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seems hawthorn is casting its net far and wide, maybe they dont want an ex player there
Dunstall talks to Connolly about job
By Craig O'Donoghue, Peter Blucher
July 29, 2004
Hawthorn interim chief executive Jason Dunstall rang Fremantle coach Chris Connolly yesterday to discuss his position as the battle between Richmond, Adelaide and the Hawks for the best available coach rose to another level.
And Brisbane Lions assistant coach Gary O'Donnell broke his long-held silence on the coaching merry-go-round yesterday with a measured "don't forget me" reminder to the three clubs in the market.
Connolly is contracted until the end of next season and Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab said the club would not release him under any circumstances. Dunstall said his preference was to appoint someone before the end of the season, but they would look at Connolly if all other avenues failed.
"There won't be any back-room deals or meetings but we are serious about getting the best coach," Dunstall said yesterday.
"Chris is a highly respected coach and if we thought he was the right person for the job, we'd go after him. If we didn't have a coach by the end of the season, we may do that."
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Connolly spent six years at Glenferrie Oval after coaching the Eastern Ranges in Victoria's TAC Cup for four years. He coached the Hawks to beat Carlton in 2001 when a heart complaint sidelined Peter Schwab.
The 41-year-old said Hawthorn stood out as the best of the available clubs, but he had a commitment to Fremantle. "In the end I'm committed here. Why would you leave Fremantle?" he said.
O'Donnell, who has been understudy to Leigh Matthews in Brisbane for six years, said he was definitely interested in a senior coaching role and would welcome talks with any club.
"I'm not someone who has a burning passion to coach anyone I can," O'Donnell said. "If the right job comes up and I feel comfortable with it and I think it is the right fit, I will do it."
O'Donnell, speaking on Radio TAB in Brisbane, said Adelaide appealed as a club "very strong and stable off the field" and would not discount Hawthorn or Richmond because of off-field dramas.
Matthews has endorsed O'Donnell as an AFL coach in the making and recently gave his No. 1 lieutenant his blessing to talk to rival clubs before the end of the 2004 campaign.
•Melbourne coach Neale Daniher will meet sacked coaches Peter Schwab and Gary Ayres over the next week to offer his support.
Daniher, the vice-president of the AFL Coaches Association, said he had scheduled a meeting with Schwab today.
Schwab, who will remain president of the coaches' group until at least the end of the season, had been helping to establish a support network for sacked coaches to ease the emotional wrench of ending a coaching career, until he was shown the door at Glenferrie.
- with Nabila Ahmed
Dunstall talks to Connolly about job
By Craig O'Donoghue, Peter Blucher
July 29, 2004
Hawthorn interim chief executive Jason Dunstall rang Fremantle coach Chris Connolly yesterday to discuss his position as the battle between Richmond, Adelaide and the Hawks for the best available coach rose to another level.
And Brisbane Lions assistant coach Gary O'Donnell broke his long-held silence on the coaching merry-go-round yesterday with a measured "don't forget me" reminder to the three clubs in the market.
Connolly is contracted until the end of next season and Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab said the club would not release him under any circumstances. Dunstall said his preference was to appoint someone before the end of the season, but they would look at Connolly if all other avenues failed.
"There won't be any back-room deals or meetings but we are serious about getting the best coach," Dunstall said yesterday.
"Chris is a highly respected coach and if we thought he was the right person for the job, we'd go after him. If we didn't have a coach by the end of the season, we may do that."
advertisement
advertisement
Connolly spent six years at Glenferrie Oval after coaching the Eastern Ranges in Victoria's TAC Cup for four years. He coached the Hawks to beat Carlton in 2001 when a heart complaint sidelined Peter Schwab.
The 41-year-old said Hawthorn stood out as the best of the available clubs, but he had a commitment to Fremantle. "In the end I'm committed here. Why would you leave Fremantle?" he said.
O'Donnell, who has been understudy to Leigh Matthews in Brisbane for six years, said he was definitely interested in a senior coaching role and would welcome talks with any club.
"I'm not someone who has a burning passion to coach anyone I can," O'Donnell said. "If the right job comes up and I feel comfortable with it and I think it is the right fit, I will do it."
O'Donnell, speaking on Radio TAB in Brisbane, said Adelaide appealed as a club "very strong and stable off the field" and would not discount Hawthorn or Richmond because of off-field dramas.
Matthews has endorsed O'Donnell as an AFL coach in the making and recently gave his No. 1 lieutenant his blessing to talk to rival clubs before the end of the 2004 campaign.
•Melbourne coach Neale Daniher will meet sacked coaches Peter Schwab and Gary Ayres over the next week to offer his support.
Daniher, the vice-president of the AFL Coaches Association, said he had scheduled a meeting with Schwab today.
Schwab, who will remain president of the coaches' group until at least the end of the season, had been helping to establish a support network for sacked coaches to ease the emotional wrench of ending a coaching career, until he was shown the door at Glenferrie.
- with Nabila Ahmed
