Tadhg Kennelly and Cooper Cronk dropped when footy resumes
Sydney Swans legend Tadhg Kennelly and NRL great Cooper Cronk have become the highest-profiled victims of the coronavirus restrictions cutting a swathe through the AFL. Read the latest.
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Tadhg Kennelly’s closest friends have rallied around the Swans premiership great, who is said to be “absolutely devastated” by his shock sidelining from the club.
The highly touted up-and-coming coach and father of three young kids has been left wondering whether he has a future in AFL football at all after his 20-year association with the Swans was abruptly ended.
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There remains hope he could be reinstated at the end of this season, but the forecast is grim.
The emotional knife that has ripped through the Swans cannot be underestimated ahead of the season resuming, with hall of famers Stuart Maxfield and Craig Holden also stood down without pay until at least September.
Kennelly has become one of the most high-profile casualties of the brutal cuts the AFL has made to football departments in the wake of the Coronavirus, with his friends stunned the 38-year-old assistant coach was left out of the Swans’ 25-person football staff bubble.
“I popped over at his place that night (he was cut) to have a beer with him and check in, and he’s absolutely devastated,” said former teammate, Heath Grundy.
“He’s put 20 years into that place and he’s pretty flat.
“He’s got three young kids at home, and where to from here I guess? It’s another weight on your shoulders.
“There’s going to be a lot of clubs putting people off so jobs in footy aren’t readily available. He’s certainly pretty devastated.
“He’s a bloody good coach so that’s why I’m surprised he’s been the one left off to be honest.”
Grundy backed the Irishman to still carve out a post-playing career in football.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if another club snatches him up just to get him inside their doors,” he said.
“He’s a close mate of mine, I’m pretty close with Tadhg, knowing him he’ll bounce back.
“He’s very good around the club from a culture type aspect as well as coaching. And Stuey has given his heart and soul to the place, so I’m certainly feeling for him as well.”
Swans chief Tom Harley says the decision to have to stand down favourite sons Kennelly, Maxfield and Holden was one of the most agonising moments he’s endured in football.
Harley hit back at suggestions the game would be improved by lessening the number of staff.
The Swans are strong advocates for football departments being reinstated after the coronavirus, subject to what the game can afford.
“I think the game honestly keeps getting better and better. I certainly don’t subscribe to the train of thought that the increase in expenditure on staff has led to a decreased product,” said Harley.
“The aspiration should be to be the world’s best and the support both in a professional and playing sense for players and importantly a welfare and off field sense has never been better. It’s important we protect that as best we can within the financial parameters.
“People like Tadhg who have been unbelievable contributors to our club and to the game more broadly … as an industry we’re poorer for it and as a club we’re poorer for it.”
CRONK GIVEN GIANT BOOT
Cooper Cronk has become one of the first high-profile casualties of the AFL’s coronavirus cutbacks, but may not be lost to the system.
GWS Giants have had little choice but to keep the NRL great stood down from his role without pay indefinitely after he was not included in the AFL-mandated cap of 25 staff members who are allowed direct access to the team when the competition resumes.
The AFL’s push to permanently slash the size of football departments has many in football land concerned, including Sydney Swans coach John Longmire who believes it’s “very naïve” to think a smaller staff could make for a better game.
The Giants signed premiership-winning rugby league champion Cronk in the off-season as a leadership consultant, and he has played a key role in mentoring Stephen Coniglio for his first season as club captain.
Cronk along with numerous other GWS staff members have been stood down without pay since the competition was initially suspended after just one round back in March.
The Daily Telegraph revealed Cronk has agreed to offer mentoring advice at the Sydney Roosters free of charge. And as a mark of Cronk’s character and his commitment to the cause, he has also remained in contact with Coniglio and the GWS leaders over the past 10 weeks of the lockdown period.
Cronk was on site weekly at GWS headquarters during the pre-season – and turned up at pre-season matches over and above his obligations – as he helped guide a new-look Giants leadership group being marshalled by a rookie skipper.
The AFL has made certain requirements around psychologists, club doctors and welfare managers being part of the 25-man staff set-up, leaving little room for thinkers like Cronk.
Critics argue the extreme cuts are actually good for the game, pointing to argument that AFL football is now over-coached.
Over at the Swans Longmire understands the financial need for the cutbacks in the short-term, but declared permanently reducing the brain power of football departments would be a step back for the game.
“If you look at what football departments are about, they’re not about essentially just game plans and tactics and stopping scoring. That’s one part of it but it’s not the biggest part,” Longmire told Whateley on SEN.
“The biggest part is the care and support and development of the people who are in your football department and most specifically the players. You’d have to say that’s the best it’s ever been.
GWS veteran Heath Shaw said losing staff – like Cronk – to the strict cuts was a huge blow.
“Cutting back on staff is something all clubs have had to do, and it means other people have to pick up the slack,” said Shaw.
“I know as an older statesman and one of the more experienced players ... we’re probably going to have to help a little bit more in terms of that leadership and it might even be coaching as well.
“We’re willing to do anything to get us into a position to win a premiership and if that means putting in a bit of extra time and doing some extra stuff, we’re going to have to do it.”
Shaw flagged the prospect that AFL clubs would go back to the future in having player/coaches, who would help out in assisting the head coach.
Meanwhile, Longmire admits the next four weeks back at training after the lockdown will be more about injury prevention than learning game plans.
Swans star Lance Franklin is fit and technically ready to return to the field for round two, but won’t play until the club is convinced he has the full menu of conditioning under his belt.
“There’s all these stages we’ll need to be mindful of and we’ll have to monitor them very closely because it’s an unusual build-up. We understand that and we need to make sure that we don’t put them at risk,” he said.
“Probably the whole three weeks is about conditioning them so they don’t get injured, or preventing that as much as we can.”