Kildonan
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A coach dogged by bad luck
COMMENT
Mick Malthouse
September 13, 2006
I'VE never been especially close to Grant Thomas. We never really got on. But I think the sacked St Kilda coach has been terribly hard done by.
My initial reaction on hearing of Grant's sacking was shock. That didn't last long. The longer you think about it, the more things become clear.
Thomas could never quite stop the dogs from barking in the media. Eventually they turned on him and ripped him to shreds.
Grant won't make this excuse for himself so I'll do it for him. Injuries during a season can cripple a coach. Injuries during a game can destroy a side.
Last Friday night I watched the Saints completely dominate Melbourne during the first half of their knockout final. St Kilda blew a lot of scoring chances and should have been five or six goals up at half-time.
The Demons, remember, are no walkovers. But they were made to look second rate during much of the game.
Then luck turned for Grant and his side. Both of the Clarke boys came off injured. Robert Harvey did a hamstring. Aaron Hamill was struggling. Fraser Gehrig hurt his ankle. Justin Koschitzke knocked himself out.
Read that list again. It's difficult to believe you can have so much bad luck in an hour of football, but nonetheless the Saints were still in the game well into the last quarter.
I thought they did very well to keep within three goals of Melbourne and wasn't surprised when Grant expressed enormous pride in his team. The Demons improved in the second half but would count themselves very lucky to win.
Next morning, however, I read a lot of rot in the papers about "Brave Dees" along with more than a hint of criticism about the Saints underachieving.
This kind of unfair treatment has followed Grant through his coaching career. Remember, Thomas replaced one of the media's favourite sons - Malcolm Blight - and was never inclined to be part of the club.
Grant's appointment was peculiar - he seemed to usurp the job from his position in the Saints' footy department - and he never managed to win the critics over.
I'm not sure if anyone could have done better than Grant. His last three or four years were plagued by injury and when you lose people of the calibre of Lenny Hayes and Matt Maguire for a season, you tear your hair out. Hayes would have been leading the best and fairest when he went down with a knee. Maguire, who will be out next year as well, is virtually irreplaceable as a key defender.
The rumour mill has Denis Pagan lined up to replace Grant. St Kilda will want an experienced coach, because there are no short cuts. Many of the club's best players are 30-plus. Some of the injuries are long term. The competition is brutally even.
Good luck to Denis if he jumps ship. Quite clearly, he's lost the support of key board members at Carlton and that's an untenable situation for any senior coach.
Grant will be disappointed but he will understand the nature of the job.
Imagine if the Saints had held on last Friday; it would have been a truly heroic victory, one to celebrate for the ages.
In 2004 and 2005 Grant got the Saints into the finals, again with injuries on his list. Around this time last year St Kilda led the eventual premiers, Sydney, into the last quarter of the preliminary final. These aren't small achievements.
Yet sections of the media were never satisfied and the St Kilda board has sniffed the wind and sacked the coach.
Grant should hold his head high and feel proud of what he has achieved at Moorrabbin. The bar he has set for his successor at the Saints won't be easy to straddle.
COMMENT
Mick Malthouse
September 13, 2006
I'VE never been especially close to Grant Thomas. We never really got on. But I think the sacked St Kilda coach has been terribly hard done by.
My initial reaction on hearing of Grant's sacking was shock. That didn't last long. The longer you think about it, the more things become clear.
Thomas could never quite stop the dogs from barking in the media. Eventually they turned on him and ripped him to shreds.
Grant won't make this excuse for himself so I'll do it for him. Injuries during a season can cripple a coach. Injuries during a game can destroy a side.
Last Friday night I watched the Saints completely dominate Melbourne during the first half of their knockout final. St Kilda blew a lot of scoring chances and should have been five or six goals up at half-time.
The Demons, remember, are no walkovers. But they were made to look second rate during much of the game.
Then luck turned for Grant and his side. Both of the Clarke boys came off injured. Robert Harvey did a hamstring. Aaron Hamill was struggling. Fraser Gehrig hurt his ankle. Justin Koschitzke knocked himself out.
Read that list again. It's difficult to believe you can have so much bad luck in an hour of football, but nonetheless the Saints were still in the game well into the last quarter.
I thought they did very well to keep within three goals of Melbourne and wasn't surprised when Grant expressed enormous pride in his team. The Demons improved in the second half but would count themselves very lucky to win.
Next morning, however, I read a lot of rot in the papers about "Brave Dees" along with more than a hint of criticism about the Saints underachieving.
This kind of unfair treatment has followed Grant through his coaching career. Remember, Thomas replaced one of the media's favourite sons - Malcolm Blight - and was never inclined to be part of the club.
Grant's appointment was peculiar - he seemed to usurp the job from his position in the Saints' footy department - and he never managed to win the critics over.
I'm not sure if anyone could have done better than Grant. His last three or four years were plagued by injury and when you lose people of the calibre of Lenny Hayes and Matt Maguire for a season, you tear your hair out. Hayes would have been leading the best and fairest when he went down with a knee. Maguire, who will be out next year as well, is virtually irreplaceable as a key defender.
The rumour mill has Denis Pagan lined up to replace Grant. St Kilda will want an experienced coach, because there are no short cuts. Many of the club's best players are 30-plus. Some of the injuries are long term. The competition is brutally even.
Good luck to Denis if he jumps ship. Quite clearly, he's lost the support of key board members at Carlton and that's an untenable situation for any senior coach.
Grant will be disappointed but he will understand the nature of the job.
Imagine if the Saints had held on last Friday; it would have been a truly heroic victory, one to celebrate for the ages.
In 2004 and 2005 Grant got the Saints into the finals, again with injuries on his list. Around this time last year St Kilda led the eventual premiers, Sydney, into the last quarter of the preliminary final. These aren't small achievements.
Yet sections of the media were never satisfied and the St Kilda board has sniffed the wind and sacked the coach.
Grant should hold his head high and feel proud of what he has achieved at Moorrabbin. The bar he has set for his successor at the Saints won't be easy to straddle.
