It is impossible to it look at the big picture enough during the season, so the break is a time for review.
On the Monday we reviewed our game against North Melbourne, which is part of the standard weekly review process.
We also started interviewing each of the 22 players that played in that particular game and that’s a six-hour process.
We reviewed their game; we watched a bit of tape and we talked to them about how they’ve gone in the season so far.
We asked the young players how they were coping with the demands of having an AFL career and talked to the older players about how they were handling the latter years of their career.
We reset goals for the players for the rest of the season and we looked at possible delistings, so that we could tell those players where they stand.
We told them that unless they make changes they would be on the outer.
It puts them under the pump, but it’s certainly better knowing that now than 10 weeks down the track.
After that we spent the next three days in review with the coaches.
Each coach was given an opportunity to look at their particular area and present their findings, in regards to strengths and weaknesses that we can work on.
The back-office boys, who update our statistics and also those of the opposition, gave a presentation to give us a view of the figures behind our results that might help us identify some areas or opportunities to improve.
We wanted to emerge from the review with two or three credible points to present to the players that are of interest and stand out as areas that might get us better results.
The players were required to train at the club on the Thursday, but then they had a three-day weekend to spend with their friends and family and that applied to the coaches as well.
I went to Melbourne to watch Geelong and St Kilda play at the MCG on Friday night.
I took my wife and a couple of the kids, which was terrific because I don’t get to sit and watch the football with them ever.
I was annoyed with the amount of people who walked up and down the row while I was trying to watch what was going on. I’d find it pretty frustrating if I had to sit in the stands and watch all the time.
I also went to see the Jersey Boys. Musical entertainment is always a great escape for me and the show lived up to all the hype.
We came back to the club on Monday prepared to present the outcome of the mid-season review to the players and we also had the mid-year board report.
In the review we picked out one or two things in regards to our stoppages and the way we move the ball.
We even tried to look at our kicking efficiency, which isn’t good and is hard to assess because of some of the conditions we’ve played in this season.
We’ve had more stoppages and played nearly a quarter more game time than any other team in the AFL, so the wet weather has really affected our stats and we have to break it right down to specific instances.
After that presentation we were straight into it. We were into changing little bits of our game style and a little bit of our management.
We noticed with interest the number of coaches coaching from the bench, so we’ve decided that Jason Cripps is going to sit there for the next few weeks at least.
With the number of young players in our side at the moment we think it’ll be beneficial to have another coach positioned there to make sure they know exactly what we’re trying to do.
We looked at the way we’re spending our development days. We also assessed how we’re looking after our injured players and tried to find out why some of them are having recurring injuries. Each and every one of us at the club wants to improve.
The St Kilda game showed us a particular path ... we like the way they play.
We’re not as good as them, but we’d like to adopt some of the things that they do.
Last weekend was also significant for Mick Malthouse reaching the 800-game milestone as a player and a coach. Only three people in history have been involved in the game for that length of time and he’s certainly an inspiration to all coaches.
He’s very loyal to his players and his club and a great statesman for the game, so congratulations from me. I’m sure all the other coaches watch and admire what he’s done and what he’s given to the game.
Now that the break’s behind us, let’s get on with the second half of the season ... I can’t wait.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
