Danny Frawley explains how his explosive comments lit a fuse on the Tony Liberatore v Matthew Knights feud
Richmond’s media manager gave strict instructions for Danny Frawley not to comment on the Liberatore v Knights incident. But the Tiger coach went another way, setting off a firestorm between the two clubs. SACKED PODCAST
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Danny Frawley has revealed how he unwittingly set off a firestorm in the wake of the fiery Tony Liberatore-Matthew Knights clash after ignoring his media man’s advice not to fuel the controversy.
Liberatore felled Knights 100m off the play in an incident that led to an all-in brawl and ultimately drew a five-week suspension in Round 2, 2001 in a 42-point Bulldogs victory.
But rather than douse the controversy in the post-match press conference Frawley couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Liberatore despite the express advice from PR man Tony Greenberg.
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It led to a massive Round 17 clash 15 weeks later where the Tigers won by two points — with Frawley apologising to his players post-match for inflaming the incident.
“We had a great rivalry with the Bulldogs in the 2000s. Plough is a very good coach and he got that team into two prelims,” Frawley told the Herald Sun’s Sacked podcast.
“I think it was just after the Knights incident when Liberatore got five weeks. There was a bit of a fracas. I remember copping a fair old fine after that because the fifth quarter was always the toughest for a coach, especially when you get beaten.
“I got outcoached that particular day at the MCG. Plough played a few games and I am the first to admit I got outcoached and we got outplayed. Knights got felled behind the play, I had sort of flashbacks from 1988 with Dermott (Brereton) which was on the same particular ground.
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“I was told by the media man Tony Greenberg don’t go with the Knights thing, but I got asked by you guys probing with questions. I straight batted them at first, but then they said, ‘C’mon surely after a lot of probing, you must have something to say about the incident with Tony Liberatore and Matty Knights’.
“And I said, ‘The only thing I will say is that every dog will have his day’. As soon as I said it, I thought that second of satisfaction is good but it probably wasn’t the best thing to say.”
Frawley was fined $6000 (half suspended) for his comments and marching Knights over to the umpires at quarter time.
“I put that pressure back on the players and we played the corresponding game at Etihad on the Friday night and the lead-up was huge, because of the flashbacks of what I said, and Channel 9 were doing the broadcast. They did a great job with a lot of people watching.
“The theatre of that game was huge, and to win the game was great, and I think we won the next four or five games and participated in the finals.
“As a coach I did apologise to the players after the game because I put a lot of undue pressure on them. They knew that, and after the game we could all take a deep breath.
“That was the game that sits in my memory and we were probably a bit lucky because David Bourke nearly ripped Nathan Brown’s head off near the end.”
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