A lot of Richmondy in the way he speaks, game style, buy in from the players, selflessness…
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Craig McRae
- Thread starter Tigers of Old
- Start date
You can have your Ruttens, Caracellas, Leppitschs, Kingsley etc. To me, Fly was the best coach in waiting. His ability tio drive performance and connectedness was second to none.
2015 was a disaster for Richmond. A monument to the failure of Gale, O'Neal and Hardwick. I was absolutely lambasting them on PRE. Low altitude fliers. In one of my most bizarre and heartfelt posts (something about rolling green hills and apelike creatures behind stone walls) I called Brendon Gale a "scarf salesman" decrying him as one who was about selling memberships (scarves) - not within an iota of understanding the list needs of a premiership side much less addressing them. And for mine, a battler swiz.
O'Neal was just as bad. And Hardwick was all over the stopgap selection and lack of recruiting ambition. Hartley barely rated a mention, being just another corporate animal utterly lacking in a vision and painstakingly failing in mission. Yarran much? Massively naive bungle.
By R2 or so of 2016 the seniors couldn't get the ball out of the backline unless Trent Cotchin went back there. (Houli was out.) the side was *smile*. Fitzroy *smile*.
I watched a reserves game on the TV. The side we fielded was at least toxic. Where to begin? We were playing Coburg(?) and that suburban side was intimidating us. And our players turned on each other when they weren't busy running away from the ball. Andrew Moore was a Capuano with the proviso that his locker was irradiated.
The TV showed some Craig McRae rumour addressing the side at the break.
He drew his charges in, looked straight ahead, not at an individual, and paused before he said "Body language." Quiet and intense, he let it hang in the air. Understated but focused. Stern but without wrath. It took him three years to win the flag but he got some of what he wanted straight after the break.
I went most weeks after that just to hear his addresses. And watch the progress. (A lot of us did and we enjoyed the most modest view of paradise.)
Over that season Fly established the football academy at RFC at reserves level. The standards. The strict discipline still allowing for virtuosity. The bargain - compliance for freedom. Standards for opportunity.
Not the death of ego but the suspension of it. Sacrifice for glory.
By late season he'd cultivated Rioli, George and Butler. Andrew Moore had learnt compliance but would not make it. Lambert, Broad, Short, Townsend all on the list and learning.
Pick the perimeter. Soak it up. Rip through the guts. Actual football plays all set up. We could do any of that.
Our students graduated Football 101. And RFC had a future.
2016 was a golden year. Craig McRae was instrumental.
O'Neal was just as bad. And Hardwick was all over the stopgap selection and lack of recruiting ambition. Hartley barely rated a mention, being just another corporate animal utterly lacking in a vision and painstakingly failing in mission. Yarran much? Massively naive bungle.
By R2 or so of 2016 the seniors couldn't get the ball out of the backline unless Trent Cotchin went back there. (Houli was out.) the side was *smile*. Fitzroy *smile*.
I watched a reserves game on the TV. The side we fielded was at least toxic. Where to begin? We were playing Coburg(?) and that suburban side was intimidating us. And our players turned on each other when they weren't busy running away from the ball. Andrew Moore was a Capuano with the proviso that his locker was irradiated.
The TV showed some Craig McRae rumour addressing the side at the break.
He drew his charges in, looked straight ahead, not at an individual, and paused before he said "Body language." Quiet and intense, he let it hang in the air. Understated but focused. Stern but without wrath. It took him three years to win the flag but he got some of what he wanted straight after the break.
I went most weeks after that just to hear his addresses. And watch the progress. (A lot of us did and we enjoyed the most modest view of paradise.)
Over that season Fly established the football academy at RFC at reserves level. The standards. The strict discipline still allowing for virtuosity. The bargain - compliance for freedom. Standards for opportunity.
Not the death of ego but the suspension of it. Sacrifice for glory.
By late season he'd cultivated Rioli, George and Butler. Andrew Moore had learnt compliance but would not make it. Lambert, Broad, Short, Townsend all on the list and learning.
Pick the perimeter. Soak it up. Rip through the guts. Actual football plays all set up. We could do any of that.
Our students graduated Football 101. And RFC had a future.
2016 was a golden year. Craig McRae was instrumental.
The issue McRae is going to have in my eyes is that anyone can have success in elite sport over a period of time.
We could pick a PRE all-stars team and we'd be competitive for a minute. By minute ten we'd be destroyed.
Same goes in AFL football. Anyone with talent and reasonable fitness base can be successful for a quarter, a game, a few games. Then it demands more and more of you in terms of fitness, attitude, talent, mental strength and so on. To be a truly successful team you have to be able to answer those demands for two or three years, or 50, 60, 70 games.
In McRae's case, I think his players are performing above their station, but they will not sustain against the ever increasing demands, but he and they have created a false ceiling that will haunt him.
My prediction is by this time next year he will be feeling an enormous amount of pressure.
We could pick a PRE all-stars team and we'd be competitive for a minute. By minute ten we'd be destroyed.
Same goes in AFL football. Anyone with talent and reasonable fitness base can be successful for a quarter, a game, a few games. Then it demands more and more of you in terms of fitness, attitude, talent, mental strength and so on. To be a truly successful team you have to be able to answer those demands for two or three years, or 50, 60, 70 games.
In McRae's case, I think his players are performing above their station, but they will not sustain against the ever increasing demands, but he and they have created a false ceiling that will haunt him.
My prediction is by this time next year he will be feeling an enormous amount of pressure.
Large Son of Bull,, I agree.
I reckon the Maggots are too young across the board yet to implement the RFC gun and run two way blitz outside of as you say bursts rather than sustained helter skelter.
They don't have the seasoned campaigners to pull it off as yet.
I would think it would likely load up stresses on the younger fellas even with rotations.
They lost Tommy Phillips and Treloar who along with Sidearse were their 3 main 2 way runners.
Those 3 along with Grundy were a major reason they would trouble us through 17,18,19 as they had the runners through the middle to match the Tigers 2 way run of Cotch, Lambo ,and Dion.
Some people think that Stoicism is about stiff upper lip or self punishment. About a lack of joy. In the modern sense, perhaps.
But classical Stocism is about virtue. About compliance and selflessness for reward. Not necessarily direct reward of the self but group reward.
Within a Stoic culture an individual can excel but within limits. If a player puts his hand in the fire he will be lauded. If he beats three opponents to kick a goal, the group profited from his virtuosity, and he is lauded.
Craig McRae is largely a Stoic. Our academy is largely Stoic.
Virtue. Compliance. Self sacrifice - group reward. But with a modern tolerance, even an encouragement of youth testing boundaries.
Steve Morris spent a lot of time with Marcus Aurelius, I mean Crag McRae. And Steve Morris is due for his own thread.
But classical Stocism is about virtue. About compliance and selflessness for reward. Not necessarily direct reward of the self but group reward.
Within a Stoic culture an individual can excel but within limits. If a player puts his hand in the fire he will be lauded. If he beats three opponents to kick a goal, the group profited from his virtuosity, and he is lauded.
Craig McRae is largely a Stoic. Our academy is largely Stoic.
Virtue. Compliance. Self sacrifice - group reward. But with a modern tolerance, even an encouragement of youth testing boundaries.
Steve Morris spent a lot of time with Marcus Aurelius, I mean Crag McRae. And Steve Morris is due for his own thread.
Adam Simpson got a hold of McRae not so long ago, TBR. Ouch.
McRae has achieved early milestones. Smashed them. Buy-in. Players overperforming? That's a big one. Yes. Player development?Yes.
Stratagems? Got potato mids playing ruck? (See Cripps and Green). No. None of that. No cheap *smile*, just instilling values and game styles. Cultivating within limits.
Did he have his team screwed down in R1? Don't reckon. Not even Longmire did that this year. (At this stage it looks like Badloss shot his load before the bye - Burgess now in Adelaide.)
Fly has given his side every chance in 2022. But you're right. There are tests to come. Does he have a vision? Time will tell. And does he have a list? Just as important.
Don't enjoy stonewalls? Old fashioned glass 2/3 filled with dry apple cider, ice, with a shot of rum or bourbon, depending on preference, garnish with a sprig of mint. Prefer rum myself but both are good. I enjoy them a lot, but you have to tread carefully so I understand your reluctance.
It’s scary to think of players coaching in the manner they played when Steve Morris is coaching but I reckon we are ok on that front. What I have watched is young kids getting key roles. I‘d like to see Tom Brown challenged more. For me he’s the one that hasn’t shown enough yet. Glimpses yes. Challenge the lad Morro.
Fly is clearly the most impressive philosophically from how he speaks. Great media performer.
A couple of weeks ago at PRO, Dimma was watching the Magoos with a couple of the senior coaches. Needless to say he didn’t like what he was seeing from Brown and told one of the coaches to hold his dog.
He storms into the change rooms and makes a b line straight to Brown. A few choice adjectives were directed at the young lad but primarily the message was start playing like we recruited you for and stop being tentative.
I can confirm that the coaches are very pleased with the response over the last 2 weeks.
Dimma asking someone to hold his dog is a true indication of how mad he was.
That’s the best nugget ever on PRE.
There was a clear change in Brown, DA.
Young Brown is not there yet. And may take time. But he was more involved agin the Bees.
It does beg the question - why doesn't Morris say "Body language"?
Tony Braxton-Hicks
There are no stupid ideas, just stupid people
There was one week when the shackles of the Dimma game plan were released and the 2017 game plan was trialled. Fly's VFL team started winning games. It marked the birth of the dynasty.
Bloody natural. Listening to his post match presser tonight you'd never know he was a first yr senior coach. Massive reason for the Pies improvement.
Success just seems to follow him everywhere. It isn’t a coincidence.
McCrae is a top coach but don't kid yourselfs 90% of people on here would say Carcella was the one that made us change our style.
McCrae seems to have a quality that many don't have. He gets the best out of every one in the 22.
Elliott was finished 2 yrs ago and now is playing like a 20 yr old.
There Rookies are similar to ours, just hungry & desperate to play.
And there's no true reliance on Penderbury or Sidebottom any more.
How easy is it when your team pressures & tackles?
McCrae seems to have a quality that many don't have. He gets the best out of every one in the 22.
Elliott was finished 2 yrs ago and now is playing like a 20 yr old.
There Rookies are similar to ours, just hungry & desperate to play.
And there's no true reliance on Penderbury or Sidebottom any more.
How easy is it when your team pressures & tackles?
