Jonathon Bernard (Collingwoodfc.com.au): You came across to Arizona with the playing group, which was your introduction to the club. Highlights from the trip?
Craig McRae: Arizona was a fantastic opportunity. I was at the club for a week prior to Arizona. It was two weeks including breakfast, lunch and dinner with players, staff and coaches, all working hard together. To hike the Grand Canyon was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I might have been last. Oh wait, I think you and I were last.
JB: No, you were last. I made sure to take a photo.
CM: Oh, alright. That was a fantastic opportunity to fit in and get a sense of belonging.
JB: Why did you come to Collingwood?
CM: Why wouldn’t I? One of the main reasons was that this is one of the strongest clubs in the AFL. My intentions were to stay in Brisbane. My daughter lives in Melbourne so to be able to come back and be close to her and work at a great club was a massive incentive.
JB: What were you doing at Richmond?
CM: Richmond didn’t have a development department so I went there to start it up. It was a difficult but rewarding challenge. I worked under Terry Wallace for two-and-a-half years. Terry gave me opportunities to learn about the whole footy club. I worked with biomechanics, I was the runner, I oversaw the forward line, I even coached the forward line when Rawlings was promoted to the senior role. At three years in Richmond I learned a heck of a lot.
JB: At the time of Wallace’s departure, your former teammate Jason Akermanis publicly put forward your name as a worthy candidate to fill the senior coaching role. Were you ready to handle a senior coaching job?
CM: I never wanted to take on the position to be honest. You know where your strengths lie and don’t lie and my ambition is to be the best coach I can be. I don’t know if that means I will ever be an AFL coach. My goal is to be the best development coach in Australia and I would like to think I have the skill set to do that.
JB: How have you assessed Collingwood’s youth?
CM: Every year you see different things in different players. This year we have a really big group. We have 11 or 12 first-year players. This is a real diverse group. Draft picks were all late as well. It’s been exciting to see how they want to do better. Even over the last two weeks from pre to post Christmas I have seen a few of the boys put on six or seven kilos which excites me.
JB: What are the main areas of improvement you work with them on?
CB: There are a lot of similar things that they need to improve on.
JB: Like what?
CM: Physical size and strength. But there are also individual needs that we have identified and need to work on.
JB: Over in Arizona it was interesting to hear Mick lean on your experiences when he discussed the challenge to repeat premiership success. What does it take to maintain that level of excellence?
CM: I have always thought that grand final experience can either motivate you or paralyze you. To receive the medal on the dais is something you have always dreamt of and to do that is such a privilege. Some players get motivated by that and want to do it again and again and again because it is an amazing experience. There are some players who see it as an end point and they don’t work to the same degree to try and achieve it. Mick spoke about that in Arizona and said how he is really keen for hungry players. If that means looking for someone who didn’t play (in the grand final), so be it.
That motivation to get back to that dais and receive a medal, I have seen that look in the players’ eyes and they want that feeling again.
Tarkyn Lockyer, Anthony Rocca and Craig McRae look over the drills for Friday's training.
JB: When you were at Brisbane, was that a message delivered by the coach or by the players?
CM: I think it has to be player driven. Players drive it and coaches shape it. It’s a long time to early October and there is a lot that goes in to that end goal. No the guys know what it looks like.
JB: How often do you recall your premiership success?
CM: Not often.
JB: Do you use it when you coach?
CM: No, I draw upon experiences to get to that stage. But it was all part of my journey playing at the top level for ten years. In my final four years I played in four grand finals and there was a lot of work to get to that point. I draw upon the journey. I am not who I am from the premierships but from the journey.
JB: Did you know any of the guys before you started here?
CM: I knew Bucks from a few courses along the way and also playing against him. I had met Mark Neeld through a coaching course.
JB: How have you found Mick?
CM: I haven’t had much to do with Mick because he has been away and we have had a break but he gives you the autonomy to do what you need to do. I love that.
JB: Did you know you would be working closely with Tarkyn Lockyer (VFL head coach)?
CM: Tarkyn was appointed a week after I was appointed. We come from similar experiences. We played in the same era. He played a lot longer than I did. Tarkyn hasn’t coached before but he offers a lot of strengths and has a great footy brain. He has only been out of the system for three months now. I am learning a lot from him.
JB: Will you have a VFL match day role?
CM: That’s my priority. I will be assisting Tarkyn in what ever he needs to do but also looking after the midfield group.
JB: What has been the most surprising aspect about working for Collingwood?
CM: It’s not what you think. You think it’s a powerhouse of a club. Once you get inside it’s an intimate, close-knit group and has a good family feel about it. This is my first club where the football admin and coaching staff are all on the same floor level. I like that.
JB: I have two questions from supporters submitted through the club’s Facebook fan page. Footy Cards: Do you see any similarities between the 2010 Collingwood premiership side and your Brisbane Lions sides?
CM: No doubt. That real team care, mentality and the tackling pressure. That defensive mindset. And there is a bind in the group. I don’t know if it was there before the premiership but I would have to say it was. There is a care and togetherness. It’s not about the individual but the mentality we will all look better when the team looks better.
JB: Chris Bende: Which kids do you think have the capability to step up into Collingwood’s best 22 this year?
CM: There are 20 players who haven’t played AFL football. Of those 20 players I am particularly excited about Josh Thomas, Lachlan Keeffe, Brad Dick coming back from injury, Luke Rounds, Ben Sinclair and Tom Young, who was the best and fairest in the VFL last year. We are going to need those guys to play AFL footy soon.
JB: To finish off, what can Collingwood supporters expect from the VFL side this year?
CM: The ultimate goal is to win. Tarks used the analogy that coaches will coach to develop and players will play to win. We are going to have a young squad and there are challenges in that but every time you pull on a Collingwood jumper, you play to win.
