subsequent appointments including:

- Assistant coach (midfield) Todd Curley, West Perth coach of the past three season and a veteran of 118 AFL games with the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood

- Sports science manager Jason Weber, who was previously national physical performance coach for the Wallabies.

- Strength and conditioning coach Chris Spinks, who was previously strength and conditioning coach at Port Adelaide.

- Sports science consultant Darren Burgess, current Socceroos fitness coach and head of sports science who was previously head of sports science at Port Adelaide.

 

[chook2734]

“Barry is an experienced coach who has enhanced his coaching credentials by being part of a premiership winning club,” Rosich said.

SENIOR LADDER
Team....................P..........Pts
Port Melbourne......20........64
North Ballarat........20........64
Williamstown.........20........60
Werribee Tigers......20........52
Casey Scorpions .....20........48
Coburg Tigers.........20........48
Frankston..............20.........40
Northern Bullants....20........40
Sandringham..........20........32
Geelong.................20........28
Box Hill Hawks....20.......24
Collingwood............20.......24
Bendigo Bombers....20.......20
Tasmania...............20.......16

Nothing like a bit of spin to make it all look good. (Although, they finished 4th last, so I guess that's an improvement on Freo)

Did Mitchell actually do any coaching for Hawthorn? Or was it just at Box Hill?

 

[Nodgey]

Interesting. Didn't he have a much publicised run in with Denis Pagan when they were at Carlton together?

But maybe that's a good thing? The younger Mitchell convinced the old school tactics of Pagan were past their used by date?

So is our coaching panel finalised now?

 

[freocuz]

There better be a clause in his contract that if he starts undermining Harvey he can f$@# right off.

Anyone who coached at the Hawks this year has to be worth a shot, but he doesn't strike me as a bloke who will keep his mouth shut about things behind the scene. Anyone else get the feeling his appointment won't help keep rumours out of the media?

I don't know how I feel about this.

 

[chook2734]

There better be a clause in his contract that if he starts undermining Harvey he can f$@# right off.

Anyone who coached the Hawks midfield this year has to be worth a shot, but he doesn't strike me as a bloke who will keep his mouth shut about things behind the scene. Anyone else get the feeling his appointment won't help keep rumours out of the media?

I don't know how I feel about this.

But did he freocuz? Wasn't he the Box Hill Hawks coach? I might head over to the Hawks board and see what I can find.

 

[rotto]

caming from basketball coaching background, an assistant coach would speak with the players when they came off. maybe, robert wiley type person.

seems to me that their are too many voices in the coaching box and better having coaches actually coaching in the players.

 

[freocuz]

But did he freocuz? Wasn't he the Box Hill Hawks coach? I might head over to the Hawks board and see what I can find.

You got me chook. I re-read the article and edited my post, but you were way too quick for me.

 

[Monocle]

Oh dear... what you guys need is some stability.....

Bad choice...... Harvey watch your back.

Ask yourselves this why does move clubs so often and only get to coach the VFL sides.

He aint a team player. Sorry.

 

[poshman]

Oh dear... what you guys need is some stability.....

Bad choice...... Harvey watch your back.

Ask yourselves this why does move clubs so often and only get to coach the VFL sides.

He aint a team player. Sorry.

harvey and rosich seem to be as stable as they come, we wouldn't know the full story of what happened with pagan anyway, there is a chance harvey who was there at the time and (i assume) would have a strong network in melbourne knows exactly what happened and why he wants to bring him in.

Harvey doesn't seem the type to suffer fools or instability.... dont think that will change now either.

 

[inferno66]

bee dee gets another one right

 

[hitemup007]

harvey and rosich seem to be as stable as they come, we wouldn't know the full story of what happened with pagan anyway, there is a chance harvey who was there at the time and (i assume) would have a strong network in melbourne knows exactly what happened and why he wants to bring him in.

Harvey doesn't seem the type to suffer fools or instability.... dont think that will change now either.

Harvey, Rosich and Bond seem to be heading in the right direction. Harvey copped a flogging in the media especially in Melbourne over the team's performance this year, but he was unfairly criticized because much of the list was over-rated by the old mob. I'm waiting for Caroline Wilson to eat the dust when Harvey takes the club to success.

 

[Braun_2_B_Wild]

Harvey, Rosich and Bond seem to be heading in the right direction. Harvey copped a flogging in the media especially in Melbourne over the team's performance this year, but he was unfairly criticized because much of the list was over-rated by the old mob. I'm waiting for Caroline Wilson to eat the dust when Harvey takes the club to success.

overrated by the Old mob? Rick Hart was the one earlier in the year saying top 4 or failure.

 

[Teagueeee15]

I think he is a good get for Fremantle. He did a great job at the Northern Bullants, making the finals in just about every year he was there and finishing top in 2006. The Bullants are also a poor club who can't throw the $$$ around and often have their best players poached by other clubs and competitions, so what he did at the Bullants was a really good achievement. Whenever I saw Box Hill play this year, they had alot of injuries to their Hawthorn listed players which makes it impossible to win games in the VFL. Accusations of Mitchell being a "White anter" are also wide of the mark. The oust to get rid of Pagan wasn't started by Barry Mitchell. He was just the one who paid the price for it.

 

[chook2734]

In response to my question of whether Mitchell was an assistant at Hawthorn, or simply their affiliate's (Box Hill Hawks) coach -

BH coach. Nothing more, nothing less, hombre.

I wonder where Rosich learnt his spinning from? Wouldn't have been at the mob down the road would it?

 

[PapaJ]

Any confirmation on how long his contract is for?

 

[Scham]

Shame we missed out on Robert Harvey.

I wonder how hard we went at that?

Seems we were putting a huge emphasis on coaching experience during our search.

 

[PapaJ]

Shame we missed out on Robert Harvey.

I wonder how hard we went at that?

Seems we were putting a huge emphasis on coaching experience during our search.

I reckon R.Harvey would have been great to have around the club in some sort of coaching role just to impart some of his shear staying power/work ethic/disciple etc. - but as person of experience and knowledge (from a coaching point of view) I get the impression he would be too novice for the sort of position Mitchell has stepped into.

 

[hitemup007]

overrated by the Old mob? Rick Hart was the one earlier in the year saying top 4 or failure.

I hear ya mate. I've been down that road, in fact I got a red card for saying that Rick Hart should learn to keep his mouth shut.

 

[PapaJ]

Any confirmation on how long his contract is for?

Anybody?

 

[freocuz]

I hear ya mate. I've been down that road, in fact I got a red card for saying that Rick Hart should learn to keep his mouth shut.

Because you started a post about it 3 weeks ago when the comment you were referring to was 7 months old. You trolled your own fans, which deservedly got you carded.

 

[SupersonicDocker]

Anyone else a little concerned about this appointment?

 

[chook2734]

Anyone else a little concerned about this appointment?

Meh. Who cares. We won't be winning a premiership (or anything else) anytime soon, so what does it matter?

 

[freoextra]

Anyone else a little concerned about this appointment?

Not really. Very good footballer in his day, stong midfielder and it wasn't long ago that Carlton seriously considered picking him as the senior coach. Good Pickup, possibly only Brian Royal might have been better.

 

[pinkus maximus]

Anyone else a little concerned about this appointment?

not sure what to think

Hawthorn fans are happy to see the back of him

 

[SupersonicDocker]

not sure what to think

Hawthorn fans are happy to see the back of him

Thats what concerns me.

Being a good footballer doesn't guarantee anything.

Ala Tim Watson and Tony Shaw