MY TIME WITH THE TIGERS

In May of this year I was fortunate to spend a week of professional development at the Richmond Football Club. I had the opportunity to shadow Xavier Clarke who is a Development Coach and is responsible for the midfield of the Men’s VFL Team which won their competition last week. Clarke is a proud Territorian and worked hard to make this opportunity happen so some learnings from the Elite game could filter back to the Northern Territory.

This week is Grand Final week and Melbourne and the nation will have eyes fixed on the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the Richmond Tigers and the GWS Giants compete for the prize of Premiers at the home of Australian sport. The GWS Giants are a club still in their infancy and a model for ‘how to’ develop a sporting franchise from scratch. 

I was fortunate to once speak with Kevin Sheedy and he described the early formative years as setting small goals such as ‘winning a quarter each game’ as a way to mould their young batch of high draft picks and veterans to boot. Meanwhile, further north in Queensland an example ‘how not to’ develop a sporting franchise exists in the ‘all apples in one basket approach (renowned Brownlow Medallist)’. This EPL type management perspective of breaking the bank now has this club begging the peak body for draft concession support. 

Development is the key word I will focus on for my thoughts in this article. Being exposed to Xavier and his function as a Development Coach hold a huge bearing on how I’ve improved my own coaching craft and delivery since May. The field sessions I attended at Richmond were just so precise and intentional at every move. The coach’s engagement and teaching during these sessions highlight how nailing the fundamentals are vital at the elite level and why community coaches should also focus on craft.

In my opinion, Richmond are the best wet weather team in the competition. On the weekend, a dogged GWS side scrapped in the slippery conditions to undo the Magpies. The weather gods predict mostly sunny for the Grand Final. The Tigers are also a development club. Success brings the tag destination club and Prestia and Lynch are certainly products of players wanting to land at clubs with a realistic chance of finals. 

So, two development clubs contest the big show come Saturday. My experience at the Richmond club where I was welcomed into the inner sanctum, privy to the coaching review, planning, opposition analysis and team selection meetings meant I truly lived and AFL experience through the coach’s eyes. Sharing their knowledge and welcoming a stranger in to gain experience and view the set-up was a true privilege. I’m supporting the Tigers to go all the way this week. YELLOW AND BLACK!