Jon Anderson examines Brett Ratten’s time at Carlton and why he is ready to coach again

HE has spent the last five years working under one of the greatest AFL coaches of all-time but is Brett Ratten ready to take on another top job? JON ANDERSON examines Ratten’s journey.

Is the time right for Brett Ratten to return to coaching?

AS the silly season ends and the coaching merry-go-round cranks up a gear, the search for those in waiting will typically become feverish.

Some favourite applicants who have been at the coalface, others the production line from Alastair Clarkson’s finishing school at Hawthorn that has produced current coaches in Brendon Bolton, Luke Beveridge, Leon Cameron, Chris Fagan, Damien Hardwick and Adam Simpson.

Or what about someone who fits both those categories, a 46-year-old whose first stint was ended after a 116-game journey that is looking better by the year?

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Meet Brett Ratten, now Hawthorn midfield coach, who has wide-ranging support from an industry that isn’t always expansive in praise to coaches whose tenure is brought to an abrupt end.

When he inherited the Carlton job during the 2007 season from Denis Pagan, the Blues were a basket case and possibly not overly concerned about winning their last six games given their desire for a priority selection which would lead to the recruitment of Matthew Kreuzer.

The Blues lost six straight under Ratten but were competitive in five of them, enough to suggest they had their man.

Brett Ratten talks to Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn training. Picture: Matt Turner

So at age 36 a much-loved son without a huge background in coaching (two years as an assistant at Melbourne, two as coach of Eastern Football League team Norwood) had the job he coveted, coaching the team he had been a champion for in 255 games between 1990-2003 (three best and fairests, two All-Australians).

He was to be the first of a quartet of favourite sons returning home as coach, Michael Voss (Brisbane) James Hird (Essendon) and Nathan Buckley (Collingwood) following suit over the next five years.

At the time of writing none had had a happy conclusion, although Buckley continues to press his claim for another chance after six largely fruitless seasons.

When it came to an inglorious ending, Ratten, like Voss, went to club land, ending up at the best finishing school in the business at Hawthorn under the tutelage of the current master in Clarkson.

But it’s one thing being in the company of greatness and an altogether different thing learning from it. According to insiders at Hawthorn, Ratten has studied hard and productively at a club that has provided him with ample opportunity to broaden his horizons.

“Brett is at a club that has a willingness to ensure coaches are educated and supported with their professional development, in welfare and recruiting, IT and technology,” said one Hawthorn figure during the week.

Few doubt he possesses the footballing knowledge to coach again, his understanding of the game being something that stuck out during his playing days under David Parkin.

Brett Ratten while coaching Carlton.

“His understanding of the game is obvious, something I was aware of when coaching him. He would grab me during breaks in games to make suggestions, which I didn’t need much prompting to take on,” said Parkin.

“I think deep down he would love the opportunity to have another go and no doubt the Hawthorn experience will have seen him become even better, and when you look back his record at Carlton stands up pretty well.”

Ratten won’t campaign publicly, that’s not his style, but others who know him also have no doubt he would grab a second chance with both hands.

In May he said in an interview he would be “interested” if the right job came up, and referenced the tragic 2015 death of his teenage son Cooper.

“A lot of things have changed in my life in the last few years — I’ve just got to make sure the choices I make are not just for me ... it’s really about my family,” he said.

Ratten ended at Carlton with a win rate of 50.4 per cent, but also with a reputation for struggling at times to play the people game.

He fell out with or didn’t respect a couple of key stakeholders and was unable to hide his feelings.

At Hawthorn he is described as “very, very popular, blessed with a beautiful nature, someone who is inclusive within the whole workplace”.

A very different workplace than the testy political climate of Carlton during his years there, a cultural difference that hit Ratten just weeks after arriving to work with the Hawks.

Which makes his 2011 first semi-final performance to take the Blues to within three points of a star-studded West Coast side at Subiaco all the more impressive, Carlton having reached that stage by thrashing Essendon in an elimination final.

Or two years earlier losing to Brisbane at the Gabba by seven points in an elimination final, before going down by just three the next season to Sydney at ANZ Stadium at the same stage of September.

A stray kick here or there and he’s brought the type of success to Carlton that has been extremely rare since they finished sixth in 2001.

To gain more insight into Ratten, here are the views of three people who worked with him in different areas during his Carlton years.

Brett Ratten speaking to Daniel Howe at Hawthorn training. Picture: Getty Images

THE COACH

Mark “Bomber” Riley

One-time Melbourne caretaker coach, Carlton, Fremantle and Gold Coast assistant and current coach of St Bernard’s in the VAFA

“To think we got to fifth spot and within four points of a prelim with Robert Warnock and Setanta O’hAilpin rucking against Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.

Even in the sacking year we were 11 wins and a percentage of 108 per cent. We became a legitimate footy side under Ratts even if Carlton did no development of him whatsoever.

I’ve always had the impression he was the caretaker coach after Denis and the caretaker coach in his full-time role just until Carlton could get a big name. That’s how they rolled back then.

Did he worry too much about other departments? There might have been a little bit to that but I think that gets exaggerated. I can tell you at Carlton we had no collaboration. We had no relationship with the high performance unit run by Justin Cordy, and he and “Ratts” didn’t get on and he had a sh-t relationship with ‘Stick’ (football operations boss Steven Icke).

He didn’t get much support but he just got better organically. I’ve had nothing to do with him in a football level since we both left Carlton but if you just put the pieces together he’s just spent five years at the best place to learn in Hawthorn.

Everyone should be better the second time around and I can assure you Brett Ratten would be.

If there’s a knock then he’s not a great media operator. He doesn’t play that game. But he’s such a genuine bloke in an industry so full of bullsh-t artists.”

Brett Ratten with Shaun Burgoyne after the 2015 Grand Final. Picture: AFL Media

Brett Ratten and a young Bryce Gibbs after a Carlton win.

THE PLAYER

Heath Scotland

Collingwood, then Carlton under Ratten

“I certainly rated him. He turned us around very quickly on-field and his work off-field was underestimated.

He got our “points against” down from 110 to around 80. He played our players to their strengths.

In 2011 we were a kick off a prelim with a side that wasn’t the best. Tactically he was clearly on top of things. In three interstate finals we were highly competitive.

He challenged me to become a better footballer and I felt I played my best footy under him. Plenty of other players would say the same. Some maybe thought he micromanaged a little bit, which I didn’t find. But the place was an insecure environment to be in.

He’s a good person, Brett Ratten. I think it’s a shame he hasn’t got a second opportunity because I have no doubt he could coach successfully in the AFL.”

Brett Ratten leading a Carlton training session.

THE MEDIA MAN

Ian Coutts

Carlton media manager, 1995-2012

“He would have learnt a lot, particularly about his focus and what he as a coach needed to concentrate on. Unfortunately for him his love of the club didn’t necessarily help him because he got involved in areas that he didn’t need to.

And I think we as a club failed him by not providing the administration support he required as a young coach. I have no doubt his journey would have been different had we given him that support.

“Can he coach? I’m not fully qualified to answer that but plenty of people who are say he can. As to his quality as a person, I will never forget the way he conducted himself when he resigned. He was outstanding and that proved he was in for the long haul, and knew how to play the game.”