Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL Briefing:
- Blues footy boss Chris Davies met with Josh Fraser this week and urged him “to put his hand up” for the senior coaching role.
- A new football boss at Essendon will be appointed after the departure of Dan McPherson, as the Bombers review their football structure.
Blues give Fraser a deadline to apply
Danny Russell
Carlton have given caretaker coach Josh Fraser a week to decide whether he wants to apply for the club’s senior gig after telling the former Collingwood ruckman they want him to join the interview process.
Blues footy boss Chris Davies met with Fraser this week and urged him “to put his hand up” for the role after leading the club to an impressive 8-2 record and a return to finals relevance during his 10 games in charge.
Fraser said on Thursday morning, ahead of Saturday night’s crucial clash against the Brisbane Lions at Marvel Stadium, that he remained undecided.
“There’s been a conversation and an opportunity to go through the process, which I’m grateful for,” Fraser said.
“I think Chris was on radio this morning articulating that, and I’ll take some time now to consider whether I’m part of that or not.
“It’s not so much umming and ahhing, I think it’s just considering everything that comes with being a senior coach and being prepared to go through that process.
“I’ve got a high awareness of it, and this opportunity has given me a great chance to live it to a degree, but I want to make sure that when I go through a process, if I was to be successful, that I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Fraser has been reluctant to commit his name to the process since replacing Michael Voss ahead of round 10 with the Blues languishing towards the bottom of the ladder with a dismal 1-8 record.
But he experienced immediate success in his first game in charge, beating the Western Bulldogs, and then leading the Blues on a 7-0 winning streak and reinvigorating disillusioned Carlton fans in this new-look wildcard season. They sit 11th, behind 10th-placed St Kilda on percentage with four rounds remaining.
“Look, I’m ambitious, and I have been to be a senior coach,” Fraser said.
“No doubt the excitement’s probably been fast tracked to a degree by this interim opportunity, but again, right through my coaching journey, I’ve been very considered with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, and I’ve always wanted to consolidate each role I’m in through development, through coaching my own side, and I feel like it’s given me a chance now to be so considered without being too knee-jerk about the excitement of an opportunity.
“But I think this football club’s quite unique. It’s a big football club. It’s got great passion and supporter base. I think whoever the successful candidate, who coaches this football club, is going to enjoy doing that.”
Fraser indicated he would stay at Carlton as an assistant coach if he applied for the job and missed out.
The Age reported last week the Blues have narrowed the search down to Fraser, St Kilda senior assistant Corey Enright, Geelong assistant James Kelly and Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham.
“Does it make it difficult [to apply and miss out]? Not from my perspective,” Fraser said.
“I’m a club-first person. It’s been my approach when I took on this interim role, making sure the club was better placed at the end of the season. So, I don’t see it that way. Maybe others do, but ultimately, I’ll do what’s best for the club.”
Davies said the club had a good understanding of Fraser’s abilities as a coach after a 10-week trial period.
“I’ve had the fortunate aspect over my time in footy, I worked for a long time with Kenny Hinkley. I was able to see Matthew Nicks as an assistant coach, I worked with Michael Voss as an assistant coach and then as a senior coach. I was part of the group that put Josh Carr into the senior coaching role at Port Adelaide,” he told SEN.
“From my experience I think Josh Fraser is going to be an outstanding senior coach one day. Whether that’s with Carlton or another club into the future remains to be seen.”
Fraser said big forward Harry McKay trained on Thursday morning and would be considered for the Lions clash after missing a week with a knee injury.
“He had a really good session over the weekend,” Fraser said.
“He’s tracking in the right direction, but we want to see him get through today, and not just get through, but perform really well training.”
Fraser also praised captain Patrick Cripps ahead of his 250th game this weekend.
“I think he’s he’s resembled so much hope for this football club for a long period of time, and you guys get to see him on the field, and I assume in front of a microphone from time to time, but we get to see him day to day, and he’s got a presence about him,” Fraser said.
“He’s a much-loved figure. He’s probably had to carry a fair load, but he’s done it with such class and dignity.
“He’s a credit to his family, and the football club’s very lucky to have someone like him inside our building.”
Solomon set for formal talks on coaching job as Dons footy boss resigns
Jake Niall and AAP
Essendon’s caretaker coach Dean Solomon will next week have his first formal discussions with club hierarchy about the fulltime job.
But Solomon remains tight-lipped on whether he’ll seek the head coaching role.
“We will sit down and have that discussion next week,” Solomon said on Thursday.
Solomon, who stepped in when Brad Scott was sacked on May 25, has held preliminary talks with Essendon’s chief executive Tim Roberts.
“Tim mentioned to me, four or five weeks ago, to take your time, concentrate on coaching and doing what you have to do for this footy club,” he said.
“And that at some point in time, he would give us a tap on the shoulder and have that [formal] discussion.
“That time has come.
“And we’ll sit down and chat about all things and I’ll put forward my thoughts on the current situation and the future.”
Solomon has won just one of eight games in his caretaker stint.
“It’s nice to have the ability to do a role that I’m incredibly grateful for, that I have loved,” he said.
“But also to have the time to have a look at what the future looks like and be allowed to have the space to do that and now to sit down and have the conversation.
“It’s just going to be a conversation to put my thoughts on the table.”
The Bombers are also on the hunt for a new football manager after the resignation of Daniel McPherson on Tuesday.
McPherson, who came to the Bombers with former coach Brad Scott, will leave the club at season’s end.
The appointment of a new football boss will be made alongside that of a new senior coach, as the Bombers review their football structure.
“This feels like the right time for me to conclude my tenure at the Bombers,” McPherson said in a club statement on Thursday.
“I leave with confidence that the foundations have now been laid for a positive future. I’m proud of the role I’ve played in reshaping our football strategy, as well as our high-performance area, and I believe this club is poised to succeed in a meaningful way over its next phase.
“The rebuild of our list around a young, talented core is exciting, and I have no doubt they’ll achieve special things for the red and black in the years ahead.”
Former CEO Craig Vozzo, now a consultant, has been asked to work on a proposed new structure for the footy program.
McPherson was not appointed to the five-person coaching panel to find the new coach, which consists of president Andrew Welsh, Roberts, football director Ted Richards, vice president and ex-Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro and Essendon’s general manager of people and culture, Caroline Monzon.
Victory great and former coach Kevin Muscat, and long-time opposition analyst at Collingwood and Hawthorn John Wardrop have since to invited to be part of the process alongside the panel.
Roberts paid tribute to McPherson’s leadership in what has been a tumultuous season, following the sacking of Scott, with former board member Dean Solomon taking the interim coaching role.
“I would particularly like to thank Dan for his leadership during the recent coaching transition. His calm and measured approach, coupled with his genuine care for people, provided much needed reassurance and stability within the football department and the playing group during a time of considerable uncertainty,” Roberts said.
“Dan is highly regarded internally and externally for his professionalism, diligence, strong values and character and we wish him well for the future.”
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Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via X or email.
