As a new dawn opens for the RFC with Damien Hardwick's arrival, so rises the opportunity to re-examine the elements of change that have to occur at Tigerland if our club is to become a long term premiership challenger.
Each one of us would have a major area of interest that we'd like to see the RFC improve in. It will be the sum of those improvements that Hardwick will endeavour to harness to find general improvement over the whole club.
This is an opportunity to list your area of improvement that you'd like to see at the RFC, on-field or off-field.
As I've started this thread, I'll go first.
The area that I'd like to pick is the greater team working as a Team.
Many of us talk about Team-ship, working together and supporting each other. This is a major factor in Team Culture.
Mateship plays a very big factor in Australian Culture. In fact one of the very few flaws in Australian Culture is when Mateship is given priority over other attributes as Performance, Efficiency, Effort, Development & Satisfaction.
Mateship extends to all areas of Australian society including Sport.
At a local level, how many times have we seen at our local sporting club, decisions being make on the basis of Mateship rather than performance, efficiency, effort, etc?
At a national level, how many times do we look at selections of the Australian cricket team and perceive selections based on the NSW clique rather than on performance and effort.
These are not one offs, but successful clubs and organisations are able to put Mateship in the right perspective or position so it remains a positive force, without negatively affecting performance, efficiency, effort, etc.
Now, as said the RFC is not alone on this. But it is a major factor that affects all clubs differently.
How do you create a WHOLE team, unified in purpose, supporting each other?
For the RFC, over more than a generation there has been a generally accepted view that there is an upper core of established players split significantly from those below.
Some may choose to deny it, but it certainly existed in the 80s, it definitely existed in the 90s, and it's been pretty visible this decade as well.
Some clubs try to overcome this by creating single generation lists, where all the players are of the same age group. But in modern AFL footy there are half a dozen new kids coming onto the list every year, so single generation lists don't work in AFL footy anymore, unless you're prepared to trade off your draft picks for mature players from other clubs.
As an aside, but related, personally, I think Ben Cousins has been a great revelation at Richmond.
Why?
Here was a champion that came from a recently successful AFL club who immediately showed up the lack of leadership by our established players and immediately bonded with the youngsters.
Apparently a new phenomenon at the RFC that everyone was blown away by.
What could be clearer as a club flaw than the fact that it was exposed within a single season.
Over the years, Tiger supporters, including myself, have taken the opportunity to throw stones at our past recruiters.
But if we look closely enough, we are not talking about one or two individual recruiting errors.
What we are really looking at is repeated generation of new recruits who struggle to make the grade.
The last few years have given me the opportunity to look closely at the calibre of our new recruits against those of other clubs, and compare their development at the RFC as compared to those at other clubs.
Statistically, in terms of games played and performance rate the success rate has been pretty much in line with our club's ladder performances.
Take 2005 for example.
And I apologise for taking these individuals as examples.
Oakley-Nicholls, Hughes, Casserley, White & Graham. (I apologise if I've omitted any.)
At recruitment, Oakley-Nicholls, about the same as Courtney Dempsey.
...., Hughes, about the same as Mitch Clark, Paul Bower, Matt Spanger.
...., Casserley, about the same as a Travis Tuck, Bernie Vince, amongst others.
...., White, a hard working small rebounding defender.
...., Graham, about the only tall rucking option at that pick in the rookie draft.
Note, that the top 3 boys were interstate players.
The other two were Victorian players.
I hypothetically ask, how many of this group of boys were strongly embraced by the established group to aid their development.
To me, the two Victorian boys, with their supporting structures already in Melbourne, were the only ones to make significant development.
Oakley-Nicholls & Hughes still struggle.
Interestingly enough, Casserley left the RFC last year, has now turned his football around, has had an excellent WAFL senior season and is knocking on the door of re-selection in the AFL with other clubs.
Funny that!
There are players that don't make it at every club.
There are players in that 2005 draft that didn't make it at other clubs.
But the test of a club is its success in developing its juniors.
At Richmond we are the Tigers. How apt? Our club is very much like the jungle, where very few of its infants survive. The ones that do, grow to become strong individuals.
My challenge for Damien Hardwick, and the RFC, is to turn our club into a Team.
To put in the structures and processes that see all players supporting each other, developing or established, on and off the field.
To strenthen, bond & inure our boys & men into a singly united sharply forged team.
That's my challenge.
I look forward to your other suggestions.
Each one of us would have a major area of interest that we'd like to see the RFC improve in. It will be the sum of those improvements that Hardwick will endeavour to harness to find general improvement over the whole club.
This is an opportunity to list your area of improvement that you'd like to see at the RFC, on-field or off-field.
As I've started this thread, I'll go first.
The area that I'd like to pick is the greater team working as a Team.
Many of us talk about Team-ship, working together and supporting each other. This is a major factor in Team Culture.
Mateship plays a very big factor in Australian Culture. In fact one of the very few flaws in Australian Culture is when Mateship is given priority over other attributes as Performance, Efficiency, Effort, Development & Satisfaction.
Mateship extends to all areas of Australian society including Sport.
At a local level, how many times have we seen at our local sporting club, decisions being make on the basis of Mateship rather than performance, efficiency, effort, etc?
At a national level, how many times do we look at selections of the Australian cricket team and perceive selections based on the NSW clique rather than on performance and effort.
These are not one offs, but successful clubs and organisations are able to put Mateship in the right perspective or position so it remains a positive force, without negatively affecting performance, efficiency, effort, etc.
Now, as said the RFC is not alone on this. But it is a major factor that affects all clubs differently.
How do you create a WHOLE team, unified in purpose, supporting each other?
For the RFC, over more than a generation there has been a generally accepted view that there is an upper core of established players split significantly from those below.
Some may choose to deny it, but it certainly existed in the 80s, it definitely existed in the 90s, and it's been pretty visible this decade as well.
Some clubs try to overcome this by creating single generation lists, where all the players are of the same age group. But in modern AFL footy there are half a dozen new kids coming onto the list every year, so single generation lists don't work in AFL footy anymore, unless you're prepared to trade off your draft picks for mature players from other clubs.
As an aside, but related, personally, I think Ben Cousins has been a great revelation at Richmond.
Why?
Here was a champion that came from a recently successful AFL club who immediately showed up the lack of leadership by our established players and immediately bonded with the youngsters.
Apparently a new phenomenon at the RFC that everyone was blown away by.
What could be clearer as a club flaw than the fact that it was exposed within a single season.
Over the years, Tiger supporters, including myself, have taken the opportunity to throw stones at our past recruiters.
But if we look closely enough, we are not talking about one or two individual recruiting errors.
What we are really looking at is repeated generation of new recruits who struggle to make the grade.
The last few years have given me the opportunity to look closely at the calibre of our new recruits against those of other clubs, and compare their development at the RFC as compared to those at other clubs.
Statistically, in terms of games played and performance rate the success rate has been pretty much in line with our club's ladder performances.
Take 2005 for example.
And I apologise for taking these individuals as examples.
Oakley-Nicholls, Hughes, Casserley, White & Graham. (I apologise if I've omitted any.)
At recruitment, Oakley-Nicholls, about the same as Courtney Dempsey.
...., Hughes, about the same as Mitch Clark, Paul Bower, Matt Spanger.
...., Casserley, about the same as a Travis Tuck, Bernie Vince, amongst others.
...., White, a hard working small rebounding defender.
...., Graham, about the only tall rucking option at that pick in the rookie draft.
Note, that the top 3 boys were interstate players.
The other two were Victorian players.
I hypothetically ask, how many of this group of boys were strongly embraced by the established group to aid their development.
To me, the two Victorian boys, with their supporting structures already in Melbourne, were the only ones to make significant development.
Oakley-Nicholls & Hughes still struggle.
Interestingly enough, Casserley left the RFC last year, has now turned his football around, has had an excellent WAFL senior season and is knocking on the door of re-selection in the AFL with other clubs.
Funny that!
There are players that don't make it at every club.
There are players in that 2005 draft that didn't make it at other clubs.
But the test of a club is its success in developing its juniors.
At Richmond we are the Tigers. How apt? Our club is very much like the jungle, where very few of its infants survive. The ones that do, grow to become strong individuals.
My challenge for Damien Hardwick, and the RFC, is to turn our club into a Team.
To put in the structures and processes that see all players supporting each other, developing or established, on and off the field.
To strenthen, bond & inure our boys & men into a singly united sharply forged team.
That's my challenge.
I look forward to your other suggestions.
