As my first year coaching at the Saints, it is fair to say that I have settled in well and am comfortable within my role. Like any job, coaching obviously has its challenges, but the Club is a great environment to work in and the footy staff in particular have been fantastic in providing me with immense guidance and support.
From Thomo right through to all the staff and people at the Saints, everyone has been very welcoming and encouraging.
The players' openness, honesty and willingness to learn has impressed me the most. The boys are inquisitive and extremely competitive, which are elements that as a coach, you could not ask for more. It is also these fundamentals that contribute to the overall success of the team.
It has been a continual learning curve in the three months that I have been at the Saints. Perhaps one of the main elements of being a coach relates to having confidence, not only in yourself, but also others. This is particularly important during match days. This relates to the many variables encountered throughout the match.
Communication is also imperative during match days, where it is essential to have a clear understanding of eachother’s roles, in relation to players and coaches.
For this reason, it has been significant for me to get to know each player’s characteristics, their state of mind on match day and what levels of anxiety they carry into a game. Trusting players to fulfill their roles is also imperative, as is not over-coaching.
Since being at the Club, I have attempted to be transparent with the players, and most importantly be myself. I believe openness, honesty and transperency promotes personal values and beliefs, which I feel is important to occur naturally.
Having now won two out of three games this season, the Brisbane game perhaps offered us a good insight into where the Club is headed. We were consistent across the four quarters, and possibly the main highlight to come out of the game was the intensity displayed by our players.
Brisbane are a very good side, and in the lead up to the match we aimed to minimise their top players' influence, including Black, Voss, Power, Brown and Leppitsch, all whom are worthy of immense respect.
The Saints managed to control these players, and statistically it showed. We were able to get on top and players like Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo dominated the midfield, with the Lions unit having minimal impact. Andrew Thompson did a superb job on Black, limiting him to just 10 possessions.
We were clearly dangerous against the Lions and other stand outs from this game included Max Hudghton’s efforts on Bradshaw and Matt Maguire’s contest with Brown. Montagna, Fiora, Schwarze and Goddard's disposal through the centre was also very good, with these boys managing to have an impact in general play.
100 gamer Stephen Milne scored three opportune goals, which was great to create some scoreboard pressure. Riewoldt was also excellent up forward, kicking 5.2.
The combination of attitude and fitness is clearly coming together, and this is indicative of the way we played. We appeared more hungry at the footy and it was evident that the team focused more on risk than safety, which worked in our favour. Often, risks aren’t taken in a game due to the apprehension that the ball can be turned over.
Yet it is always better to carry the ‘have a crack’ attitude, so that players can build trust within themselves and their teammates. It is also important to maintain continuity in terms of team structure, in which we must ensure that we get the best out of ourselves every week.
Selfless Acts (SA’s) are an imperative factor at the Club, and over the past three rounds our SA’s have been terrific. Our aim is to obtain 100 selfless acts, and we have managed to exceed this target in each of our games this season. If we continue to reach this goal, we know we will always be in the contest.
There is a significant amount of planning and organisation that occurs in the lead up to a game, and it is our responsibility as coaches to analyse stats and game trends in order to familiarise ourselves with the way the opposition plays.
As a standard formula, we watch an opposition team play the week before we face them, where we collate as much information as possible relating to their team, brand and structures.
In preparation for the Port Adelaide game on Monday, Jason Cripps and I have been working on covering all defensive areas, with Matt Rendell and Mick McGuane covering offence.
The Saints haven’t beaten Port in five years, and while this week will be a challenge, it is one which we are looking forward to. Port are coming off a loss and this will no doubt make them more determined.
In terms of strategies, we will aim to restrict Port Adelaide's run and carry as well as their scoring opportunities, while we will play an accountable game as well as corridor footy.
Port have ‘A’ grade midfielders in Chad Cornes and Peter Burgoyne, who are great clearance players and can often ignite their team. Lade and Tredrea are also major scorers, so we will need to match these players accordingly. Yet, having the right attitude, will power and disciplines of the game will assist our chances of success.
Don’t forget to show your support by watching the Saints play Port Adelaide on Monday night at 7:30pm on Channel 10!
