Josh Fraser says he was not invited to be part of Carlton’s head coaching recruitment process.
Meanwhile, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has explained the intentions behind his meeting with Brisbane free agent Lachie Neil. Read more at AFL Daily..
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Fraser’s revelation comes as his popularity continues to soar, with the Blues’ winning streak stretching to six games under his leadership.
But he has never indicated a desire to coach the club full-time and was not on the six-name shortlist recently released.
Geelong assistants James Kelly and James Rahilly, Hawthorn’s Daniel Giansiracusa, St Kilda’s highly touted Corey Enright, the Bulldogs’ Brendon Lade and Fremantle’s Jamie Graham make up at least six names vying for the job.
Experienced coaches Ken Hinckley and John Longmire are also expected to be of interest to Carlton officials.
On Thursday morning, Frazier officially confirmed that he did not get a pat on the back, saying a simple and direct “no” when asked about it at his weekly press conference.
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The interim chief was asked what he thought about the ongoing process taking place behind closed doors.
“That’s part of it,” he said. “My role now and my responsibility to the players and the football club is as interim coach.
“I respect the process that happens on the side, I didn’t pay any attention to it, to be honest.
“I think once I start doing that it will take away from the energy and focus I need for our playgroup.”
Asked if he sees himself at Carlton next year, regardless of the role, he replied: “Yes, I do.
“I see myself being involved in promoting the football club,” he said.
Josh Fraser says he was not invited to participate in Carlton’s coaching hiring process. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Fraser was also asked about comments made by Chris Davies in late May when the Blues football boss said of the club’s talent: “I still don’t think this list is ultimately good enough to compete at the top level.”
But the remark came after Carlton’s second win in a row. Since then, he has won four more games in a row. So, is this assessment still valid?
“I think we’re getting results at this point, but I still think we have a lot of work to do,” Fraser said.
“And that expands our list… so that’s part of it. Driving standards are another part; the way we train and teach, there’s a holistic approach to that.
“But yeah, I think there’s always work on your list.”
Amid further questions about the future of captain Patrick Cripps, Fraser was also asked whether player ownership had improved since he took over as manager.
“I think it’s difficult to answer because I arrived in November, so I haven’t been here (before that).
“But over the last six weeks we’ve put a lot of emphasis on delegating things to the playing group and giving them responsibility, and they seem to like it.”
The former Collingwood athlete was asked to reflect on his self-improvement and what he has learned since he started working.
“I think it gave me the opportunity to draw on past experiences and confirm some of my philosophical views,” he said.
“And be challenged in different ways in terms of what this temporary work entails.
“At some point I will be able to take a breath and think a little more. At the moment, as we know, things are moving quite quickly in the industry.
“So I’ve tried to talk less about myself and more about the band, but I feel like I’m learning a lot.”
Fraser and the Blues are aiming for a seventh straight win on Saturday night when they take on Richmond.
The Zach Merrett Mystery for the Bombers | 01:48
ROSS COY ON THE NILE “DINNER OF FRIENDSHIP”
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has downplayed his “friendship dinner” with two-time Brownlow medalist and free agent Lachie Neale.
The Brisbane Lion star is out of contract at the end of the year and has attracted interest from Collingwood, Essendon and now St Kilda.
Neil meets his former Fremantle coach after the Lions’ match with Geelong on Thursday night.
Lyon spoke about his pre-existing relationship with Neil and called the catch-up “overblown.”
“To be honest, this close friend will be there too, we have a mutual friend and there were no pre-discussions or anything like that,” Lyon said.
“Except this clearly took place in an AFL environment and I would simply describe it as a normal dinner with both people window shopping.
“Of course, neither side has serious intentions. Lachi has a game today and is playing excellent football for his club.”
“Our dinners tend to remain private, I know Laci and I haven’t talked about it so it speaks less honestly to other people. That’s fine, I’ll leave it at that.”
Ross Lyon talks about his secret meeting with Lachie Neale.Source: FOX SPORTS
Lyon said the announcement that St Kilda star Nasia Wanganeen-Milera would be attending the dinner was a bargaining chip he threw in himself.
“It was just a red herring I threw in to get you all excited, and that’s what it was, (but) it’s not true, and that’s okay, both sides of the fence don’t give the facts most of the time,” he laughed.
Neil, who played a key role in the Lions’ back-to-back premierships, played 135 games for Fremantle under Lyon.
Lyon called Neil a “special player” but denied any romantic involvement regarding their reunion as player and coach at Moorabbin.
“It’s a friendly catch-up… we’re too late to even think about (Neal’s recruitment), we’re just doing our due diligence on the situation,” he said.
“Because I wouldn’t think he’d leave Brisbane and I still don’t think it’s guaranteed.
“If Collingwood, Essendon, everyone is talking to Lachie, then I can slip between the first and the main: ‘Mate, what are you thinking of doing with your life and football?’
“Obviously it was a turbulent time, but it speaks to his preparation and dedication… I’d like to leave it at that.
“Romance is your word, what’s the likelihood? I’ll put it again: This is a friendly dinner that somehow turned into this circus.”
Lyon, in good spirits, later joked that Neil could be the “cherry” for the young Saints group tasked with leading the club to success.
“We need it to be Nas (Wanganeen-Millera), (Matthaes) Phillipou, (Hugo) Garcia, (Darcy) Wilson, (Tom) De Koning for the next five or six years, no doubt, (Hugh) Boxshall, (Charlie) Bamfield… add Lachie Neil, I don’t know,” he joked.
— Tyler Lewis, NCA NewsWire