‘Hated footy’: How a Pies favourite son became arch enemy’s unlikely saviour

One of Collingwood’s favourite sons is now leading the arch-enemy camp and has become a saviour of sorts for Carlton.

He’s swapped the black and white stripes for navy blue a few times.

Josh Fraser played 200 games for Collingwood and has held development and assistant coaching roles at both clubs.

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Fraser’s return to Ikon Park this season saw him rapidly rise to prominence in a way not many saw coming when he was installed as caretaker coach after Michael Voss’ departure in May.

And a 7-1 run as Carlton coach leading into Saturday night’s clash against his old mob has suddenly forced his name into the conversation for the gig on a permanent basis.

Even if Fraser, 44, has repeatedly pushed back at the idea of throwing his hat in the ring … for now.

Not even Fraser’s former teammates and long-time coach could’ve foreseen him becoming a senior coach one day.

The always cheeky Dane Swan said on Dabble last month he thought Fraser “hated footy” all those years ago and suggested “he was the last person on the list that would’ve stayed in footy.”

Granted, the end of Fraser’s playing days at Collingwood ended in less than ideal circumstances.

Trade recruit Darren Jolly took over as the Pies’ number one ruckman in 2010 and Fraser fell out of favour and ultimately missed out on playing in the premiership.

Fraser moved to Gold Coast the following year as an inaugural Suns player.

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It’s why Magpies premiership coach Mick Malthouse thinks Fraser wouldn’t have enjoyed his final year at the club.

“I think Josh was probably a bit sad he wasn’t getting a game the last few years when Darren Jolly came on board. That’s probably a natural reaction,” Malthouse told foxfooty.com.au this week.

“‘Swanny’ says it a bit differently but that’s just his opinion. I think when you fall out of the senior side, you tend not to like what’s happening around you. And that’s when we were flying.

“Anyone who’s a senior player and not in the main squad is clearly gong to be disappointed. That’s just a natural human reaction.”

Meanwhile, Travis Cloke, who, like Swan, starred in that 2010 premiership season, thinks it illustrates the “different personalities” at footy clubs.

Cloke said he was “shocked” when Fraser left for the Suns in 2011 as someone he once thought of as a captain-in-waiting at Collingwood.

“I don’t disagree with what Dane said, but I saw a different side to Josh, as well,” Cloke told foxfooty.com.au this week.

“Ryan Lonie, Shane O’Bree and Shane Wakelin were the types of guys Josh hung around and they were different personalities to Dane.

“Which, I am too, I’m probably different to all three.

“At the same time, I jokingly used to call Josh ‘skipper’. I truly believed he was going to be the next captain after Nathan Buckley and Scotty Burns.

“So when Josh left Collingwood to go to Gold Coast, I was a little bit shocked, because I had a good relationship with Josh.”

‘WORE HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE’, TEXT THAT SHOWS HIS ‘RELATIONSHIP SKILLS’

Malthouse joined Collingwood at virtually the same time as Fraser — the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft — ahead of the 2000 season.

The three-time premiership coach’s early impressions of the young ruckman were that he had “fantastic character” and played with passion.

And for essentially that entire decade, Fraser was Collingwood’s main ruckman and a key leader under Malthouse.

“He wore his heart on his sleeve and he was one of those kids that just gave everything,” Malthouse said.

“I remember him crying one day after a game we’d lost to Melbourne and he’d 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.”

At the time, Malthouse never analysed or looked at Fraser as someone who could potentially become a senior coach one day.

He only really thought of him as a “very smart player” and someone who “loved the game”.

“Probably one of the best grand finals I’ve coached in is 2002 (against Brisbane). He was a young player that was able to go up against some very, very handy opponents,” Malthouse said.

“In my mind, I wasn’t looking at who’s going to coach and who wasn’t going to coach. It’s only when you finish coaching you start to look at who has the potential coach.

“Quite frankly, he was smart operator. I saw him as an assistant coach and maybe a development ruck coach or forward coach. But I wasn’t looking to see if Josh was going to be a senior coach, because I didn’t know whether he wanted to be a senior coach.”

Malthouse thinks Fraser’s “downfall” as a player started when he suffered a PCL injury in the 2008 Australian Football Hall of Fame Tribute Match.

“I 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,” he continued.

“As 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.

Cloke recalled Fraser being a “kind person” and “good leader” when the father-son product first arrived at Collingwood late in 2004.

Granted, Cloke didn’t see Fraser as a future senior coach. But he did think the ruckman could’ve stayed in footy.

They’ve reconnected some 20 years on, with Cloke now coaching Fraser’s son, Ted, a 16-year old bottom-ager for Oakleigh Chargers.

“You get to know the guy a bit more and his wife, Kylie. They’re beautiful people and that’s why we’re seeing such a good correlation to coaching,” Cloke said.

“I truly believe as long as you have your people skills together, it’s almost halfway to being a good senior coach. Because you are managing people and personalities most of the time.

“The philosophy of your coaching is normally put together with three or four other assistants.”

Cloke said Fraser is “purely a father in our environment” that doesn’t get too involved in the footy side of things.

When the ex-teammates do catch up, it’s rarely about footy and more a “general chat” about life.

Though Cloke was sure to reach out to Fraser when he was given the Blues caretaker role.

“I remember the day he got the role as stand-in coach at Carlton, I flicked him a message and congratulated him,” Cloke said.

“He wrote back straight away and said: ‘Thanks mate, really looking forward to the opportunity’. To me, it just shows the relationship skills he has.

“I don’t think he’s lost his authenticity of who Josh Fraser is through the whole stage of being the Carlton coach for the last 10 weeks.

“He’s a country kid originally, he’s a down-to-earth type of person and I think we’re still seeing that when he talks to the media and presents to the playing group, you’re seeing his genuine personality.

“I think that’s why the players have bought in and are really loving the journey he’s bringing them on.

“I look forward to seeing what Fraser can do this year and in the future because I truly believe he’s got his s*** together.”

READY OR NOT? BECOMING THE GUY AT CARLTON

Most of the footy world was surprised when Fraser was given the interim reins at Carlton over senior assistant Ash Hansen.

Fraser has coached his own side sides before at VFL level, so it’s not like he wasn’t cut out for it. But he’d only been back at Carlton this year.

Whereas Hansen has been in the running for other head coaching opportunities and he’s seen by some as a senior coach-in-waiting.

Despite this, Malthouse wasn’t surprised the Blues went with Fraser.

“No, only because I reckon clubs work differently,” he said.

“I just think (club chief) Graham Wright probably works a bit differently. Ash Hansen may well have been closer to it and he’s probably keeping his powder dry.

“Josh 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’s not going to get overly stressed.”

Malthouse would ultimately love to see Fraser get the role on a permanent basis, even if Fraser himself is still up in the air.

“The simple fact he keeps resisting he’s going to put his hand up is an indicator he’s quite content just to do the best he can: ‘Whatever comes, comes,’ more so than, ‘I’m hanging out there, I’m jumping into it’,” Malthouse said.

“I’m 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’t think it’ll change his disposition and I’m not 100 per cent sure it would even change his mind.”

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.

“To be honest, yes,” Cloke said.

“I’ve got to say, Ash is an amazing coach. I really enjoyed my relationship with Ash and I have the utmost respect for him.

“So, I was a bit surprised, but I dunno — some coaches don’t 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.

“Maybe that was Ash’s reason, he didn’t want it, knowing it was going to be such a large period of time.”

Cloke joked that while Malthouse and ex-Magpie Dale Thomas both “destroyed” Carlton when they switched allegiances, “the reality is Fraser has turned the club around”.

“I think everyone could see the talent Carlton had talent on its list, they just couldn’t finish games. Maybe Josh has been able to unlock that. Would Ash have had the same success? Possibly, who knows,” he said.

“Hearing from people from Collingwood that had Josh the last few years, they loved him and what he was able to bring to that program.

“He’s only been at Carlton for 10 months and under his leadership they’re blossoming and growing. I would say your common denominator is one man and that’s Josh Fraser.

“I’m pumped for him and proud of him. But at the same time, I’m intrigued to see what happens in the next few months like everyone else in the AFL world.”

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