A 2012 entry date provided GWS with an opportunity to watch the way in which Gold Coast went about establishing its list and importantly what type of un-contracted players it targeted.
Five of the eight uncontracted players signed by Gold Coast last year were disgruntled with their former clubs - Gary Ablett, Jared Brennan, Michael Rischitelli, Campbell Brown and Nathan Krakouer.
I can appreciate the importance of signing some big-name players from other clubs, but I believe this strategy was more about being opportunistic than identifying players with genuine leadership qualities and building a club around them.
Ablett aside, Brennan, Rischitelli, Brown and Krakouer, along with Nathan Bock, Jarrod Harbrow and Josh Fraser, are or have been good players in their own right but there are no standout natural leaders among the group.
Leigh Matthews wrote this week on afl.com.au that he thought GWS should target experienced leaders such as Simon Black, Lenny Hayes or Brent Harvey to guide the team's young list.
Matthews went on to say "what the new club will need initially is a couple of iconic veterans like Black or Hayes in the thick of things to help steer the youthful expansion team through these inevitable onslaughts".
I agree with this plan, but only in part. This is a risky strategy simply because of the ages of all three.
Hayes, 31, would be coming off a knee reconstruction and there's no guarantee he'll make it back (I hope he does by the way). Black is 32 and Harvey turns 33 in nine days' time.
It's reasonable to expect you might be able to get one or possibly two years out of these ageing warriors, but luck would have to play its part.
If these players succumbed to injury or poor form, a constant threat to players over 30, it nullifies any benefits, so I wouldn't target these players or any similar types.
Instead GWS should be targeting younger versions of Hayes, Black and Harvey.
They may not be their team's best players yet, but by their actions and performances they have shown that they possess many of the traits and characteristics Black, Hayes and Harvey have.
GWS has a two-year window to secure uncontracted players.
The parameters for the selection process should be as follows:
- Players need to be coming off contract at the end of this year or 2012
- No players older than 25
- Focus on teams outside the top eight, with a particular focus on those near the bottom of the ladder
- Players who have shown an ability to perform consistently well in teams that struggle
- Players with strong on-field presence but not necessarily their teams' best players
The rationale behind focusing on teams outside the eight and towards the bottom of the ladder is twofold.
Firstly, it's easier to play well when a team is playing well, so GWS should be looking to identify players who have shown they can perform well in poor teams.
Secondly, when things go wrong these types of players aren't distracted or put off by the result. They know no other way and have the strength of mind and determination to push on.
Carefully selecting the most appropriate type of uncontracted players would allow GWS to concentrate on helping develop the younger players knowing their senior players are mature enough and resilient enough to stay the course irrespective of the result.
With this in mind GWS should be targeting the following players for the positions of captain, vice captain and deputy vice captain: Jed Adcock, Beau Waters and Jack Trengove.
Its important GWS compliments these three possible leaders with enough soldiers willing to follow them into battle without question or fear of failure.
Callan Ward, Liam Picken, Easton Wood, Tom Rockliff, Nathan Jones and Tom Logan would be outstanding lieutenants.
Ward, Picken, Wood, Rockliff, Jones and Logan have total disregard for their own safety on the football field, which is exactly why they should be high on GWS's wish list.
When a situation arises like it did for Gold Coast last Sunday it is critical that your leaders can show by their actions and attitude that they are capable of riding out the storm irrespective of the result.
It's vitally important young players never see an experienced player drop his head or go into his shell if things aren't working for the team or individual.
Much has been made of Josh Fraser's effort during last week's game against Essendon when he let the ball run past him without appearing to make a strong effort to win it.
Unfortunately in this instance, Josh missed a golden opportunity to make a statement to the football public and more importantly his teammates.
My strategy calls for strong characters with a never-say-die attitude who would be willing to sacrifice themselves on-field for the greater good of the team in the way Lenny Hayes has done for St Kilda.
GWS should be prepared to sacrifice early wins to ensure the culture and standards are developed as quickly as possible. With the right sort of player they can achieve that.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
