Ryan Griffen trade an opportunity for Western Bulldogs to harden up, show united front
NO matter how it is spun, the Bulldogs are imploding, Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson says.
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NO matter how it is spun, the Bulldogs are imploding.
The defection of Ryan Griffen to Greater Western Sydney — and it will happen — places a tremendous amount of pressure on coach Brendan McCartney, chief executive Simon Garlic, football director Chris Grant and president Peter Gordon.
Their ship is rocking in heavy seas and they must stand as one to right it.
Straightaway, they must sack the coach or support the coach.
It might sound simple but to move forward, the club must be united.
It’s too late for a McCartney v Griffen showdown, for Griffen is gone, but if the club doesn’t publicly back its coach on the back of Griffin’s decision, then the sickening winds wafting through Whitten Oval will become a cancer.
If the Bulldogs don’t support McCartney, they can stand accused of being as soft as some of their players.
It has been traumatic six weeks for the club.
Already, Shaun Higgins is out. Liam Jones will get a trade. And it is said Adam Cooney wants out.
Does Will Minson jump in the next week of Trade Week? What if Luke Dahlhaus puts up his hand?
The Dogs have to be strong.
But that’s not to say they aren’t aware of McCartney’s pitfalls.
Griffen is leaving because he had issues with McCartney.
He played down those issues on Wednesday when he told the club he wanted out, but a series of meetings before that clearly put on the table Griffen’s concerns.
McCartney is an ol’ fashioned type of football bloke. He calls it as he sees it. His quiet demeanour belies a fierce attitude and in a lot of ways, McCartney is a 1980s style coach.
He gave it to some of the senior players in the post-season exit interviews — not specifically Griffen — and is forever demanding of the players.
Bulldogs officials became aware of problems near the season’s end.
So much so, Grant, Garlic and Gordon had a meeting after the best fairest, where McCartney was central to the agenda.
Grant didn’t duck the issue. He said there were concerns among the players about McCartney’s management style.
A meeting was then held between the coach, Griffin and Grant, where those concerns were detailed and a series of pathways were determined.
Griffen’s decision on Wednesday shocked the Bulldogs because they believed Griffen was accepting of the changes and had belief that McCartney was determined to work on some of his faults, and also the club’s faults, such as adding to the coaching resources.
Griffen then went on holiday to Europe, returned on Tuesday and delivered the news on Wednesday.
The Dogs were shattered.
McCartney would be feeling devastated and certainly confused.
To him, football is a man’s sport, a type of kill or be killed environment, where players have to be strong in mind and body.
His playbook is heavily Geelong influenced and player empowerment was central to that thinking.
He would be asking himself: Is he too hard or some of the players too soft?
I could guess his answer.
It’s interesting to note that a couple of former Cats at the Kennel, Matthew Scarlett and Cameron Mooney, have told people they believed McCartney had softened since his days at Geelong.
So, a softer McCartney is still too tough for the Dogs.
That the captain has chosen to leave is a devastating blow for the playing group and potentially for the culture of the club.
What do the younger players read of this?
That if it gets too demanding and you’re not happy, then just get up and go?
Many will say Griffen had every right to abandon is club, that if he and the coach were at odds, then how could they work together?
Lot of me is disappointed in Griffen, though.
He has a close relationship with Giants coach Leon Cameron, with Cameron being a former Doggie in various roles, and clearly Cameron seized on the Griffin’s disenchantment.
The word is the Giants have been chasing for six months and the money was too good to refuse.
But I’m disappointed because with captaincy comes responsibility. It sets tone and behaviours and standards.
Griffen has shirked his responsibility and you have to ask if he was the right player to captain after all.
The answer has to be no.
The Dogs can’t cry over spilt milk.
He is a class player, but he will be 29 next year and who knows how long his back will last.
The Dogs must get on with the best possible trade. They will ask for Tom Boyd and/or early draft picks.
As a priority, they must send a message to their players and the football world.
And that is: You’re either in or out, and if it’s out, don’t let the door hit you on your way out.
Originally published as Ryan Griffen trade an opportunity for Western Bulldogs to harden up, show united front
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