You started yourfooty career in Melbourne's outer-eastern suburbs. Can you take us back to yourearly football days?
DB: I grew up in North Ringwood, but started playing junior footy at thePark Orchards footy club at Domeney Reserve and then I went to North Ringwoodand played senior footy at North Ringwood. Then I went to Essendon.
Can you recall thefirst time Essendon approached you as a player?
DB: [Now Collingwood recruiter] Noel Judkins tells a story where he was theone who came out and spoke to me because back then we were in a zone situation.He told me he was going to a game and had a couple of names of other blokes whowere playing in the game I was playing. Juddy saw a fat little stumpy blokerunning around, who got a few kicks and looked alright. He then went to anothergame I happened to be playing in and he said, 'This kid is in our zone' – andit all happened from there.
Juddy came out and met my parents. He's probably one of thegreat recruiters. He's a fantastic bloke. I caught up with him in Canberra atthe draft camp, so that's how it all started. He might tell you different andhe'd probably put a different slant on it, but I think that's how it allstarted.
How do you reflect onyour playing days with Essendon?
DB: I try not to [reflect] too much because I wasn't all that successful.
Still, you played 53matches – not many have achieved that.
DB: Yeah, well, those things happen. I'd have liked to have had anotheropportunity at doing it, but that'll never happen.
Do you get moreenjoyment out of playing or coaching?
DB: I wasn't a very good player, so it's a very easy question. Playing thegame is always the exciting part of it, but I was a battler and a struggler asa player, so once you've moved out of playing and you start coaching, thegreatest enjoyment you get is seeing players develop.
Players can really establish confidence within themselves orin a leadership role. They become great people around the footy club and theyset the standards for the next young players. To see boys walk into a club andvery quickly change their body shapes, their personas, improve, becomeprofessional at a very young age, take on leadership and some important rolesin the community is really exciting. That inspires the coaches, players,members and sponsors. I love to see that happen, so I get great enjoyment outof seeing that part of the game – no doubt.
Playing was always the thing you loved doing, but that was along time ago.
Who have been yourmentors over the years?
DB: Probably all of the blokes I've played under – all the way back toKevin Morris, Merv Keane, Robert Shaw. Shawy was fantastic – a great coach. Sheeds[Kevin Sheedy] was obviously the only senior coach I had and he was reallygood. He was just a really good bloke and he tried to help as many people as hecould. That was something that really stood out about him. He pushed you hard androde you hard when he had to but he was always trying to get the best out ofhis players and he seemed to always do it.
I had Denis Pagan for a year andhe was really good. Denis and Shawy were probably the two reserves coaches thatwere professional. They planned for reserves games and they had handouts and itwas really impressive to have reserves coaches that were committed.
I then had Mark Williams atGlenelg for two years and after playing under Choco, I had Tony Symonds, whowas really good. He was a great character, Symo, and he loved the Glenelg footyclub. I enjoyed my time under Symo.
All of the assistant coaches I'veworked with [have been great]. At Mt Gravatt, Graham Henwood was really goodfor me. Graham had come out of NoblePark and he had somereally good experiences.
The guys I've worked with likeShawy and Harvs [Mark Harvey] – they were fantastic and Terry [Daniher] wasbrilliant. I worked with David Flood in development at Essendon and he wasreally good. He's got a lot of great qualities, Floody. He coached CalderCannons to a premiership this year, so he's really good.
At Port Adelaide, we had DavidPittman and Mark Mickan, who were really good ruck coaches. Phil Walsh has hada huge influence on me as well, as has Mark Williams and Geoff Morris – a greatdevelopment coach, after playing with West Adelaide.He's now at Hawthorn. Chris Pelchen, Alastair Clarkson and Damien Hardwick –the names go on and on. They've all had a little input.
Even some of the people I've gotto know through business, who are not football people, but they are very smartmanagers of people – you pick up a lot from those types of people as well. Thatwas really exciting for me.
You've got a family as well. How do you manage family and football?
DB: I'm married with a wife and two kids. It's going to be a tough gig. Mykids are 15 and 13 and I think they're looking forward to coming over [toVictoria] from Adelaide. They're a little bit nervous I think. My wife is fromthe Sunshine Coast, so unfortunately she's had totravel around with me and she's had to almost raise the kids by herself to somedegree – as most coaches will tell you.
She's fantastic, my wife. Iwouldn't be here today if it wasn't for my wife – no doubt.
You're supposed to have a great sense of humour. Are we going to seemuch of that?
DB: I like to have a bit of fun at training. I like to have fun at theclub, but when there is a time to be serious you've got to work hard andthat'll always be a priority. If I lose my sense of humour and become a bit tooserious, my wife and kids will tell me. I'm sure some of the media will alsotell me that I've lost my sense of humour as well, so that'll be the firstindication.
But I am very serious about whatwe're trying to do, and that's to make sure that we are competitive. I don't wantto put limitations on anyone – any players, anyone we draft or our staff. Westill should be trying to develop all of our people and not just pick andchoose.
Chris Connolly – he can do thegags. He's very good at the gags, Chris.
And finally, what music and films are you into?
DB: I was always a Hunters and Collectors fan. I know my boys tell me,'You're old school'. I always liked Bruce Springsteen. I really like Australianbands though. The Oils (Midnight Oil) were always a favourite. I also like EskimoJoe. I don't go out and purposely pick the Australian bands, but I really liketo listen to Australian music where I can.
As for films, a couple of mateswill spew if I don't mention Caddyshack. We were always big Caddyshack fans.It's one of the great shows, Caddyshack. I like the classics like Stripes. Iliked Bill Murray growing up. Some of those cult films were great. I don't geta lot of time to watch them now, but I'll watch just about anything.
