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Mick reignites Fremantle feud
By MICHAEL PLACE
22jun03
FORMER West Coast Eagles coach Mick Malthouse has reignited his feud with Fremantle by hurling a verbal grenade at inaugural coach Gerard Neesham and his successor Damian Drum.
As the Dockers surge towards their first finals campaign, Malthouse also took aim at the club's fans, claiming they had a "giant chip on their shoulders".
The outburst came in a foreword to a new book Way to Go, ironically about the Dockers, written by journalist and avid Fremantle fan Matt Price.
The current Collingwood coach accused Neesham of "arrogance" and a record in the draft that was "spectacularly bad".
He said he was left baffled by a conversation with Neesham soon after his appointment in late 1994. "He began speaking enthusiastically about people I'd never heard of . . . I was genuinely confused by Gerard's ramblings," Malthouse wrote.
"No wonder, since it eventually became clear he was talking about Hungarian water-polo players, not footballers. From that moment I was pretty sure we'd have Gerard's measure. There was a hint of arrogance and superiority about Gerard which was never borne out by his results."
Malthouse said his frosty relationship with Drum stemmed from the pair's first meeting shortly after Neesham's sacking.
"Someone had obviously already poisoned the well, because on our first meeting he was very defensive. `I've been told not to trust you', was Damian's greeting, and the ground rules were established."
In another blast, Malthouse accused the club of poor financial management. "I'll admit I had my concerns when the Dockers entered the AFL at the end of the 1994 season," he said. "The Eagles were already battling to recover from heavy debts . . .
"As Fremantle have struggled to pay their bills, I guess this scepticism was justified."
Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab hit back yesterday, saying since its inception the club had contributed millions of dollars to the WA Football Commission.
"We will contribute almost $2 million this year," Schwab said.
"We also have almost 27,000 members who have a great passion and love for the club. All of that sounds like a pretty good contribution to me."
According to Malthouse, the Dockers suffered at the draft because of a disrespect and distrust of himself and the Eagles.
"I always got the sense Fremantle officials were more concerned with not being duped by the Eagles than securing the players they required," he said.
Fans also copped a spray, with Malthouse labelling as "garbage" claims that Dockers followers were more passionate than Eagles fans.
He said there was a "nasty and resentful" edge to Freo supporters.
"I can walk past a bunch of Blues or Bombers supporters, and usually there'll be some playful ribbing which everyone can enjoy," he said.
"In Perth, there was often a bitterness, venom and envy about Freo fans. It was unwarranted, senseless and destructive."
Price, who is a columnist for The Sunday Times, said it was about time WA football fans got over their Malthouse phobia.
"Do you they want a bland, boring mob of public servants, or someone who is honest and interesting? Mick's foreword is in a book that gets stuck into the Eagles, but as always he's a straight shooter," Price said.
"Mick's criticisms are of the past regimes. He's a huge supporter of the national competition, including the Dockers."
By MICHAEL PLACE
22jun03
FORMER West Coast Eagles coach Mick Malthouse has reignited his feud with Fremantle by hurling a verbal grenade at inaugural coach Gerard Neesham and his successor Damian Drum.
As the Dockers surge towards their first finals campaign, Malthouse also took aim at the club's fans, claiming they had a "giant chip on their shoulders".
The outburst came in a foreword to a new book Way to Go, ironically about the Dockers, written by journalist and avid Fremantle fan Matt Price.
The current Collingwood coach accused Neesham of "arrogance" and a record in the draft that was "spectacularly bad".
He said he was left baffled by a conversation with Neesham soon after his appointment in late 1994. "He began speaking enthusiastically about people I'd never heard of . . . I was genuinely confused by Gerard's ramblings," Malthouse wrote.
"No wonder, since it eventually became clear he was talking about Hungarian water-polo players, not footballers. From that moment I was pretty sure we'd have Gerard's measure. There was a hint of arrogance and superiority about Gerard which was never borne out by his results."
Malthouse said his frosty relationship with Drum stemmed from the pair's first meeting shortly after Neesham's sacking.
"Someone had obviously already poisoned the well, because on our first meeting he was very defensive. `I've been told not to trust you', was Damian's greeting, and the ground rules were established."
In another blast, Malthouse accused the club of poor financial management. "I'll admit I had my concerns when the Dockers entered the AFL at the end of the 1994 season," he said. "The Eagles were already battling to recover from heavy debts . . .
"As Fremantle have struggled to pay their bills, I guess this scepticism was justified."
Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab hit back yesterday, saying since its inception the club had contributed millions of dollars to the WA Football Commission.
"We will contribute almost $2 million this year," Schwab said.
"We also have almost 27,000 members who have a great passion and love for the club. All of that sounds like a pretty good contribution to me."
According to Malthouse, the Dockers suffered at the draft because of a disrespect and distrust of himself and the Eagles.
"I always got the sense Fremantle officials were more concerned with not being duped by the Eagles than securing the players they required," he said.
Fans also copped a spray, with Malthouse labelling as "garbage" claims that Dockers followers were more passionate than Eagles fans.
He said there was a "nasty and resentful" edge to Freo supporters.
"I can walk past a bunch of Blues or Bombers supporters, and usually there'll be some playful ribbing which everyone can enjoy," he said.
"In Perth, there was often a bitterness, venom and envy about Freo fans. It was unwarranted, senseless and destructive."
Price, who is a columnist for The Sunday Times, said it was about time WA football fans got over their Malthouse phobia.
"Do you they want a bland, boring mob of public servants, or someone who is honest and interesting? Mick's foreword is in a book that gets stuck into the Eagles, but as always he's a straight shooter," Price said.
"Mick's criticisms are of the past regimes. He's a huge supporter of the national competition, including the Dockers."
