Darren Crocker

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Darky

Darky

Brownlow Medallist
Veteran 10k Posts
Dec 7, 2000
13,276
21
country Vic
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Just been given the khyber by Richmond, as Terry Wallace wants to appoint his own team.

Any role for him at North? I've started a thread on the Richmond board asking for opinions on his strengths and specific roles at the club. Hopefully it'll tell us something about one of our club favourites.
 

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l'm all for guys who played for us coming back to the club, but they must also have some predigree and experience that will add to our match committee. Not sure Crockers brings anything to the table for us. One guy that we should look at is bringing Blakey back, he has been up at Brissy for 2 years now and would have a great handle of what it takes to achieve. He did it as a player and now as an assistant coach.

Can see him becoming a great coach somewhere down the track.

Wrath
 
Agree with Wrath, Blakey yes Crocker no. There is no real spot for him anyway as I'm more then happy with Royal, Hamilton and Allen as assistants.
 
I feel we won't see Crocker at North while Laids is coaching. Dean is a proud man, and it is a fact that he offered Crocker an assistant job when at the begining of last season and Crocker knocked it back. I don't think Laidley will make a second offer.
 
Shinboners said:
If we had the money, I'd try and get Wayne Brittain.

He was there when the Lions developed their list, he's seen the good days at Carlton, and he's seen the bad days at Carlton and Richmond. He would make a very good assistant to Laidley.
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Agree with this. I think Laidley needs an assistant that has this experience.
 
Shinboners said:
If we had the money, I'd try and get Wayne Brittain.

He was there when the Lions developed their list, he's seen the good days at Carlton, and he's seen the bad days at Carlton and Richmond. He would make a very good assistant to Laidley.
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very good assistant to Laidley,

in what ? getting a priority draft pick and finishing up on the bottom of the ladder
 

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why the bad vibe about crocker? i always thought that he was a very smart footballer. he got offered assistant coach roles with us and richmond (?without out much coaching experience).
 
Shinboners said:
If we had the money, I'd try and get Wayne Brittain.

He was there when the Lions developed their list, he's seen the good days at Carlton, and he's seen the bad days at Carlton and Richmond. He would make a very good assistant to Laidley.
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Brittan had crossed my mind aswell, he could come fairly cheap as he may not have many irons in the fire.

The other bloke I'd love us to have a crack at that wouldn't cost the earth is Mick McGaune, looks like he's straightened himself up over the last few years.

Mick reportedly has a very good footy brain and could very well make a good match day tactician.

I don't think we could loose much if Mick it didn't work out.
 
NeoBlaze said:
the fact that he was at richmond so long says to me he doesn't know s**t from gold
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was Royal at Richmond or Melbourne before North??? what does that say about him...

I would be jumping to get Crocker down to the club and if Dean's ego is bigger then the club... he wont last long... I really don't have a lot of faith in any of the assistant coaches we have at North... and don't understand why we don't have any heros from the 90s at the club in coaching position... Craig Sholl would be the guy I would be after... if he has retired from playing in the bush...
 
Royal was at Melbourne before joining us (and Footscray before that).

He adds enough experience to the assistants in the box and his area of expertise (midfield) showed the most improvement this year. Can't say the defence or forwards showed a lot of improvement - and that doesn't reflect too well on Hamilton or Allen (if they are specifically responsible for those departments).

I reckon retain Royal as an assistant and cut one of Allen or Hamilton and bring in some fresh ideas/voice (perhaps Longmire, Blakey or even Carey) into the assistant coaching team.

I'd also like to see a top line ruck coach hired, even if for just 1 season, to put the finishing touches on Hale and McIntosh (no offence Spider). Jim Stynes - wonder if he could be lured across to Arden Street for this role?
 
Originally Posted by Rooboy 96
Craig Sholl would be the guy I would be after... if he has retired from playing in the bush...
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Nice thought but I doubt he'd leave the life he loves..................running a fairly successful house boat business up there on the Murray River, where he feels he belongs.

You pretty well summed up my thoughts there too Lidge. I like Royal and fully recognise what he did with the Dee's onball division before us. Stick with him for sure, and one of Allen or Hamilton to be replaced for a fresh voice. If that's the case though, I'd love the new appointment to be very well considered. There are alot of good possibilities in this area right now. Let's not waste our chance. Someone who can work well with and get the absolute best out of a young developing group would be good...............someone who, dare I say it, has the potential to take the Bible's job from him. That's nothing against JYD, who I think should be man enough to take the management ethos of having the absolute best people under him, and do so with confidence.

T'toes
 
As with threads about "Would we take X player if available?" I find these threads pretty reactive and when we start asking whether we'd take mediocre types who haven't really done it by themselves elsewhere or scratching our heads for past club champions to come back and coach us, we're settling for mediocrity.

I'd rather start with the question "Who/what will make us excellent/deliver a premiership?" first. I suspect if you start from this position, you wouldn't even bother considering half the people whose names get tossed around, Brittain, Crocker and Sholl included.

Will Dean get us there? Based on form so far, I somehow doubt it, though I'll be watching 2005 with interest. Whilst I believe in a 3-5 year plan, some of his questionable coaching moves so far, leave me to doubt his fundamental capability to coach at the highest possible level. I would also love him to sever the umblical cord that links him to an opposition coach. I also wonder if he'd be a better coach without old teammates around him (King, Archer). It must be harder to have the full authority of a mentor when even a small minority are ex-peers?

Are his assistants the rights ones? I have regard for Royal who is consistently spoken well of, however the senior coaching bridesmaid tag is both blessing and curse I feel. What is he perceived to lack for a senior post what may also be the thing we miss out on?

The players and the list management and game strategies? That's for another thread...
 
Kimbo said:
As with threads about "Would we take X player if available?" I find these threads pretty reactive and when we start asking whether we'd take mediocre types who haven't really done it by themselves elsewhere or scratching our heads for past club champions to come back and coach us, we're settling for mediocrity.

I'd rather start with the question "Who/what will make us excellent/deliver a premiership?" first. I suspect if you start from this position, you wouldn't even bother considering half the people whose names get tossed around, Brittain, Crocker and Sholl included.

Will Dean get us there? Based on form so far, I somehow doubt it, though I'll be watching 2005 with interest. Whilst I believe in a 3-5 year plan, some of his questionable coaching moves so far, leave me to doubt his fundamental capability to coach at the highest possible level. I would also love him to sever the umblical cord that links him to an opposition coach. I also wonder if he'd be a better coach without old teammates around him (King, Archer). It must be harder to have the full authority of a mentor when even a small minority are ex-peers?

Are his assistants the rights ones? I have regard for Royal who is consistently spoken well of, however the senior coaching bridesmaid tag is both blessing and curse I feel. What is he perceived to lack for a senior post what may also be the thing we miss out on?

The players and the list management and game strategies? That's for another thread...
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All very much valid points on here that I mostly agree with.
However, you are queering people like Brittain, presumably based on them not being involved in premiership teams, thus not being likely to lead us to the premiership. I doubt that argument has too much merrit, and even if it does, Crocker and Scholl are all premiership players.

I would say that when choosing assistants, you obviously look for personality traits such as mentoring, football nous etc. However, is the key factor here which coach/coaches did the person play under or coached under? If it is Pagan, then as good as he is, I doubt his influence would help right now. Pagan is very much his own man and wouldn't trust a lot to assistants. Sure, they would have still seen him in action, but that is true for a lot of people in our system at the minute. The problem with Denis is that he wouldn't have passed on too many tactical ideas to his understudys or players, as that's not his main forte.

Malthouse? Well we are already coached by one of his pupils, and your point about the unbelichal chord is probably a valid one.

I wouldn't mind having some people with experience under Sheedy and even under Paul Roos to some extent. Robert Shaw and John Longmire come to mind, if we can afford them. Cresswell seems to have done no harm to Geelong's midfield this season...

Out of our current assistants, I get the feel that apart from Royal, the others might be there just because we can't afford to make too many changes, no disrespect to Allen and Hamilton.
 

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Darren Crocker

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