THE LEVEL of esteem in which strategy coach Dean Bailey is held at Adelaide has been heightened, with his responsibilities now to include overseeing the club's development program.
Bailey will retain his match-day and strategy roles but will set development plans for each player on the Crows' list – regardless of their experience.
The idea is partly modelled on Port Adelaide's setup with senior assistant Alan Richardson, who combines match-day duties with development and leadership roles.
List manager David Noble said the move helped "beef up" the club's development potential.
He insisted that in the modern game it was vital to handle a player's development on an individual level and continue it throughout their career.
"Players can sometimes feel that once they leave the development cycle they're on their own and they might not need any more development," Noble told AFL.com.au.
"This is about having a person responsible for individually tailoring player development, regardless of what level that player is at.
"Some guys would need more video work, some would need more physical work and practical application to certain skills, others might need more mentoring from guys who can challenge them."
Given Bailey's good rapport with the playing group and experience as an assistant and senior AFL coach, football manager Phil Harper said he was perfect for the new role.
Noble agreed, praising his ability to identify strengths and weaknesses in players both new and experienced.
"He's got a great eye for detail about what's required and the real core fundamentals and basics of guys at various levels of their footy career," he said.
"From the guy walking in on day one, to the Benny Rutten in that veteran status who's been around and been an All Australian … Dean's got an eye for detail on what's required at the top level and to be a successful finals team."
