New Richmond Coach? AFL Coaches. Young? Old? Average Age?
How silly is the debate about AFL coaches and age right now.
AFL is such an insular sport and simply there are only 16 jobs available right now. Even in Gridiron there are more jobs and then good jobs at Universities in the US. Soccer and Rugby Union are worldwide so there is a huge pool. And in all sports simply the best coach gets the job with individual athletes and/or teams.
I saw the development of full time AFL. And in 2006/2007 I assisted the Western Bulldogs with a consultancy on their ACL injury plight and speed and power programs. I pointed them in the direction of where the game was going, repeat speed and repeat power and specificity. I provided an insight into how far behind the club had been in overall development from physical preparation to staff needs and so on. Not so much that their coaching or fitness had been poor, but how poorly resourced they had been given they had done an amazing job with little.
All of the current crop of young AFL coaches played AFL footy full time. They experienced this 9 to 5 job. I had been involved in track and field here and overseas so was privy to sports science and full time training. But when I went to Essendon in 1988 I got the shock of my life when players were turning up in overalls at 5.30. This continued till 1993 when Essendon dabbled in F/T footy. And even in the UK soccer had fallen behind Europe in the 90’s given the ‘OLD” coaches were clinging to the old days. But hey Hiddink is old and he knows what is needed in elite sport? Confused! Think about the wealth of jobs and the width and breadth of the soccer industry and so one is simply a coach.
But till 2000 many of the “old” coaches still wanted to train at 4.30 and Mark Thompson used Denis Pagan’s timetable in 2000 despite the reality we should train full time and that AFL was a 9 to 5 job now. But Kangas won a flag so 4.30 must be the right time eh?
So many of the “old” coaches from the VFL had to be dragged kicking and shouting into modern AFL or more correctly, Elite Sport.
I organized an expedition to the AIS in 1997 at Essendon and it took a lot of push to get people to go and Peter Jackson really had to make it happen. We listened to all the AIS people for a week and then went back and re-organized the processes at Essendon. Essendon led the charge then.
The one constant in life is change! So it is not about being 37 or 48 or 58 but whether one realizes that things always change and evolve. My opinion was that many formt he old VFL struggled to grab the concept that AFL was full time and elite and not like the good old days. But soon the old VFL people will simply be a thing of the past.
So what has happened is that some coaches have evolved well with full time AFL maybe such as Malthouse given they have grown with it. I am not privy to Collingwood, so have zero idea of how far he has evolved, or does he now and then hanker for the good old days? Others I think, tried to hang on to the old way of coaching and didn’t embrace the business nature of day to day operations. In the now famous Brian Cook review even Mark Thompson was viewed as having too much on his plate. I was gone in April 2006 so only read the review. HA!
But in time many 37 year olds will be 49 in the AFL and will have amazing sports science experience and elite coaching expertise. So in 2019 do we simply recruit 35 year old coaches because it is AFL and that is what you do. Duuuhhhh…In then end Voss has walked into a fully organized mega structure and also many of the players of the ‘ADCOCK” & RISCHITELLI age have had quite a few pre seasons. So maybe he has walked in when a core of players have started to mature mixed in with some good old players. If he had gotten the job 3 years ago with heaps of 1st year players how would he be viewed now? Clarkson just snuck in with finals. Just in time! Thompson was in finals in 2000 and then a Prelim and Semi in 04/05. Despite the media about it taking 8 years to win a flag, this was a quick turnaround. If GFC had finished 13th and 14th in 04/05 I doubt he would be there or I would have been headhunted for jobs in 2004 and 2005!
I think this is a very simplistic and poorly researched argument that is being put forward about youth and the AFL and coaching. ALF is only a National Sport. Why are these journo so closed in their thinking and only use the AFL as a rationale for their articles. AFL is an elite sport in OZ, not the world. There are 800 odd players. Not too many are elite! If it was so easy heaps of UK teams would employ young UK coaches. They tried a few times and agghhh!
I always looked outside the AFL for changes required. IE In elite sport. Soccer/Rugby/Hockey and so on. Obviously we have taken “years” to copy soccer with tactics. Geez Zoning! New? That is why I often went to the AIS and world soccer to look at what they were doing! In the end we don’t produce heaps of athletes as it is and our first gold medal since 1968 was won by Hooker.
So in this argument about who to employ as coaches simply look at sport in the world and then the needs of AFL . AFL is not a unique sport. It is sport with unique needs. It isn’t rocket science.
And examine the evolution of the AFL and also why young coaches came flooding through. They were simply working full time in the AFL since the late 90’s and basically players who were just retired were employed. Old 60’s and 70’s players rarely got assistant jobs. But now heaps of 45 year olds can be sophisticated IT gurus!
Sad that some “GUN” 45 year old coach may not get a job. Someone has to win a flag every year so if they are all “young” then a young coach will win. In the end the AFL is a manipulated sport where squads spit players out and lots of underprepared kids play, given the system in place with “kiddie” programs.
Average age of AFL players in Grand Finals is 25.6
Average age of elite coaches in the world?????? Who knows? Who cares!!!!
If I can get a 21 year old to coach me to win the Veterans 50-55 100m title I will listen as I will listen to an 80 year old.
I always have to remember that the AFL media, in general, does not go past the obvious.
Ciao
loris bertolacci 