Cats star\u2019s brutally honest reveal over injury mystery before huge return<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s why Magpies premiership coach Mick Malthouse thinks Fraser wouldn\u2019t have enjoyed his final year at the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Josh was probably a bit sad he wasn\u2019t getting a game the last few years when Darren Jolly came on board. That\u2019s probably a natural reaction,\u201d Malthouse told foxfooty.com.au this week.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Swanny\u2019 says it a bit differently but that\u2019s just his opinion. I think when you fall out of the senior side, you tend not to like what\u2019s happening around you. And that\u2019s when we were flying.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who\u2019s a senior player and not in the main squad is clearly gong to be disappointed. That\u2019s just a natural human reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Travis Cloke, who, like Swan, starred in that 2010 premiership season, thinks it illustrates the \u201cdifferent personalities\u201d at footy clubs.<\/p>\n
Cloke said he was \u201cshocked\u201d when Fraser left for the Suns in 2011 as someone he once thought of as a captain-in-waiting at Collingwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t disagree with what Dane said, but I saw a different side to Josh, as well,\u201d Cloke told foxfooty.com.au this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan Lonie, Shane O\u2019Bree and Shane Wakelin were the types of guys Josh hung around and they were different personalities to Dane.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich, I am too, I\u2019m probably different to all three. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, I jokingly used to call Josh \u2018skipper\u2019. I truly believed he was going to be the next captain after Nathan Buckley and Scotty Burns.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when Josh left Collingwood to go to Gold Coast, I was a little bit shocked, because I had a good relationship with Josh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh Fraser moved to Gold Coast in 2011 (Photo by Lucas Dawson\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
\u2018WORE HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE\u2019, TEXT THAT SHOWS HIS \u2018RELATIONSHIP SKILLS\u2019<\/p>\n
Malthouse joined Collingwood at virtually the same time as Fraser \u2014 the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft \u2014 ahead of the 2000 season.<\/p>\n
The three-time premiership coach\u2019s early impressions of the young ruckman were that he had \u201cfantastic character\u201d and played with passion.<\/p>\n
And for essentially that entire decade, Fraser was Collingwood\u2019s main ruckman and a key leader under Malthouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wore his heart on his sleeve and he was one of those kids that just gave everything,\u201d Malthouse said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember him crying one day after a game we\u2019d lost to Melbourne and he\u2019d just battled his heart out. I knew then he had fantastic character in terms of the commitment of wanting to play his best footy and he wanted to be part of a good club.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time, Malthouse never analysed or looked at Fraser as someone who could potentially become a senior coach one day.<\/p>\n
He only really thought of him as a \u201cvery smart player\u201d and someone who \u201cloved the game\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably one of the best grand finals I\u2019ve coached in is 2002 (against Brisbane). He was a young player that was able to go up against some very, very handy opponents,\u201d Malthouse said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my mind, I wasn\u2019t looking at who\u2019s going to coach and who wasn\u2019t going to coach. It\u2019s only when you finish coaching you start to look at who has the potential coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite frankly, he was smart operator. I saw him as an assistant coach and maybe a development ruck coach or forward coach. But I wasn\u2019t looking to see if Josh was going to be a senior coach, because I didn\u2019t know whether he wanted to be a senior coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Malthouse, Nathan Buckley and Josh Fraser in 2002 (Photo by Mark Dadswell\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Malthouse thinks Fraser\u2019s \u201cdownfall\u201d as a player started when he suffered a PCL injury in the 2008 Australian Football Hall of Fame Tribute Match.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon he lost a lot of confidence in his ability to get around in the air, particularly as a ruckman. And probably subconsciously protected the knee – and has every right to, a PCL is a curse of ruckman,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs it turned out, Darren Jolly played in the grand finals in those couple of years we were in them and Josh missed out in 2010. <\/p>\n
Cloke recalled Fraser being a \u201ckind person\u201d and \u201cgood leader\u201d when the father-son product first arrived at Collingwood late in 2004.<\/p>\n
Granted, Cloke didn\u2019t see Fraser as a future senior coach. But he did think the ruckman could\u2019ve stayed in footy.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve reconnected some 20 years on, with Cloke now coaching Fraser\u2019s son, Ted, a 16-year old bottom-ager for Oakleigh Chargers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get to know the guy a bit more and his wife, Kylie. They\u2019re beautiful people and that\u2019s why we\u2019re seeing such a good correlation to coaching,\u201d Cloke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI truly believe as long as you have your people skills together, it\u2019s almost halfway to being a good senior coach. Because you are managing people and personalities most of the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe philosophy of your coaching is normally put together with three or four other assistants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Malthouse and Josh Fraser at training in 2002. (Photo by Robert Cianflone\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Cloke said Fraser is \u201cpurely a father in our environment\u201d that doesn\u2019t get too involved in the footy side of things.<\/p>\n
When the ex-teammates do catch up, it\u2019s rarely about footy and more a \u201cgeneral chat\u201d about life.<\/p>\n
Though Cloke was sure to reach out to Fraser when he was given the Blues caretaker role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the day he got the role as stand-in coach at Carlton, I flicked him a message and congratulated him,\u201d Cloke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wrote back straight away and said: \u2018Thanks mate, really looking forward to the opportunity\u2019. To me, it just shows the relationship skills he has.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s lost his authenticity of who Josh Fraser is through the whole stage of being the Carlton coach for the last 10 weeks. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a country kid originally, he\u2019s a down-to-earth type of person and I think we\u2019re still seeing that when he talks to the media and presents to the playing group, you\u2019re seeing his genuine personality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s why the players have bought in and are really loving the journey he\u2019s bringing them on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to seeing what Fraser can do this year and in the future because I truly believe he\u2019s got his s*** together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travis Cloke with Josh Fraser embrace as opponentsSource: News LimitedTravis Cloke and Josh Fraser at trainingSource: News Limited<\/p>\n
READY OR NOT? BECOMING THE GUY AT CARLTON<\/p>\n
Most of the footy world was surprised when Fraser was given the interim reins at Carlton over senior assistant Ash Hansen.<\/p>\n
Fraser has coached his own side sides before at VFL level, so it\u2019s not like he wasn\u2019t cut out for it. But he\u2019d only been back at Carlton this year. <\/p>\n
Whereas Hansen has been in the running for other head coaching opportunities and he\u2019s seen by some as a senior coach-in-waiting.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Malthouse wasn\u2019t surprised the Blues went with Fraser.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, only because I reckon clubs work differently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think (club chief) Graham Wright probably works a bit differently. Ash Hansen may well have been closer to it and he\u2019s probably keeping his powder dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cJosh was in many respects thrown to the wolves. But I think a lot of people forget that Josh has a very cool, calm mind. He\u2019s not going to get overly stressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh Fraser as senior coach of the Northern Blues in 2018 (Photo by Scott Barbour\/AFL Media\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Malthouse would ultimately love to see Fraser get the role on a permanent basis, even if Fraser himself is still up in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe simple fact he keeps resisting he\u2019s going to put his hand up is an indicator he\u2019s quite content just to do the best he can: \u2018Whatever comes, comes,\u2019 more so than, \u2018I\u2019m hanging out there, I\u2019m jumping into it\u2019,\u201d Malthouse said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not surprised at his response, regardless of how many wins they had. The likelihood is he could win another three or four games and I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll change his disposition and I\u2019m not 100 per cent sure it would even change his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh Fraser and Patrick Cripps celebrate a Blues win (Photo by James Wiltshire\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTSJosh Fraser has emerges as a candidate for the Blues role on a permanent basis (Photo by Mark Brake\/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Conversely, Cloke was taken aback that Fraser was given the keys over Hansen, who Cloke spent a year with at the Western Bulldogs in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, yes,\u201d Cloke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to say, Ash is an amazing coach. I really enjoyed my relationship with Ash and I have the utmost respect for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I was a bit surprised, but I dunno \u2014 some coaches don\u2019t want to take an interim role. You look at other clubs in the AFL and it can hurt your application or sales pitch to the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that was Ash\u2019s reason, he didn\u2019t want it, knowing it was going to be such a large period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cloke joked that while Malthouse and ex-Magpie Dale Thomas both \u201cdestroyed\u201d Carlton when they switched allegiances, \u201cthe reality is Fraser has turned the club around\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone could see the talent Carlton had talent on its list, they just couldn\u2019t finish games. Maybe Josh has been able to unlock that. Would Ash have had the same success? Possibly, who knows,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing from people from Collingwood that had Josh the last few years, they loved him and what he was able to bring to that program. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s only been at Carlton for 10 months and under his leadership they\u2019re blossoming and growing. I would say your common denominator is one man and that\u2019s Josh Fraser. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pumped for him and proud of him. But at the same time, I\u2019m intrigued to see what happens in the next few months like everyone else in the AFL world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of Collingwood\u2019s favourite sons is now leading the arch-enemy camp and has become a saviour of sorts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":805542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-805541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/805542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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