Universal Love Q&A - Lachie Neale('s manager)

[se17enteen]

Will there be a Q&A with Colin Sylvia's manager anytime soon?

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

When do think you'll be able to kick on your left foot like Sam Mitchell?

To be honest with you, free at last at 38 years of age I think my opportunity to be able to distribute the ball on my left foot as well as Sam Mitchell does may have well and truly passed me. In fact I struggle to hit the side of a shearing shed from 25m away with my natural foot nowadays…

But if you’re talking about Lachie, the reality is that isn't going to happen now. Denis Pagan reckons you can’t teach a player anything new once they turn 17 years of age – not something I necessarily agree with – but the reality is that once you are in the AFL system and with all the thing players do in the modern game there isn't time for technique refinement.

I am yet to hear a recruiter put a line through a young player because they couldn't kick on their opposite foot… if you can’t kick you’re in trouble but as long as you are really good on one foot that’s sufficient.

Didn’t Mitchell hurt himself in his younger days which forced him to adapt to kicking on his opposite foot? I can’t remember the exact story but I have actually seen that happen before. That maybe something to google and do some homework on!

 

[Allikat]

Oh and Tim & Arcassius, thank you thank you thank you for doing this!!

 

[Arcassius]

Oh and Tim & Arcassius, thank you thank you thank you for doing this!!

Not Tim - all good Allikat, it was lovely for Tim to offer to chat and while he's limited in what he can say about club specifics, it's nice to hear a point of view outside of the regular punter. As supporters we sometimes get caught up in conspiracy and theories about what we think is happening with a player or at the club.

The key takeaway I have from this is a reminder that some of the things we post on here, in any other area of life, might be seen as harsh - the way we discuss players like cattle. Fair enough it's part and parcel of their career choice, but still - going back and reading threads where we complain that a player is useless I think sometimes removes us from the fact they are a person like us.

I cringe a little reading the Lachie Neale Toast thread, that started as a Roast thread - and the possibility that players might also read these comments. Especially if they have been doing exactly what's asked of them from the coach, and as supporters we simply just haven't understood the role or have expected too much of a player too early.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Not Tim - all good Allikat, it was lovely for Tim to offer to chat and while he's limited in what he can say about club specifics, it's nice to hear a point of view outside of the regular punter. As supporters we sometimes get caught up in conspiracy and theories about what we think is happening with a player or at the club.

The key takeaway I have from this is a reminder that some of the things we post on here, in any other area of life, might be seen as harsh - the way we discuss players like cattle. Fair enough it's part and parcel of their career choice, but still - going back and reading threads where we complain that a player is useless I think sometimes removes us from the fact they are a person like us.

I cringe a little reading the Lachie Neale Toast thread, that started as a Roast thread - and the possibility that players might also read these comments. Especially if they have been doing exactly what's asked of them from the coach, and as supporters we simply just haven't understood the role or have expected too much of a player too early.

Precisely why I never speak Ill of any Fremantle player.
I still say Lachie would get a game ahead of Peter Bell in this Ross Lyon team.
On a lighter note, what is Lachie using to prevent sunburn ? Watching training when he first arrived I commented he is the whitest bloke I have ever seen.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

Hey Tim, could you get Dermie to write an uplifting and inspiring article on Nick Suban this week.

Ha ha Mockcockpit (try saying that ten times with a mouthful of cheezles like I just did) it was a nice story wasn't it… I may have rose coloured glasses but I think he gave some interesting insight and it was pretty accurate. I don’t always agree with what Derm says but I think he got that story right!

I remember the week before Lach was due to play his first Nab Cup games in 2012 I was amazed at the media attention he got on the back of one internal trial performance.

I remember I flew in on the Friday (with the game against WCE and Essendon on the Sunday) and there was a big colour photo of him in the West Australian, that night he lead the sports report on two different television stations and was in the paper again on the Sunday. Then he went ok in the games and he was trending on twitter and of course popping up on all media outlets for the ensuing days after that. I was a little shocked and to be honest, a little concerned.

Lachie being Lachie this kind of thing didn't phase him but I have some advice (on the back of that time) and a rule that all of my boys I manage follow with media stories about them.

We only listen to those that we need to listen too - the people closest to you. That means the coach and the coaching staff, key members of the club including team mates, their family and those inside their inner support network. All the 'noise' (media and public opinion) can go on around us but at the end of the day, if these things pump you up when something nice is written, what effect will be caused on the flipside when things are not going so well?

Everyone loves a footballer when they are playing well and performing, however, 90% of them will turn quicker than a glass of milk in the sun when things aren't going well. So we make sure those things don’t affect the boys – either way.

Constant, consistent, unemotional messages are so important for any young footballer.

It’s fire and ice stuff and we like to be the luke warm water that flows in-between!

 

[Pusswah]

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

From Tim -

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

Thanks tants. You win the contest for the most though provoking question so far.
My answer to that is: possibly but it depends on how far and what they are looking at.

This has been the best laugh out loud moment of the week for me. I don't remember laughing that hard during the first quarter on Sunday even.

 

[Mezz]

Does Lachie go to uni and if so, what is he studying? And if not, what does he fill his time with?
What plans, if any, does he have for life post-footy?
And who does he hang around with most from the club?

And thankyou heaps for doing this!

 

[Grandstan]

Who is the AFL player past or present (outside the current Dockers side) that Lachie most admires and why?
What other sports does Lachie play?
And what the hell happened against St Kilda last year?

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

Dear Lachie, When are you going to sign a contract extension and can it be at least to the end of 2021 season

Lachie is currently contracted until the end of 2016, Mockcockpit , so we will see how things are going leading up until then. I know it’s a clichéd and well trotted out line but there is certainly no rush with anything. Good performance for the team and doing his part to help win a premiership for the Dockers comes first.

 

[free at last]

From Tim -

When do think you'll be able to kick on your left foot like Sam Mitchell?

To be honest with you, free at last at 38 years of age I think my opportunity to be able to distribute the ball on my left foot as well as Sam Mitchell does may have well and truly passed me. In fact I struggle to hit the side of a shearing shed from 25m away with my natural foot nowadays…

But if you’re talking about Lachie, the reality is that isn't going to happen now. Denis Pagan reckons you can’t teach a player anything new once they turn 17 years of age – not something I necessarily agree with – but the reality is that once you are in the AFL system and with all the thing players do in the modern game there isn't time for technique refinement.

I am yet to hear a recruiter put a line through a young player because they couldn't kick on their opposite foot… if you can’t kick you’re in trouble but as long as you are really good on one foot that’s sufficient.

Didn’t Mitchell hurt himself in his younger days which forced him to adapt to kicking on his opposite foot? I can’t remember the exact story but I have actually seen that happen before. That maybe something to google and do some homework on!

Cheers OA,I asked that question with tongue in cheek.

Good work.

 

[Square Peg]

They monitor here closely though.

Do they really? Good
Hi FFC, any risk that you could get our injury list up on the website every Tuesday without fail, like 17 other clubs manage to do? Cheers.

 

[purplerunsdeep]

This was a great read cheers to all who brought it together

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

• How often are you contacted by opposition clubs about the availability of your players, what form do these approaches take and how far ahead of a player coming out of contract at they getting in touch? Are there rules for these things and how often are they danced around, without any specfics obviously.
• What are the minimum contract requirements for an AFL player in their 3rd year? - That first contract after their draft, are there minimum terms a club is required to meet; min salary, min salary with match payments etc
• When the media talk about a player triggering an extension clause with a fitness test, what sort of physical testing are they allowed to perform to pass or fail a player on their extensions?

Thanks Tayl0r – you win the award for the most prickly question asked to date!

In regards to clubs approaching agents about their players, all List Managers at each of the AFL clubs know when every player is coming out of contract each year. Those fabled whiteboards with the names of players from other clubs with their contract expiry dates that hang in recruiting offices do actually exist.

AFL rules stipulate that a player can not engage or discuss any contracts during the season in their last contracted year - obviously a List Manager could have an informal discussion with the agent at any time but nothing formal can be entered into. There were some loopholes with the startups of Gold Coast and GWS which is when we saw all that last season speculation with Ablett, Scully and co.

These informal discussions may happen at any time, however, a lot can happen for both parties in a short period of time such is the nature of football. I wouldn’t think much would happen until 12 months before the players contract expiry date.

There are minimum requirements in regards to player payments as per the CBA. However, if you were a 3rd year player, the club wanted to extend your contract for another year, the club was offering minimum wages and your agent was thinking about taking it, my first advice to the player would be to sack your agent and get a decent one! I have never heard of a club offering minimum payments to a 3rd year player anyway so it's not a big thing.

Unless a 'fitness' clause was agreed to and accepted initially by the player/agent and the club when negotiating the players contract (from year 3 onwards) they actually don’t exist. There is certainly a clause in all Standard Playing Contracts that talks about the player meeting acceptable requirements to be an AFL player but there are no real specific benchmarks per say.

The thing to keep in mind is that if a player isn't up to standard and continue to not meet these standards it may then be deemed that they have not met the standards required they may not get a new contract. Extreme cases could potentially see a contract terminated but there would be a lot of grey areas around a scenario like that for a number of reasons.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

On Sunday VS wc, we saw Lachie kick a ball a distance Peter Bell could only dream of doing; Sure you got it off the centre of your boot and right in the sweet spot of the ball and it was exquisitely timed and although it found a space vortex to travel through, it still soared through the space at three quarter post high, coming off one step.

So therefore Lachie is a much better kick than the erudite little champ.

What do you say to people who have vast knowledge of football like Fred, when he speaks in glowing reference to you.


Thanks Fred Ziffel. I always love a question which is aimed at someone who isn't actually answering that (or any) question whilst, all at the same time, being asked in the third person. Not quite of tants standard but very good none the less.

Lachie reckons he actually miskicked it and it wasn't meant to go through the goal. I personally think you are a visionary and a very astute judge of the game.

Can you please pass that onto Fred Ziffel for me?

 

[AAACockburn]

From Tim -

• How often are you contacted by opposition clubs about the availability of your players, what form do these approaches take and how far ahead of a player coming out of contract at they getting in touch? Are there rules for these things and how often are they danced around, without any specfics obviously.
• What are the minimum contract requirements for an AFL player in their 3rd year? - That first contract after their draft, are there minimum terms a club is required to meet; min salary, min salary with match payments etc
• When the media talk about a player triggering an extension clause with a fitness test, what sort of physical testing are they allowed to perform to pass or fail a player on their extensions?

Thanks Tayl0r – you win the award for the most prickly question asked to date!

In regards to clubs approaching agents about their players, all List Managers at each of the AFL clubs know when every player is coming out of contract each year. Those fabled whiteboards with the names of players from other clubs with their contract expiry dates that hang in recruiting offices do actually exist.

AFL rules stipulate that a player can not engage or discuss any contracts during the season in their last contracted year - obviously a List Manager could have an informal discussion with the agent at any time but nothing formal can be entered into. There were some loopholes with the startups of Gold Coast and GWS which is when we saw all that last season speculation with Ablett, Scully and co.

These informal discussions may happen at any time, however, a lot can happen for both parties in a short period of time such is the nature of football. I wouldn’t think much would happen until 12 months before the players contract expiry date.

There are minimum requirements in regards to player payments as per the CBA. However, if you were a 3rd year player, the club wanted to extend your contract for another year, the club was offering minimum wages and your agent was thinking about taking it, my first advice to the player would be to sack your agent and get a decent one! I have never heard of a club offering minimum payments to a 3rd year player anyway so it's not a big thing.

Unless a 'fitness' clause was agreed to and accepted initially by the player/agent and the club when negotiating the players contract (from year 3 onwards) they actually don’t exist. There is certainly a clause in all Standard Playing Contracts that talks about the player meeting acceptable requirements to be an AFL player but there are no real specific benchmarks per say.

The thing to keep in mind is that if a player isn't up to standard and continue to not meet these standards it may then be deemed that they have not met the standards required they may not get a new contract. Extreme cases could potentially see a contract terminated but there would be a lot of grey areas around a scenario like that for a number of reasons.

Thanks,
Tim

#Colin_Sylvia says thanks

 

[beetz]

Hey Tim, thanks for your valuable insight. I have some broader questions:

Although I am quite comfortable in m current profession I have always wondered, how does one become a player agent/manager? Are there specific course, certifications that are required? And then how do you get in to the game?

Also, becoming a player scout, something I think i could see myself doing later in life. I understand there's not a lot of money in it but I would thoroughly enjoy the challenge. Any advice?

Many thanks

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

As a fellow short-ass (Lachie actually towers above me haha) I was wondering if he thinks of his lack of height as an advantage to his current game, especially being surrounded by giants in the midfield. And has it always been that way?

And how much does he like Perth, like really really like it, as a home for say.. the next 10 years or so?

Good question Allikat!

Since I have known Lachie I have always been intrigued how he can adjust and play to a higher level all the time.

In 2011 he played in the U18 side (remember he was worried he wouldn't be good enough) and was exceptional (5 BOG's in the first 5 rounds which got him into the final SA U18 squad), he was solid at the National champs, came back to Glenelg and adjusted to playing reserves there, then made his league debut finishing his senior season with 25 possessions against South Adelaide (he then came back and played at U18 level in the finals culminating in his 43 possession, BOG display in a losing grand final side).

One of my other messages to my boys is 'control what you can control and don't worry about the rest; invariably if you do everything you can yourself to control a situation it will go your way more often than not. You can’t control the weather or what players the opposition play but you can control your preparation, make sure you know your role and make sure you execute it consistently'.

Late in his draft year he was interviewed by the local paper in Adelaide, the Advertiser and he was asked how he felt always playing against bigger, more experienced opponents.

His answer was simple – he had never thought about it because once he plays all he is worried about is controlling how he plays, what he needs to do for the team and what his coach wants him to do and that thinking never varies. It was totally irrelevant to him how big the other players were or what standard/level of game it was he was playing in.

By and large he still thinks that way today. He plays his role to the best of his ability and does what Ross and the other coaches ask why would he worry about the things he can’t control?

In regards to him being here in 10 years, well no one can predict that of course! What I can say is that he is enjoying his time at Fremantle and is so, so hungry to have the ultimate success for the club. That's all he is thinking about.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

• When Lachie first came to the club, which other players or officials helped him feel most comfortable. Who did he naturally connect with (so to speak)?
• Part of being a professional sports person, particularly of a profile sport like AFL, is media, community and other ancillary duties. How does a still relatively young Lachie feel about that stuff given that his job description ultimately is about being a quality footballer and quality team-mate first (which he is doing very well at of course)? Does he find the "non-footy' related stuff a bit tough or does he quite like it?

Good questions PapaJ.

Your captain, Matty Pavlich, was and still is, a great support. He is a great leader. Pav actually gets all the South Australian boys around to his place on regular occasions for dinner. He also gets on well with Mick Barlow. Mick obviously also had to get here the hard way so I think they have a bit of an understanding there. Plus they both enjoy a laugh.

He really enjoys the stuff outside of the 'football' side of things. He is an ambassador for the Star Light Foundation which he is quite passionate about and he has recently started doing a spot on radio with hit 92.9 (about 7am on the Wednesdays before each home game) which he is settling into. I think he speaks very well in his media appearances.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

How did he really feel when Zayn left the group?

Shattered, Sweetback. Shattered.

 

[Scatter]

Hi Tim
Thanks very much for your time. My question is how much media training do the players get? I'm constantly amazed at how well they generally handle it. Lachie seems pretty naturally gifted at it. Do they get given a cliche thesaurus or something to help?
Cheers

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

Was he surprised his good mate Alex Forster got delisted? What do you Tim, think was the difference between Lachie's and Alex's approach to AFL that saw one succeed and one not? Up until then their paths were very similar.

That's a tough one, Scham.

You go from both the boys, best mates since childhood, getting drafted to the same club was just an amazing thing. I have no doubt having Alex about helped Lach at the start when he moved over. Then suddenly, two years later, it's all over.

Alex is a ripping lad. He really is. I didn't manage Al and in fact, it would be a lie if I said I knew him as well as Lachie but I could see what was happening when he was over here.

Was his approach to AFL life different to Lach's? No, I don't think so. He knew what it took and did everything he could.

I think with Alex he had some tough things happen at the start. He had to have an operation two weeks after getting drafted which wiped out most of his pre-season and set him back pretty much for all of 2012 and that put him behind the eight ball.

What happens then with a young player is they lose confidence "Do they still want me?", "how can I get into this top 4 side", "am I really good enough?". Now I am not saying Alex was thinking these things but it's pretty normal to do that and add onto this worry is the pressure that your contract expires at the end of the season. Your boyhood dream could be over before it even had a chance to begin.. It’s a fair bit of weight for a 19 year old to carry.

If you are smashing state league footy, you may have some currency and get a lifeline at another club. In Alex's case, he was struggling for Peel Thunder so this was going to be unlikely. I remember watching him down at Mandurah one day, midway through his second season and the kid was a shadow of his former self. He was nothing like the player I used to watch back in Adelaide a couple of years before nor the player the Fremantle recruiters had seen.

Keep in mind too, that struggling at state league level combined with the fact no contract is on offer just adds to the angst. This then just snowballs out of control. You are a dead man walking in the football world… and Alex knew this in the end I think.

So it wasn't a surprise in the end at all for Lachie. He knew it was coming. The end of a boyhood dream and what a lot of people don't think about, with things like this, is the human element. These are 19 year old kids – much like your sons or your nephews – who have emotions and feelings and feel pain.
Alex is enjoying his footy again back in Adelaide. He won a premiership with Norwood last year in the SANFL and is enjoying the game again. He is still a great kid.

When you start football in Auskick, it's all warm and fuzzy. Lots of fun and everyone gets a go. The higher you go, up to the national stage, the colder it gets and the further you fall. It's not all fortune and fame.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

Question without notice for Tim: Do you lay awake at night, staring at your ceiling and wonder why Leonardo Dicaprio has never won an Oscar?

An answer without notice for you, Dirty_banchez.

When you have a mirror on your bedroom ceiling above your bed, it is hard to think about Leonardo Dicaprio at all. In fact, it's bloody hard to even fall asleep when you have a head like mine and keep seeing it stare back at you.

For the record, I actually don't know. What I do know is he got to spend time on that tropical island with that smoking hot French backpacker in 'The Beach'. I personally think that was reward enough and would outweigh any Oscar win in my eyes.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

Will there be a Q&A with Colin Sylvia's manager anytime soon?

I can ask him if you want, se17enteen, but I think I know the two word response I may get.

 

[Arcassius]

From Tim -

On a lighter note, what is Lachie using to prevent sunburn? Watching training when he first arrived I commented he is the whitest bloke I have ever seen.

He is certainly isn't the quintessential sun tanning Aussie is he Fred Ziffel? We don't have a deal with any sunscreen company so I think the old 50+ might be the answer. Any brand you choose is fine.