Malcolm Blight

[crowralph]

2 flags, 3 years, it's a pretty good record. i reckon fitness played a bit back then, and that's where i reckon craigy made his name. in those years adelaide were super fit and could be counted on until the final siren. blighty made the right attacking moves in the box on gf day (and they were genius), but the fitness staff ensured the crows ran out the game significantly better than the opposition.

was he the messiah - 2 flags in 3 years says YES

was he the only dude to make it happen - SHIT NO

 

[Smoooothy]

Throughout most of 1997 we had a half back line that you could set your watch by. McLeod, Caven, Smart. Once settled they basically played every minute of every game together... then we get to the prelim and grand final and all of a sudden McLeod's on ball and Smart up forward!

that move right there won us 2 flags

 

[marvin]

Throughout most of 1997 we had a half back line that you could set your watch by. McLeod, Caven, Smart. Once settled they basically played every minute of every game together... then we get to the prelim and grand final and all of a sudden McLeod's on ball and Smart up forward!

Not to mention the Hart-Jammo pairing was a consistent part of the full back line.

That's the true measure of Blight's genius as a football thinker. By quarter time of the 1997 grand final, he'd lost his full back (Jameson) and another player (Sampson) to injury for the game. The best defence in the league from 1997-98 was completely reshaped by the removal of Jameson, Smart and McLeod and the addition of Pittman to cover Loewe. His preferred matchups (Jameson on Heatley, Hart on Winmar) were thrown into disarray. And he still came up with a formula that worked.

It doesn't excuse some of his behaviour (eg to Matt Connell in 1999) but as aneale points out, 1999 was a season too far that Blight chose to go ahead with against his initial, better judgement.

 

[Slippery Pete]

It doesn't excuse some of his behaviour (eg to Matt Connell in 1999) but as aneale points out, 1999 was a season too far that Blight chose to go ahead with against his initial, better judgement.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the effect the Crows fitness regime had on the playing group by the time 1999 rolled around. They were well noted in '97 and '98 as being under a fitness revolution - they were by far the fittest team in the league. But two seasons was about as far as that regime could go before players became burnt out.

I heard Roo comment recently about all the players that booked in for groin operations after the '97 and '98 campaigns.

 

[western royboy]

Ahh Blighty. Just had an unbelievable feel for the game. He knew football inside out in a technical and tactical sense.

He knew when to chop and change and also when to stick to your plans.

I remember one game where he said that things weren't working before half time so he basically threw all the names up in the air and where they landed they played. "If it's not working, change it."

Another time though he experimented with inconsistent, roaming forward Peter Caven at CHB. At half time Caven was getting a bath from Nick Holland and he came to Blighty and admitted that he was struggling big time and didn't know what to do. "Well," replied Blight, "you'd better think of something because I'm not moving you." Sure enough Caven worked it out and played CHB in two premierships.

Throughout most of 1997 we had a half back line that you could set your watch by. McLeod, Caven, Smart. Once settled they basically played every minute of every game together... then we get to the prelim and grand final and all of a sudden McLeod's on ball and Smart up forward!

Such an enigma. Always seemed to bring such a positive, attacking game plan to the table and encouraged players to display their flair. But at the same time was unbelievably brutal on them. Ricciuto has said before that Blighty was the most intimidating person he has ever met.

Don't think he could have been a long term coach at Adelaide. That line about the brightest flames burning out the quickest springs to mind.

Sorry for the intrusion, excellent post I am a self confessed Blight fan and I'm struggling to believe some of the crap you guys are posting about him.

Ken Hinkley is the next gun AFL Coach - bookmark it now and no surprise where he gets most of his stuff from - yep the great man!

You guys pinched two flags back to back with a make shift forward set up, you should have a bronze statue of him outside AAMI Stadium. Premierships are hard to win in the AFL as we all know. Mumbles is not going to win you one although I'll acknowledge his role in the Blight era.

Twice in recent years I thought that you were the side in about round 16 and each time you've burned out. Much prefer the Blight way.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Sorry for the intrusion, excellent post I am a self confessed Blight fan and I'm struggling to believe some of the crap you guys are posting about him.

Ken Hinkley is the next gun AFL Coach - bookmark it now and no surprise where he gets most of his stuff from - yep the great man!

You guys pinched two flags back to back with a make shift forward set up, you should have a bronze statue of him outside AAMI Stadium. Premierships are hard to win in the AFL as we all know. Mumbles is not going to win you one although I'll acknowledge his role in the Blight era.

Twice in recent years I thought that you were the side in about round 16 and each time you've burned out. Much prefer the Blight way.

Mumbles

 

[cmndstab]

His coaching record at the Crows is beyond reproach. People who make comments like "he sacked Modra" completely disregard what impact Modra himself had on that decision. The only question mark I've ever had is him walking out midway through the season.


However, I can't stand his media personality. I don't know if it's his choice or if he's asked to carry on the way he does, but his "50% mad scientist, 50% whinging old man" persona is so embarassing. Most of the suggestions and special comments he comes up with are either outdated or patently ridiculous, and then he carries on and on about tiny little things for five minutes at a time.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

However, I can't stand his media personality. I don't know if it's his choice or if he's asked to carry on the way he does, but his "50% mad scientist, 50% whinging old man" persona is so embarassing. Most of the suggestions and special comments he comes up with are either outdated or patently ridiculous, and then he carries on and on about tiny little things for five minutes at a time.

He was a great commentator between the Geelong and Adelaide coaching gigs. Just about the best there was. Passion, knowledge, originality in equal doses.

Since being coaxed back into the media after his hiatus it has seemed that he is commentating only because others want him to and others think it's a good idea.

Sure, a pay cheque for a few hours work is nice so he signs up each year but it sounds to me like he could take it or leave it. Doesn't really care as much as he did.

 

[Slippery Pete]

He was a great commentator between the Geelong and Adelaide coaching gigs. Just about the best there was. Passion, knowledge, originality in equal doses.

Since being coaxed back into the media after his hiatus it has seemed that he is commentating only because others want him to and others think it's a good idea.

Sure, a pay cheque for a few hours work is nice so he signs up each year but it sounds to me like he could take it or leave it. Doesn't really care as much as he did.

It's typical Blighty - all on his terms. I think for a while there, he was only commentating games in Sydney and Brisbane due to the proximity of his residence? I might be wrong.

I do enjoy his spin on things though. He's an eccentric genius.

 

[feenix67]

Blighty was a radical frontrunner. I think you'll find Neil Craig was more instrumental in our 97/98 success than Blight ever was. And that's paraphrasing a player's perspective.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Blighty was a radical frontrunner. I think you'll find Neil Craig was more instrumental in our 97/98 success than Blight ever was. And that's paraphrasing a player's perspective.

Which player?

 

[Smoooothy]

Which player?

i'm with slippery pete here, if your going to make outlandinsh claims like that then name the player...

 

[Wood_Duck]

Blighty was a radical frontrunner. I think you'll find Neil Craig was more instrumental in our 97/98 success than Blight ever was. And that's paraphrasing a player's perspective.

You are going to seriously hurt some poor blokes credibility here. Think very carefully about what you post next.

 

[adelaidecrows]

both Peter Cavan and Andrew McLoed have said negative comments about Blight. They have said it publicly too. Peter is on the speaking circuit.

At the end of the day, I am looking past the two premierships and more or less aluding to the years of pain after he left. He was a good thinker and as a few of you said ahead of his time. However Adelaide was credited more for their fitness then a magnificent game plane at the time and Neil was more or less credited with the results.

Look I loved the Grand Finals as much as anyone and being 18 at the time it was simply brilliant in Adelaide. I was also devastated when he announced he was leaving at the end of 1999. But coaches can win premierships one year and be hated by the masses just as quick. Just ask Mark Williams and John Worsefold. Even Leigh Matthews copped a hammering in is final years.

I dont truly know whether Malcolm was warn out or simply gave up due to his mistakes that were going to cost the crows plenty for the next half a decade. One thing I do know is he left the crows in a mess after ripping the heart out of the side.

anyways two premierships are good dont get me wrong.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Blighty was a radical frontrunner. I think you'll find Neil Craig was more instrumental in our 97/98 success than Blight ever was. And that's paraphrasing a player's perspective.

Funny though, we've had Craig ever since 97/98 in various roles but no Blighty and we haven't achieved the same success.

Maybe said player(s) didn't realise at the time and haven't understood since the positive impact Blight was having?

 

[western royboy]

I am looking past the two premierships and more or less aluding to the years of pain after he left[/B]. He was a good thinker and as a few of you said ahead of his time. However Adelaide was credited more for their fitness then a magnificent game plane at the time and Neil was more or less credited with the results.

Look I loved the Grand Finals as much as anyone and being 18 at the time it was simply brilliant in Adelaide. I was also devastated when he announced he was leaving at the end of 1999. But coaches can win premierships one year and be hated by the masses just as quick. Just ask Mark Williams and John Worsefold. Even Leigh Matthews copped a hammering in is final years.

I dont truly know whether Malcolm was warn out or simply gave up due to his mistakes that were going to cost the crows plenty for the next half a decade. One thing I do know is he left the crows in a mess after ripping the heart out of the side.

anyways two premierships are good dont get me wrong.

He coached for three years - you won the first two and near the end of the third he said - quite rightly that he had had enough. Didn't he do the right thing by your team getting out when he did? I reckon he did.

Highlighting Williams, Worsfold and Lethal only amplifies this point.

Whatever mistakes he made in '99, how does that equate to ripping the heart out of the side?

Surely you are taking the piss?

 

[Smoooothy]

half decade is probably a little rich..

it was a good 2 seasons before we were atleast semi competitive after he left though..

 

[marvin]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the effect the Crows fitness regime had on the playing group by the time 1999 rolled around. They were well noted in '97 and '98 as being under a fitness revolution - they were by far the fittest team in the league. But two seasons was about as far as that regime could go before players became burnt out.

I heard Roo comment recently about all the players that booked in for groin operations after the '97 and '98 campaigns.

Interesting observation.

There was a solid core of players (McLeod, Roo, James, Mark Stevens, Smart, Hart, Burton, Koster, Jarman, Bassett, Goodwin, Edwards) who played 19+ games in 1999. They might not all have played as well as in 97/98, but physically it doesn't look like they burnt out.

There's a 2nd group (Rehn, Marsh, Bickley, Eccles) who missed large chunks of the season due to in-game injuries, whether freakish or not.

And then there's a 3rd group (Caven, Jameson, Pittman, Bond, Vardy, Connell, Robran, even Liptak) who never seemed to get their bodies quite right in 1999. Of those, all but Robran and Vardy ended their careers by the end of 2000.

How much the regime of 97-98 impacted that last group is an interesting question. Certainly, the physical transformation of Rod Jameson from running flanker to bulked up (if undersized) KPP must have had some impact on his longevity, and others like Liptak struggled for more than one year.

 

[ommot]

Blighty was a radical frontrunner. I think you'll find Neil Craig was more instrumental in our 97/98 success than Blight ever was. And that's paraphrasing a player's perspective.

I'm pretty sure Blight made some pivotal changes in both Prelim finals and Grand Finals that went a long way to getting us back in to those games and winning them. Yes, us being very fit helped, but you can't say he was a front runner that's a crock of ****.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

We could have had 5 premierships by now...

Blighty could have won at least 3 with the Catters! To be honest, I don't have a bad word to say about Malcolm Blight - he DESERVED to be a Premiership Coach and that's exactly how he retired. I can understand why some are pissed off that he left halfway through '99 though - especially when Ayresy rocked up at your door immediately afterwards!!

 

[cocka]

His coaching record at the Crows is beyond reproach. People who make comments like "he sacked Modra" completely disregard what impact Modra himself had on that decision.

Bit tough on Modra there mate, did his knee in the '97 Prelim and was cut end of '98, hardly the support a club champion who had plenty of credits in the bank deserved.

What sticks in the craw of most of those current players at the time was he left us cause he was "burnt" out and joined the Saints a year later.

 

[moogerfooger]

God this is a pointless thread. People unhappy with Blight's time at the club seriously need to get a grip.

St Kilda and the Bulldogs combined have won 2 flags in over 200 years of trying. We won two flags in a row, the 2nd in our 8th season.

Get some perspective people!

 

[feenix67]

Which player?

i'm with slippery pete here, if your going to make outlandinsh claims like that then name the player...

You are going to seriously hurt some poor blokes credibility here. Think very carefully about what you post next.

D Jarman

 

[Slippery Pete]

Blighty could have won at least 3 with the Catters! To be honest, I don't have a bad word to say about Malcolm Blight - he DESERVED to be a Premiership Coach and that's exactly how he retired. I can understand why some are pissed off that he left halfway through '99 though - especially when Ayresy rocked up at your door immediately afterwards!!

They're just so difficult to win. Even harder to win consecutively. For all Geelong's recent dominance, and people speculating on whether they're the greatest side ever, they've still won the same number of flags the Crows did. That just proves how difficult they are to win, even for great sides. You need a lot of things happening for you at the right end of the year.

 

[jenny61_99]

Blighty said he wanted to give up after the first premiership. Monkey off his back, nothing else to prove type stuff. He was co-erced to stay on. Then after 98 he definitely wanted to pack it in and again was co-erced to stay on. (Back to back to back). He said he should never have stayed on in 99, and I believe they (AFC) shouldn't have forced him to.

Always fondly remembered by me. But he was no saint, and had as many flaws as the next coach. HATED how he was treated by the Sainters.