-
IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
What will be Hardwick's major challenges?
- Thread starter pahoffm
- Start date
Phanto, I'll tackle it from a military way.
Firstly, one in all in, everyone does exactly the same drill's, physical fitness etc. EVERYONE, no excuses or lateness, anyone late cops a penalty physically eg: 100 push ups or 50 chin ups then and there.
The players fitness is the most worrying aspect to me in two ways firstly the lack of bulk in a lot of players and secondly their ability to run down and hold a tackle against an opponent.
So fitness is first and foremost with DISCIPLINE thrown in. Now once you get everyone cracking on the drills and fitness, then you start on the teamwork with simple tasks that get progressively harder and harder. Again anyone who stuff's it up gets remedial training or discipline to get their house in order.
Once you've got the discipline and teamwork sorted out then you can start to work on the skills issues that a lot of players have and only when that is coming along can one think about gameplan's.
The players need to be taken out of their comfort zones physically and mentally, ideally a nice pre season camp of at least 2 weeks would be good but I don't think they've given it a thought. Still and all, nothing to stop Hardwick from calling his players in for a training drill at 9pm or 4am, changing the way they do fitness work by having them carry packs on their back with 20Kg of sand for the entire long distance running exercise, things like that. Split them up into teams and have them compete against each other, building up those type of physcial exercises into real challenges eg: carrying a heavy log by 6 players for 5Km, or a stretcher with a player on it for 2Km then rotate a player and keep on doing until the 5 players have done it.
Take up the playing group and football staff up into the high country with packs and rations and just walk, nothing silly, perhaps some adventure type training, canoeing or rafting, abseiling or parachuting (those with a fear of heights, their team mates should be able to coax them down and give them the necessary confidence to do it, if not no big deal plenty of people don't like those sorts of things).
If the playing group can handle the above, it will become apparent who is a leader and who is a follower. No problems there either, not everyone can be a leader, so the leadership should be looked at carefully to see who really has it in them to inspire the playing group around them. There should be a defender leader, midfield leader, forward leader, Club Captain, Vice Captain and Senior Leadership Group.
So the above should sort out the issues of discipline, fitness, teamwork, leadership and once that is done then the football skills, handing gameplan's and gameday pressures should all fall into place, but its going to be a long hard road and it won't be easy that is for sure but if they do achieve that sort of bonding, then they will go on from there and start to win for themselves and their team mates.
Firstly, one in all in, everyone does exactly the same drill's, physical fitness etc. EVERYONE, no excuses or lateness, anyone late cops a penalty physically eg: 100 push ups or 50 chin ups then and there.
The players fitness is the most worrying aspect to me in two ways firstly the lack of bulk in a lot of players and secondly their ability to run down and hold a tackle against an opponent.
So fitness is first and foremost with DISCIPLINE thrown in. Now once you get everyone cracking on the drills and fitness, then you start on the teamwork with simple tasks that get progressively harder and harder. Again anyone who stuff's it up gets remedial training or discipline to get their house in order.
Once you've got the discipline and teamwork sorted out then you can start to work on the skills issues that a lot of players have and only when that is coming along can one think about gameplan's.
The players need to be taken out of their comfort zones physically and mentally, ideally a nice pre season camp of at least 2 weeks would be good but I don't think they've given it a thought. Still and all, nothing to stop Hardwick from calling his players in for a training drill at 9pm or 4am, changing the way they do fitness work by having them carry packs on their back with 20Kg of sand for the entire long distance running exercise, things like that. Split them up into teams and have them compete against each other, building up those type of physcial exercises into real challenges eg: carrying a heavy log by 6 players for 5Km, or a stretcher with a player on it for 2Km then rotate a player and keep on doing until the 5 players have done it.
Take up the playing group and football staff up into the high country with packs and rations and just walk, nothing silly, perhaps some adventure type training, canoeing or rafting, abseiling or parachuting (those with a fear of heights, their team mates should be able to coax them down and give them the necessary confidence to do it, if not no big deal plenty of people don't like those sorts of things).
If the playing group can handle the above, it will become apparent who is a leader and who is a follower. No problems there either, not everyone can be a leader, so the leadership should be looked at carefully to see who really has it in them to inspire the playing group around them. There should be a defender leader, midfield leader, forward leader, Club Captain, Vice Captain and Senior Leadership Group.
So the above should sort out the issues of discipline, fitness, teamwork, leadership and once that is done then the football skills, handing gameplan's and gameday pressures should all fall into place, but its going to be a long hard road and it won't be easy that is for sure but if they do achieve that sort of bonding, then they will go on from there and start to win for themselves and their team mates.
Great post. Agree. Discipline on and off the field is a key issue to be addressed, although we have been lucky enough to have very few off field discipline issues this year. However, discipline on the field is seriously lacking. A list of minimum acceptable requirements/performance levels must be adopted. "When its your turn to go, you must go." This is a good place to start. If the players aren't prepared to do this, they don't play until they are prepared to do it. Damian Hardwick must work hard to mould a hungry, uncompromising, disciplined group of players that play for the Richmond Football Club. He must also restore the reverence for the jumper, which I believe he alluded to in his press comference.Massai said:
Great thread Phanto.
It might be a good idea to compile a list of these challenges/points and tick them off as they are achieved or not achieved over the next few years.
Massai - we did the physical, mental team building thing last year as you have mentioned
It was arranged by Wallace, Richo, Bowden and Browny
It was held at the portsea yacht club, but the above 4 stayed at the Crown towers and choppered down each day coz the beds were too hard.
Events were staged like yachting, jetski races, snorkeling and sunbathing. At night Terry arranged out of hour mental strategy sessions like poker, bingo and pingpong.
There were some physical activities that were cancelled like beach sand running coz the sand was too hot, and the hills too high and it was too windy for tennis, however most players enjoyed the team building day of golf but complained about not using carts.
Water was frequently used in the training camp with Mcmahon claiming the title of biggest splash in the bombing competition and Browny winning the pool fashion parade in a countback from Cleve - who incidently claimed that the hairdryers provided were not powerful enough to allow him to present himself in a proper manner.
Pettifer won the skipping contest and Schulz excelled at the midday siestas and provided the after hours realxation therapies and instruments.
All in all most players agreed that it was the toughest pre season training they had experienced and all commented how difficult it was drinking cocktails after the ice machine broke down.
With this years dissapointing results the team are looking forward to a new start and some have expressed their desire to change tact and explore the Daylesford spa community district, which im sure Dimma will have some contacts there.
It was arranged by Wallace, Richo, Bowden and Browny
It was held at the portsea yacht club, but the above 4 stayed at the Crown towers and choppered down each day coz the beds were too hard.
Events were staged like yachting, jetski races, snorkeling and sunbathing. At night Terry arranged out of hour mental strategy sessions like poker, bingo and pingpong.
There were some physical activities that were cancelled like beach sand running coz the sand was too hot, and the hills too high and it was too windy for tennis, however most players enjoyed the team building day of golf but complained about not using carts.
Water was frequently used in the training camp with Mcmahon claiming the title of biggest splash in the bombing competition and Browny winning the pool fashion parade in a countback from Cleve - who incidently claimed that the hairdryers provided were not powerful enough to allow him to present himself in a proper manner.
Pettifer won the skipping contest and Schulz excelled at the midday siestas and provided the after hours realxation therapies and instruments.
All in all most players agreed that it was the toughest pre season training they had experienced and all commented how difficult it was drinking cocktails after the ice machine broke down.
With this years dissapointing results the team are looking forward to a new start and some have expressed their desire to change tact and explore the Daylesford spa community district, which im sure Dimma will have some contacts there.
Tango said:
:rofl :rofl :rofl I rest my case, the entire playing list and football department staff need SHOCK tactics to get them on the ball. If they can't handle a 10Km run with a 20Kg pack full of sand on their back, then they should be gone. Likewise some abseiling or sprints in soft sand with a pack on their back, if they can't or won't do it they're GONE.
The softly softly softly approach of Frawley and Wallace, I sincerely hope is now OVER.
We'll have to wait and see, but I'd love to be able to attend and actually set up some of these exercises, I'd be interested to see who handles them without saying anything and who's got a mouth of them (I'd soon sort that out).
Commando stuff is really good - It will come in handy when Rance, Tuck, Raines, White and Jackson have to decide what to do with ball and their disposal skills.
BTW the above would all love the commando stuff (but they'd still be ordinary footballers)
Why dont we get the order of the cart and the horse right first!!
BTW the above would all love the commando stuff (but they'd still be ordinary footballers)
Why dont we get the order of the cart and the horse right first!!
a team of good ordinary footballers who are fit and strong both physically and mentally who play as a team can go a long way
dont under estimate the approach that massai has so elequently presented, i have experienced it first hand as both a soldier and a senior footballer and it did wonders for the hawks 2 years ago
dont under estimate the approach that massai has so elequently presented, i have experienced it first hand as both a soldier and a senior footballer and it did wonders for the hawks 2 years ago
when a side can go out and display good skills in the first 15 minutes then fall away under pressure and be blown away shows that fitness, confidence and team play all have a bearing on a percieved lack of skills, examples
running hard to create space and seperation allows the player with the ball to have a greater room for error in their kick
shepherding and blocking chasers and tacklers allows the player with the ball more time to settle, make a decision and execute the kick
having the fitness, desire and apptitude to harass and chase opponents reduces their abilty and affects their skills
all of the above contribute to the skill level of the team and all of the above can be improved over summer, im not suggesting this will turn D.Kellaway into C.Judd or Richo into T.Locket but all will help
running hard to create space and seperation allows the player with the ball to have a greater room for error in their kick
shepherding and blocking chasers and tacklers allows the player with the ball more time to settle, make a decision and execute the kick
having the fitness, desire and apptitude to harass and chase opponents reduces their abilty and affects their skills
all of the above contribute to the skill level of the team and all of the above can be improved over summer, im not suggesting this will turn D.Kellaway into C.Judd or Richo into T.Locket but all will help
Yes, I agree with Team-building exercises.
I recall on another thread, related to the conditioning of our players, that it was noted that some great windows had been preceded by some great pre-season exercises.
Whether it was Kennedy's Kommandoes, Hafey's / Stampfl's Heroes, Clarkson's Kokoda, or Mickey's Arizona Mesas, they each underpinned improved results.
I even remember the Tiges trip to London in 1994, thereabouts, in which a very spirited match was played at The Oval, preceded improvement.
Anyway, tasty food for thought.
I recall on another thread, related to the conditioning of our players, that it was noted that some great windows had been preceded by some great pre-season exercises.
Whether it was Kennedy's Kommandoes, Hafey's / Stampfl's Heroes, Clarkson's Kokoda, or Mickey's Arizona Mesas, they each underpinned improved results.
I even remember the Tiges trip to London in 1994, thereabouts, in which a very spirited match was played at The Oval, preceded improvement.
Anyway, tasty food for thought.
Recruiting for a rebuild during 2-3 years of compromised drafts. Needs full compliment of recruitment personnel. Professional development staff that can maximise potential of juniors. Develop leadership of what senior players are left.
lamb22 said:
Yeah, funny that, Collingwood also have an ex SAS Major employed full time at the Lexus Centre, he's been there now for 4 years and I'd say he's probably done a bit of improving the boys quietly and effectively. Malthouse and his Assistant, plus Eddie take the credit but behind the scenes when you've somebody like that sitting around, you can safely bet they are there to instil confidence, discipline, life skills etc.
Wouldn't hurt the Tigers to employ an ex military Special Forces type either. The fitness of the playing list would improve DRAMATICALLY.
willo said:
Ah not the type I thinking of, christ Richmond has been like "F Troop" a lot over the past years, its time to become a fully PROFESSIONAL CLUB, Discipline, Teamwork, Do It For Your Mate's and the Jumper you wear. Show guts, determination, push your limits until you throw up, do whatever you need to do to get yourself and your team mates over the line, that is what is now required and hopefully Hardwick and others will deliver that to the playing group.
