Pies Skip Quiz, Not Multiple Choice
The Age
Wednesday January 30, 2008
JAMES CLEMENT'S sudden retirement scuppered Collingwood's leadership succession plans and created a quandary. What leader should the club choose - short-term or long? It did not tempt the club to blend choices and opt for multiple captains.
While the trend of multiple captains had become popular at many clubs, Collingwood would not be drawn into following suit, coach Michael Malthouse said."Collingwood will not have two captains or three captains or four captains - Collingwood will have one captain," Malthouse said.While the coach was close to establishing his choice, he would not make a final decision until after the high-altitude camp in South Africa and the pre-season competition. Collingwood seems to have no obvious candidate capable of blending the on-field team leadership role while simultaneously being an articulate face of the club and being of an age to hold the job for several years."That is the balancing act to ensure you get someone who represents the club," Malthouse said."The person has to be good enough to not only be the club's football captain but to be the club captain . . . there is a distinct difference because (there is) the off-field, which Buckley was so good at, and the on-field, which Buckley was so good at. But I don't know whether Nathan was a great captain when he started."So is it an Anthony Rocca, Scott Burns-type person when they are in their 30s and closing in on the end of their career? Is it a next-level Lockyer, Nick Maxwell, Josh Fraser, in that bracket of 29 down to 25?"Is it a right out of the blue that you put in there a Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas, with back-up from a Harry O'Brien? Because they are all in the leadership group? Or a Ben Johnson? There is a lot to look at, so we are not rushing it."Nick Maxwell would seem a strong candidate but is not among the club's best players. Should the captain be among the elite? Should he be a player capable of personally influencing the game?"Was Mike Brearley (in the elite of his side)? He was an adequate batsman, he was an adequate fieldsman; he could not bowl. He was never in their top echelon but he moulded a side that won the Ashes in Australia."(Ian) Botham was a wonderful player (but) he could not get a run or get a wicket as a captain. You have got to be careful - not all great players are great captains. Good solid citizens can be just as effective. But you would not want your captain playing in the seconds."We don't pick this for the public; we pick this for Collingwood. We have to be careful we don't go in and say, 'Who is the best player?', and make them captain because last year it was Travis Cloke, and he is a 20-year-old centre-half forward who it would be far too early to thrust into that role."Is it Scott Pendlebury? He is a different player altogether and he was runner-up in the best and fairest, so should they be captain and vice-captain?"Collingwood has not confronted a decision on the captaincy since Nathan Buckley was given the role in 1999.
© 2008 The Age
