DARREN MONCRIEFF
Thursday 10 May 2012
NOTHING is certain in football, not even your position as head coach after taking a team from wooden-spooners one season to within 25 minutes of breaking a near 50-year premiership drought the next.
As Maurice Motlop (pictured) has found out.
The now former Nightcliff senior coach, better known as "Mo", was sensationally sacked this week following an internal review among the club's senior players.
Motlop was informed the Tigers would be advertising for a new coach and that he would have no role at the club next season.
"The structure of the current contract -- one year with an option to renew for an additional year -- was in anticipation of an analysis of key benchmarks," Nightcliff president Mark Kelly said in a statement.
"The committee believe the club would now benefit by embracing some experience that will deliver a long-term strategy to the coaching group."
Motlop was furious at the news.
"I won't lose any sleep over this," he said. "I won't be reapplying and I don't care what the club does now," he reportedly said.
It is speculated that communication with the playing group was at the heart of player dissatisfaction, which came out in the reviews. Senior players at the club were reportedly frustrated at Motlop's style, from game-day to training instructions.
It was revealed Motlop was hamstrung by an apparent edict from the top that he play non-locals in the senior side ahead of homegrown talent, who were left to languish in the club's reserves.
Whatever the truth of the matter, Motlop had Nightcliff within striking distance of ending the club's 47-year premiership duck. But a final-quarter burst by Tiwi Bombers in the NTFL Premier League Grand Final in March put paid to that.
Such was the Tigers' resurgence last season, they were minor premiers with a 15-3 win-loss ratio, three games clear of the Bombers on 12-5.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 11/05/2012 15:18