How would you best sum up the player development program that Carlton has set up?
There's two parts to it. The first is what we call 'attitudes and expectations' and on that side of the program the players have come up with their own vision of behaviour that they want to live by.
They're separated into five groups with five leaders, so we're trying to build leadership through that as well, and they help run the attitude and behaviour side of it to make sure we're living the way we want to live.
We include the expectations of them as AFL players, whether it be the expectations of their line coaches, their welfare or what they should be doing outside of football.
The expectation side of it is more about what it is to be a Carlton player.
The second part is the skills and game knowledge. We made sure during the pre-season phase they were doing specialist skill work in the different areas that they needed to concentrate on. We look at their strengths and weaknesses and then set short and long-term goals and they do that in six different phases throughout the year.
For game knowledge we use the line coaches, the head coach, we've had guest speakers like Nathan Buckley. We just try to make sure they learn as much about the game as they can and, most importantly, about the way that Carlton wants them to play.
How did you come up for that development model?
I talked to Brett Ratten and Stephen Icke about what they thought was required. David Teague and Robert Harvey were included in the setting up phase to make sure their input was included and then I called upon my own experience.
We wanted the players to take control of the attitudes and expectations side of it. Our last six or seven meetings in that area the leaders and the groups have been basically running the show which has been fantastic.
You mentioned Robert Harvey. He's someone who's going through a bit of a transition himself. How has he taken to the role?
Harvs is such a humble bloke. You wouldn't realise he's played as many games as he has to talk to him because it doesn't matter whether it's a first-year player or a veteran he treats everybody the same.
His one-on-one work has been invaluable for the players. He's just got so much to offer – he's been a great asset.
What are the criteria for players that fall under the umbrella of player development?
It basically revolves around age, games played and whether they were new players to our club or not. There are 27 players in our group.
Chris Johnson is a sixth year player, but he's in the development squad. It's been good having him in there just to build relationships with the players by having those extra sessions, but he also offers some leadership to the rest of the group.
It ranges from our first-year players up to guys like Paul Bower and Chris Johnson.
You joined the club after the 2008 season, are you satisfied with how the program is coming together?
By the end of the year I would hope that we've documented everything that we've done and that's our starting point to go again next year. Hopefully the year after we'll improve it again by adding more to it because we'll have first-year players in again that are going to have to start at ground level, but there will be second-year players that are going to want to be extended on what they did in their first year.
The program might look a bit different next year with regards to what each individual does, but we'll have that whole checklist set up.
Obviously you'll get a fresh batch of new recruits added to your development group each year, but how do you judge when a player is ready to move on from the development phase?
I guess you're going to be able to judge a player by the improvement that he's made, firstly, at VFL level and then with Carlton in the AFL.
With the AFL system the way it is we'd like to think that by having those two parts to the system – the attitudes and expectations and then the skills – that they actually leave our group as better players and better people.
It's pretty cut-throat at AFL level. We hope to be able to do our jobs well enough that they stay on the list, but we understand that three or four have to leave each year.
You look at guys like Chris Judd and he just knows his whole management program, he's got his whole weekly plan done and he knows where he's headed. He's a well-organised athlete and he's a true professional. Our job is to get everyone in that development squad up to a level where they run their own show and they know exactly what they need to do to get the absolute best out of themselves.
So what does an average week look like for the development group?
Monday and Tuesday are our bigger days. Robert Harvey, David Teague and I all take development training sessions on Monday and on Tuesday. We take the whole squad for a skill-based recovery session. The players also have a development meeting on a Monday and in the afternoon, and also Tuesday afternoon, they go through their individual player tapes along with their weekly plans and their goal setting.
Wednesdays are the main training session and then Thursdays are off. You have your Bullants program on top of that, which Teaguey will take on a Wednesday night and a Friday night. Then you have all the weight sessions and all the extras they do where we're available to have as much one-on-one time as we can to make sure they're in the right frame of mind ready to go for the weekend.
Teaguey probably has the most contact with them over the course of the week and he'd be looking at about 20 to 25 hours.
People talk about 'fast tracking' raw recruits into AFL football, but is that achievable?
I think that's a bit of an intangible. Your program is set up so that a player feels confident and welcome in the environment plus you're giving him weekly goals and a plan. He's got to become a better player than what he would be if he had no plan.
We just want to make sure that plan and those opportunities for him are maximised so that he can improve.
It must be satisfying to see your development players break through for AFL games, but on the flip side I'm guessing you have to do a fair bit of work with the guys that go out of the side.
No doubt. I mean you've got to keep them 'up' and we have some great examples like Richard Hadley who went back [after round four]. He goes back to the VFL, but his attitude was just amazing and he goes out and gets best on ground. That's where the attitudes and expectations side comes in. Young players are going to be inconsistent, we know that, but we've just got to try and make sure that all parts of the program enable them to continually improve.
We were rapt that four players got their first opportunities in the first game of the season, but that was their attitude and the way that they took to the program which allowed them to do that.
With the amount development group players we're seeing play at AFL level it would appear to an outsider that the program is off to a successful start. What are your internal indicators telling you?
We get feedback from all the coaches on how we're going. That feedback is that we're on the right track, but there's also some guidance on some areas where they want us to improve. That's the key for us – to just keep trying to improve as much as we can.
Harvs, Teaguey and I talk regularly about the fact that we're just so lucky to have the group we have. The leaders that we have within that group have just made our job that much easier. It's really helped us with our transition into the role.
