WHEN you begin your coaching career you probably think you are going to change the world and that you can do the job all by yourself.

However you learn pretty quickly that it is a team effort, on the ground and off.

As time has gone by I have realised just how important it is that our whole coaching group at the Sydney Swans improves, and I think we have done that.

The best football departments are multi-coached, for want of a better term.

While you’re always looking to improve as individuals, it is the ability to be able to work well as a group that counts.

As a footy department, it is important that the whole group is evolving and improving.

As a group I think we are all better coaches than when we started out.

Feedback is vital when assessing how we are going as coaches. Today, players have also become involved in the coaching process. Our leadership group is vital in giving feedback and advice as to how we, the coaches, are travelling. The role of players at footy clubs is far greater than it has ever been.

I am more a fan of immediate feedback than waiting for any mid- or end-of-year review, which can often be too late.

If Johnny Longmire or someone else comes into my office and says ‘Hey look we probably could have done this better’, I think that’s a far better way of handling things.

I guess one question might be, ‘where have I improved?’

Like anything, improvement does come with experience.

Early on in my coaching career I probably was more prone to panicking if things weren’t going our way.

I’ve probably learnt to better keep my cool if things aren’t clicking on the field. Off the field, I’ve also learnt to stay calmer. Or I’ve certainly tried.

Probably the hardest period for any coach is the time straight after a loss. That’s the worst part of the week, as everyone is emotional.

It is a particularly dangerous time for a coach, although I feel it’s an area where I’ve improved over the years.

I’ve said things a couple of times straight after a game when I’ve been pretty fired up from a loss, which I’ve later regretted.

In fact there have been times in the past that I’ve had to go up and apologise to players for things I’ve said to them directly after a game.

After being stirred up I’ve said things and then, having looked at the tape that night or the following day, I’ve realised the things I said were probably incorrect.

Fresh from the heat of battle, if you start a rant it can be bloody hard to stop – and even tougher for the assistant coaches to grab you when you’re wound up.

Now, I often don’t say anything after a match if we lose, which can probably frustrate the players at times.

But if you did a poll of all the AFL coaches on whether they had said something they had regretted after a loss, most would say yes.

Another big part of a coach’s improvement is being aware not only of what goes on at other footy clubs, but being up to speed with all the latest best-practice techniques.

As coaches we don’t get a lot of spare time but I think it is important to try to go to courses when I can, whether it’s a half-day or a couple of days here and there.

When I’m overseas I also try to access different clubs and see how they do things.

Closer to home, it’s really important to field as many calls as you can from other coaches in other codes to discuss the way we all operate. If coaches can all pick each other’s brains, it can only help us gain greater knowledge.

I’ve done that a fair bit up here, having spent time with various NRL and rugby coaches.

I’ve also spoken with Craig Bellamy and Brian Goorjian, to name just a couple of coaches, and have found hearing and learning the way others do things in their sports really interesting.

We’re always interested in new and better ways to do things.

I think we’re doing a pretty good job at the Swans, but the battle is to keep improving.