NTFA: Rickie Dolliver opens up on his sacking at Scottsdale
A local footy coach sacked suddenly by a battling Tasmanian club earlier this week has hit out at the decision. See what they said.
Axed Scottsdale coach Rickie Dolliver has lashed the Magpie’s shock decision to sack him just one year into a two season deal as “outrageous” and “pretty harrowing”.
A “bitterly disappointed” Dolliver said he had been encouraged by the support of the Scottsdale football community after the club informed him they were severing ties on Wednesday.
Ethan Petterwood, who previously coached the club from 2020 to 2023, was named as his replacement just a day later.
Dolliver has also told the club he will seek the full payment of his two-year contract which began in November 2024.
“The last 48 hours has been pretty harrowing, as you can imagine,” Dolliver said.
“I’ve had a lot of support from the town though, well wishers on the phone every five minutes. I think the wrong decision’s been made and so do the majority of the town.
“I’m bitterly disappointed, 98 per cent of the community want me to stay and it’s been overwhelming the support I’ve had from the competition.
“I’ve had calls from people and players at other clubs who have said it’s not right, how has this happened.
“The general community has been outstanding. I wish the club all the best with the future, but I clearly just don’t agree with their decision.”
Dolliver believes the team had shown signs of improvement after several three figure beltings, including falling just short of a maiden win in the last round against Deloraine.
“I clearly don’t agree with the decision. I feel we’ve made inroads on the ground and off field with the kids we had and the recruitment we were able to do, and only being given a few months notice before taking the job.
“North beat us by 300 points, we got that down to about 100 the last time we played them. Deloraine beat us by 60 or 70, we got that down to two points the last round and should have won the game.
“The improvement on field with limited personnel, I feel, was there for everyone to see. The juniors who doubled up most weeks to make sure we didn’t forfeit games, they’re the backbone of the club and they’ll continue to be.”
Manuel Hall was Scottsdale’s interim president from early August before officially being ratified as president with a new-look board at last Friday’s annual general meeting.
Asked by this masthead for his response to Dolliver’s claims about the thoroughness of the review, Hall said: “They (coaches and players) have absolutely been part of the process and an important part of the process, for sure.
“The only communications I’ve had since this has happened has been positive. I haven’t had anyone come to me with anything negative at all.
“Everyone respects Rickie, I respect Rickie. The timing of it, there’s been some backlash of that with a new board (voted in) on Friday and it hasn’t been a week yet.
“But once the board decided to go this way, every other day we delay it is going to drag on. We had to make change now.”
Dolliver has been grateful for the community’s support during a difficult few days.
“Manuel’s said himself I’ve done nothing wrong by the club, I’ve tried my guts out but in his own words he said the club needed to be going in a different direction,” he said.
“The footy community is right behind the club, we had more people there Thursday nights and got more of the old people back to the club, and our crowds at most games were better than everyone else’s.”
Asked if he expects the club to pay the entirety of his two year contract, Dolliver said: “Yes they will. I have a two year agreement, a signed contract.
“They’ve known right from the start it’s a two year deal, all the way up to (current NTFA president) Peter Gutwein, who was patron at the time of Scottsdale.
“I discussed I won’t be accepting any less to the amount we agreed to, I’ve left it with them.
“I’ve picked up stumps from Canberra and left my wife and kids there to come down and help out the footy club.
“To only be given ten months of a two year deal is outrageous to be honest.”
Rickie’s son, 25-year-old Zac, had also been recruited by Scottsdale for next season but will no longer play for the Magpies.
