Toast 2021 Leadership Group - Heppell (captain), Hurley, Merrett, McGrath (joint vice-captains)

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westking said:
With reports of in-fighting, abuse and divisions amongst the playing group, I believe its time for Dyson to step back. He has barley been on the ground last few years, and if these reports are true he is not doing a 'stirling' job off field either.

Another thing that many dismiss, but it grinds my gears a little is that report about him ringing Saad and begging/requesting him to reconsider and stay. Im sure this has occurred a few times already over the years. Melkshem and Hibbered??
If a player wants out he wants out. Bye bye and all the best. For Dyson (or anyone else at the club) to believe he can sway a player to stay by saying a few words, is delusional. To me it speaks volumes of how they rate themselves internally as opposed to what the rest of the universe thinks.

Its obvious a re-set of the club is needed in the on field leadership aspect too.
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Dys is way too "she'll be right mate" to be the captain.

If we are going to go down a new route then put someone else in who is going to set the right standards and call those out who falter.
 
HirdsTheWord said:
Dys is way too "she'll be right mate" to be the captain.

If we are going to go down a new route then put someone else in who is going to set the right standards and call those out who falter.
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Yep, at the moment. Can he change style at this stage of his career? Different sport but Allan Border decided he needed to have a harder edge as captain to get the team to where it needed to be. In his own words it 'gave everyone the shits' but it still worked and set the team up for years. Hep might have to be prepared for a few people to dislike him if hes going to lead improvement in the group. The thing is though, the players will probably respect him more if hes demanding standards rather than being laid back and mates with everyone.
 
I'm also in the Merrett shouldn't be captain camp.

Everytime I have heard him speak, he has come across as happy go lucky. I don't think I have seen him look deflated after a loss and on the field, I can't recall him barking directions or looking to egg on team mates around him. These are only some of what I've perceived from the outside, where I can't confirm what he is like inside the club.

Not that makes him less of a player; just more that he doesn't come across to me as the motivational driver to have 21 other blokes follow him into a game.
 

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Bunk Moreland said:
One thing I would ditch - and I think it fits with this approach, so probably will be - is the playing group selecting leaders.

Not sure what extent they’ve had a say in the past, but I wouldn’t be giving them one. You don’t pick your own leader. Go tell your CEO who youre having as your manager, see what they say.
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A captain isn't a manager though, they don't sit on the list committee, offer you a contract or fire you. They have more in common with a union rep. First among equals, bit of moral support, and act on behalf of the playing group when the occasion calls for it, flipping a coin, taking a photo on captain's day, or leading a meeting about upholding values/standards/off-field indiscretions, etc. (Late to training, messy locker, pinching milk from the club fridge, etc). If we were talking about the players electing the coaches that'd be a different thing.

That said, I think the way it's set up at the moment is too uncoordinated to directly define the leadership group/captaincy. I don't mind if they rate each other as they do now as a type of peer assessment on how they embody team values, which could form part of the feedback that they get and possibly plays into their goal setting or whatever if they do that (I hope they do that...). But using peer feedback to define the leadership group naturally throws up anomalous results.

Basically, they seem to be rating each other on the core values of the team and the criteria for being a team player (defensive mindset, anyone?), not the criteria for being a leader. A leader should exemplify the values of the team, but they also need to be able to actually lead, in the right direction, inspire people to follow them, get on well with the other players, motivate them to get the best out of themselves, as well as being willing to hold themselves and others to professional standards.

If you set up a straight vote I doubt you would get the same leadership group, and that should be quite telling imo.
 
84859300 said:
I'm also in the Merrett shouldn't be captain camp.

Everytime I have heard him speak, he has come across as happy go lucky. I don't think I have seen him look deflated after a loss and on the field, I can't recall him barking directions or looking to egg on team mates around him. These are only some of what I've perceived from the outside, where I can't confirm what he is like inside the club.

Not that makes him less of a player; just more that he doesn't come across to me as the motivational driver to have 21 other blokes follow him into a game.
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Idk about happy go lucky, he seems like quite a serious, highly-motivated and introverted sort of person.

Introverted is probably the ?? Being introverted doesn't mean you can't lead effectively, but it's not an exuberant sort of leadership that fills a room with personality, and you do still need to communicate with a wider group of people than just your close mates, which is where the trouble comes in.
 
84859300 said:
I'm also in the Merrett shouldn't be captain camp.

Everytime I have heard him speak, he has come across as happy go lucky. I don't think I have seen him look deflated after a loss and on the field, I can't recall him barking directions or looking to egg on team mates around him. These are only some of what I've perceived from the outside, where I can't confirm what he is like inside the club.

Not that makes him less of a player; just more that he doesn't come across to me as the motivational driver to have 21 other blokes follow him into a game.
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Dys isn't exactly the serious type either
 
84859300 said:
I'm also in the Merrett shouldn't be captain camp.

Everytime I have heard him speak, he has come across as happy go lucky. I don't think I have seen him look deflated after a loss and on the field, I can't recall him barking directions or looking to egg on team mates around him. These are only some of what I've perceived from the outside, where I can't confirm what he is like inside the club.

Not that makes him less of a player; just more that he doesn't come across to me as the motivational driver to have 21 other blokes follow him into a game.
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He looks shattered after losses. I think he hates losing and because he is so serious and expecting so much in regards to his footy, that actually rubs some other teammates up the wrong way. As opposed to Hep and Myers having a laugh after the Sydney loss.
 

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Could have told them without a review that our leadership or lack of was a serious issue. :cool:
Not like I have not mentioned it a lot over the last few years.
 
Bjchan13 said:
He looks shattered after losses. I think he hates losing and because he is so serious and expecting so much in regards to his footy, that actually rubs some other teammates up the wrong way. As opposed to Hep and Myers having a laugh after the Sydney loss.
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And he is waiting to see what happens before staying or bolting out the door for greener pastures. Not sure I would be making him my captain.
 
ant555 said:
And he is waiting to see what happens before staying or bolting out the door for greener pastures. Not sure I would be making him my captain.
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Im not sure of him for Captain either. As much as i wanted us to push for a decision on his future this off season i can completely understand Merrett having reservations about where we are now heading under Rutten and taking his time with a decision. The mixed messaging, and Worsfolds soft and confusing coaching style over the last 3 years has seen the leadership group become a revolving door and an absolute joke really. Heppell as much as like him, has not been a hard nosed 'follow me' leader that demands high standards. Its been left up to the players under Woosh and as a result we have no standout candidates or strong leaders. McGrath though has stood out because he's hungry to succeed and clearly smart enough to cut through the confusing coaching and just figure out what the team needs him to do. It might be too early for him though and we may be better off letting him continue to develop his game for another year or 2. Id love to see Truck put his foot down and clearly state to each player what he wants from them in regards to executing his gameplan. Thats where you'd find leaders emerge. If Truck demanded it maybe Merrett can sacrifice 6 touches a game to improve his defensive efforts, get his tackle numbers back up and inspire his teammates like Cotchin does. Worsfolds player empowerment method has clearly failed so hopefully Truck can do the opposite. Be the boss, tell the players what you want them to do, and keep instructions simple. Leaders will emerge. As for who best suits us for Captain this year, i have no idea. Heppell if he can stay on the park and change his leadership style to develop a hard edge?
 
Bjchan13 said:
Im not sure of him for Captain either. As much as i wanted us to push for a decision on his future this off season i can completely understand Merrett having reservations about where we are now heading under Rutten and taking his time with a decision. The mixed messaging, and Worsfolds soft and confusing coaching style over the last 3 years has seen the leadership group become a revolving door and an absolute joke really. Heppell as much as like him, has not been a hard nosed 'follow me' leader that demands high standards. Its been left up to the players under Woosh and as a result we have no standout candidates or strong leaders. McGrath though has stood out because he's hungry to succeed and clearly smart enough to cut through the confusing coaching and just figure out what the team needs him to do. It might be too early for him though and we may be better off letting him continue to develop his game for another year or 2. Id love to see Truck put his foot down and clearly state to each player what he wants from them in regards to executing his gameplan. Thats where you'd find leaders emerge. If Truck demanded it maybe Merrett can sacrifice 6 touches a game to improve his defensive efforts, get his tackle numbers back up and inspire his teammates like Cotchin does. Worsfolds player empowerment method has clearly failed so hopefully Truck can do the opposite. Be the boss, tell the players what you want them to do, and keep instructions simple. Leaders will emerge. As for who best suits us for Captain this year, i have no idea. Heppell if he can stay on the park and change his leadership style to develop a hard edge?
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Makes you wonder what Luke Ball was supposed to be doing though...
 
Lore said:
www.essendonfc.com.au

Luke Ball appointment

Essendon Football Club is pleased to announce Luke Ball has been appointed to the role of Manager, People Performance, at the Bombers.
www.essendonfc.com.au www.essendonfc.com.au
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That article explains a lot. Reporting to both Richardson and Worsfold, and now all three gone. Does Lisa Lawry survive?

Also interesting that he worked at the AFL in umpiring yet the players found themselves cruelled by umpiring decisions so often.
 
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