Sydney Swans Football Development Manager Stuart Maxfield says strong words have been spoken this week and now it’s time for action…
YOU can’t stand still in footy.
On the field you’re obviously not going to get a kick or contribute to the team if you’re not moving around, attacking the ball and getting to the right spots to help your team-mates out.
But it is also true in an off-field sense. At this footy club, we know that as individuals, and as a team, we have to be constantly improving. If you stand still off the field, you’re in trouble too. In every sense, you can’t be stationary or the game goes past you.
As the Club’s Football Development Manager, my real focus is on the improvement of our younger players, from the moment they first walk in the door as wide-eyed recruits to the day they walk out, hopefully a decade or so later. Development is all about improvement, and it is our responsibility to educate players and teach them how they can improve.
But it’s not a one-way street. It is their responsibility to value that feedback and then take action. That is what our coaches’ are looking for.
On an individual basis, we can use the example of someone like Jarrad McVeigh. Since he came to the club in the 2002 draft, he has progressed year after year after year. There has been a constant pattern of improvement.
Jarrad was skilled but he had to gain strength, put on weight and develop his game accordingly. So he did his apprenticeship but the whole time he never plateaued or went backwards. He would have small flat spots in form but he was always on a gradual incline in terms of his footy development.
That’s what we want from every player who comes here, but with some young players it takes too long for the “penny to drop” and for them to value the feedback they receive and then act on it immediately.
As a club, what we’ll be looking for this weekend is for players to deliver on the feedback and strong words that have been spoken since the loss to Collingwood.
There was a reason for a poor senior performance last week and we want to see whether the players go out there and take action.
These two areas have been the focus: valuing feedback and taking action. The feedback is always honest, and often challenging, but it must be actioned this Sunday.
They have to take on board where it’s coming from, whether it’s from team-mates or the coach, and accept there is a reason for it. That is what our whole system has been about, giving honest direct feedback and trusting that.
The other thing that has come out of the last week is the tendency for players to become conservative and play safe when the team is struggling. We have to make sure that everyone still puts the team first. So that’s why we want everyone to listen and act and make it a priority, especially in pressure situations.
We have a relatively young group with a lot of new players, so the issue of feedback has been more of a focus. Some young players value it and some of them don’t. So what we look to do is see how quickly you can try to change their attitude or mindset to respect the information they’re getting.
It’s not all about talent. All the behaviours we value at the Swans are not geared around talent, but around commitment and effort. Ultimately it will get back to whether you are capable or not, but when we’ve come unstuck it is not about talent, but whether players choose to do something, or don’t.
Development is not just about the new boys though. Someone who’s at the other end of their career can still improve, as Jude Bolton has showed in recent years. In the past couple of years he’s run personal best times during the pre-season, and is a player who always looks at how he can improve…every week!
Sunday against the Tigers is a big test for the Sydney Swans…it’s time to improve…it is time for action.
