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This is taken from this months edition of Inside Football. Its interview with Scott Watters.. Cant find a online version of the article so have typed out the questions for you so you all can have a read...
Q: Every person has perceptions of particular clubs from outside. Now that you have been at your new club for a couple months, what pre-conception has changed the most for you?
SW: I think you build up perceptions of players when you coach against them, and in many ways you try and make that a negative perception. The biggest change for me is once you start to work with this playing group you really see the true character of people like Stephen Milne, Leigh Montagna and the young kids like Rhys Stanley – they are real quality kids. From outside looking in you paint enemy in a bad light. As a defensive coach against Stephen Milne it’s different once you come to the club and get appreciation of what character he has.
Q: What is the biggest difference you want the football world to see in your team in 2012?
SW: I’m not too fussed with what people see. There are some traits of this football club that I have admired – their intensity, their resilience and, I reckon, their pride in performance. We’ve got to maintain that. I don’t want this group to under-estimate their own capacity, I think there is big upside left in this group. There’s an outside perception from some quarters that on back of Grand Final appearances a couple years ago and a slide last year that a decline will continue. That’s an absolute fallacy. I don’t buy into that.
Q: Since being appointed to your new position, from whom have you sought advice?
SW: Mick Malthouse is one who I’ve spoken to on a semi-regular basis. I’ll continue to do that. And there are three or four other people who aren’t necessarily football people. One from business background is Gavin Hegney, who can give me different perspective. Information is where you find it and there a lot of good experienced people in the industry and outside the industry.
Q: Having been an assistant coach and observing coaches of all teams, whats the one thing you don’t want to do as a coach?
SW: Without being specific, there’s a lot of things you watch when you are going through a learning process and think “That works really well.” Being under Mick Malthouse for the past two years I think his relationship with his players was an underestimated strength. From a positive point you see the importance of that relationship. I have seen coaches who haven’t had that close rapport and at some point that puts the whole program under pressure. Communication needs to be really clear and respectful.
Q: Whenever a new coach is appointed some players fall by the wayside and others step up a level. Which players have already stood up in your eyes as being capable of playing a bigger part in 2012?
SW: There’s probably a dozen of them. David Armitage is one at the moment who is really showing real signs to me that he wants to progress as a footballer. Rhys Stanley is working really hard and we are starting to see some confidence around his performance. Ahmed Saad is pretty exciting for someone in his first year in the program. Tom Simpkin is getting through his best preseason in a couple years and there is big upside to him. Tommy Ledger is another who falls into that bracket and he is healthier than he has been. He is an untapped resource. I knew Tom’s background in WA. Of the senior older guys Justin Koschitzke is really growing as a leader and he’s dragging some players with him.
Q: Dealing with the media is part of AFL coaching. What is your philosophy about that part of the job?
SW: A lot of it is about relationships. I’m not going to agree with everything that is said in the media, and, the media isn’t going to agree with everything I say or do but if that comes from basis of a respectful relationship we can all work together because we are part of the same relationships with the media don’t always go together but we have to manage that.
Q: All the new coaches are talking up playing a brutal, physical, tough style. Is that something that can be coached into a player or does it have to be there in some form to start with?
SW: If you select wisely and make good decisions early, that’s the first step. If its an inherent quality that’s good but it can be coached. There’s some slight alterations to our game plan. We’ve made some progress on that. We need to be more explosive. Our conditioning program has adjusted slightly to a powerful brand of football. If you cant play power football – that’s to be brutal at stoppages and be explosive with your running – then you will be left behind.
Q: Every person has perceptions of particular clubs from outside. Now that you have been at your new club for a couple months, what pre-conception has changed the most for you?
SW: I think you build up perceptions of players when you coach against them, and in many ways you try and make that a negative perception. The biggest change for me is once you start to work with this playing group you really see the true character of people like Stephen Milne, Leigh Montagna and the young kids like Rhys Stanley – they are real quality kids. From outside looking in you paint enemy in a bad light. As a defensive coach against Stephen Milne it’s different once you come to the club and get appreciation of what character he has.
Q: What is the biggest difference you want the football world to see in your team in 2012?
SW: I’m not too fussed with what people see. There are some traits of this football club that I have admired – their intensity, their resilience and, I reckon, their pride in performance. We’ve got to maintain that. I don’t want this group to under-estimate their own capacity, I think there is big upside left in this group. There’s an outside perception from some quarters that on back of Grand Final appearances a couple years ago and a slide last year that a decline will continue. That’s an absolute fallacy. I don’t buy into that.
Q: Since being appointed to your new position, from whom have you sought advice?
SW: Mick Malthouse is one who I’ve spoken to on a semi-regular basis. I’ll continue to do that. And there are three or four other people who aren’t necessarily football people. One from business background is Gavin Hegney, who can give me different perspective. Information is where you find it and there a lot of good experienced people in the industry and outside the industry.
Q: Having been an assistant coach and observing coaches of all teams, whats the one thing you don’t want to do as a coach?
SW: Without being specific, there’s a lot of things you watch when you are going through a learning process and think “That works really well.” Being under Mick Malthouse for the past two years I think his relationship with his players was an underestimated strength. From a positive point you see the importance of that relationship. I have seen coaches who haven’t had that close rapport and at some point that puts the whole program under pressure. Communication needs to be really clear and respectful.
Q: Whenever a new coach is appointed some players fall by the wayside and others step up a level. Which players have already stood up in your eyes as being capable of playing a bigger part in 2012?
SW: There’s probably a dozen of them. David Armitage is one at the moment who is really showing real signs to me that he wants to progress as a footballer. Rhys Stanley is working really hard and we are starting to see some confidence around his performance. Ahmed Saad is pretty exciting for someone in his first year in the program. Tom Simpkin is getting through his best preseason in a couple years and there is big upside to him. Tommy Ledger is another who falls into that bracket and he is healthier than he has been. He is an untapped resource. I knew Tom’s background in WA. Of the senior older guys Justin Koschitzke is really growing as a leader and he’s dragging some players with him.
Q: Dealing with the media is part of AFL coaching. What is your philosophy about that part of the job?
SW: A lot of it is about relationships. I’m not going to agree with everything that is said in the media, and, the media isn’t going to agree with everything I say or do but if that comes from basis of a respectful relationship we can all work together because we are part of the same relationships with the media don’t always go together but we have to manage that.
Q: All the new coaches are talking up playing a brutal, physical, tough style. Is that something that can be coached into a player or does it have to be there in some form to start with?
SW: If you select wisely and make good decisions early, that’s the first step. If its an inherent quality that’s good but it can be coached. There’s some slight alterations to our game plan. We’ve made some progress on that. We need to be more explosive. Our conditioning program has adjusted slightly to a powerful brand of football. If you cant play power football – that’s to be brutal at stoppages and be explosive with your running – then you will be left behind.
