News Carlton AFLW Full Scale Review - UPDATE: Harford & Blues part ways

[blueboy25]

The impression I got from that statement was that it was mainly due to Harford not being able to commit to the role full-time (I’m guessing due to his radio gig, amongst other things). Though could also be a polite way of saying he was no longer suitable for the role, who knows…

Freo also still looking for a head coach, so that makes two clubs on the hunt. Will be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

Seems a lot of the dockers players are keen on Lisa Webb who is part of the Dogs AFLW coaching set up and her husband is part of the mens program at the dogs.

She doesn't seem keen on heading back to Perth so hopefully we will be speaking to her.

 

[JustaBattler]

The coach thought that his coaching at Carlton was a "side hussle and a passion project...." seemed relieved to have been asked to leave tbh - what a wasted few years it has been for all concerned - and yes - the Club seems to have bene happy for him to run his own show - until it wasnt.

 

[thylacine60]

it didn't even seem to be a gradual thing - we just got s**t fast..........

 

[JustaBattler]

it didn't even seem to be a gradual thing - we just got s**t fast..........

for me things went off the rails at the time of the Tayla drama....then teams started to be fitter faster and play with more skill....
clearly a combination of coaching/mentoring and lack of investment by teh Club in terms of oversight - as Hartford mentioned himself - the focus was on fixing the men's team...

IMO womens comp is pretty much wide open every year and things can improve pretty fast over the next couple of years if they get some basics right.

I feel sorry for a lot of the young women having to play sans serious mentoring and development - no reason for that state of affairs to have gone on for one year - let alone 2-3.

 

[thylacine60]

if nothing else it's good to know the yoyo & bounce style of the league means we shouldn't be waiting 30 years between flags - hang on, we haven't won one yet!

 

[OldBlueFan]

for me things went off the rails at the time of the Tayla drama....then teams started to be fitter faster and play with more skill....
clearly a combination of coaching/mentoring and lack of investment by teh Club in terms of oversight - as Hartford mentioned himself - the focus was on fixing the men's team...

IMO womens comp is pretty much wide open every year and things can improve pretty fast over the next couple of years if they get some basics right.

I feel sorry for a lot of the young women having to play sans serious mentoring and development - no reason for that state of affairs to have gone on for one year - let alone 2-3.

Are you being a bit over-the-top here? Just off the top of my head there's been a fair bit of improvement from Abbie McKay (massive actually) and Lucy McEvoy. Mua is another one who's continually developed her game and even Bre Moody added layers to her game. So the development opportunity hasn't been completely absent. Surely the players have to take some responsibility in that regard? I think the review has intimated as much - professional standards etc.

Having said that though, I also think it's a bit rich to talk about "professional standards" when the league itself won't actually provide a full-time professional environment for the competition as a whole. The way the AFL has managed this competition is a farce. The mickey-mouse expansion rules, changing the timing of the season with little notice and then deciding on some bullshit draft as a result, refusing to expand the number of games being played despite expanding the competition, having to be dragged kicking and screaming into a remuneration arrangement that is still only half-way reasonable ... is it any wonder that some of the athletes might have become jaded by it all?

Reflecting on it now, it seems that the hierarchy picked the worst possible time to pursue a youth/rebuild policy. The last 3 years, with COVID and everything I've listed above, it seems they would have been much better served by maturity and experience, at least in the short term.

 

[Wickzki]

Sayers impact becoming more and more obvious.
Leadership/Management being held to account.
Players now have a clean slate to respond.

Would like to give mention to Brian Cook at this level too.

On many issues they share the same mindset.

Where they differ they're able to work together to identify the best interests of the club moving forward.

The times they are a changing.

 

[Coona Blues]

The search for a new coach is going to be a difficult one. Competitions around the country are all in pre season mode, and any aspiring coaches have already found a gig. Logic says that we should take a coach experienced in the women’s game who knows what a decent program looks like. We should not at this stage try to be inventive with a left field appointment not au fait with the idiosyncrasies of coaching a female group. Our players need a teacher and someone they can relate to.

 

[JustaBattler]

Are you being a bit over-the-top here? Just off the top of my head there's been a fair bit of improvement from Abbie McKay (massive actually) and Lucy McEvoy. Mua is another one who's continually developed her game and even Bre Moody added layers to her game. So the development opportunity hasn't been completely absent. Surely the players have to take some responsibility in that regard? I think the review has intimated as much - professional standards etc.

Having said that though, I also think it's a bit rich to talk about "professional standards" when the league itself won't actually provide a full-time professional environment for the competition as a whole. The way the AFL has managed this competition is a farce. The mickey-mouse expansion rules, changing the timing of the season with little notice and then deciding on some bullshit draft as a result, refusing to expand the number of games being played despite expanding the competition, having to be dragged kicking and screaming into a remuneration arrangement that is still only half-way reasonable ... is it any wonder that some of the athletes might have become jaded by it all?

Reflecting on it now, it seems that the hierarchy picked the worst possible time to pursue a youth/rebuild policy. The last 3 years, with COVID and everything I've listed above, it seems they would have been much better served by maturity and experience, at least in the short term.

Maybe expansion and more money and not enough talent to go around has favoured certain Clubs more than others - I wouldn't be trying to build a better performing team around excuses about why they haven't been performing though - that was the excuse death cycle that the AFL team went through after the penalties imposed on the club after salary cap 'cheating'. Exccuses which people drew on to justify 20 years of embarrassment and incompetence.

 

[Gethelred]

Brett Munro gone too.

Sad to think none of our senior staff are deemed viable.

Not good that we were allowed to get here.

While true, better that it's getting fixed instead of overlooked from a sense that it'll come good eventually. Sunk costs and all that hurt, but sticking with a bad thing for too long is even worse.

 

[katmanblue]

Maybe expansion and more money and not enough talent to go around has favoured certain Clubs more than others - I wouldn't be trying to build a better performing team around excuses about why they haven't been performing though - that was the excuse death cycle that the AFL team went through after the penalties imposed on the club after salary cap 'cheating'. Exccuses which people drew on to justify 20 years of embarrassment and incompetence.

Using the "part time league" excuse to justify lack of professionalism is a cop out. Hasn't seemed to effect other teams in th same league. Reeks of entitlement.

On SM-F926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[JustaBattler]

Using the "part time league" excuse to justify lack of professionalism is a cop out. Hasn't seemed to effect other teams in th same league. Reeks of entitlement.

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Reeks of "how did he get the job in the first place?" questions requiring answers to me. Anyone who describes his coaching stint as a 'side hussle' and 'passion project' should never have been hired in the first place - but I guess that was also done under different regimes. First chance Sayers and Cook got as decision makers- and he was 'bye bye'd'.

 

[katmanblue]

Reeks of "how did he get the job in the first place?" questions requiring answers to me. Anyone who describes his coaching stint as a 'side hussle' and 'passion project' should never have been hired in the first place - but I guess that was also done under different regimes. First chance Sayers and Cook got as decision makers- and he was 'bye bye'd'.

Harford is a very good shmoozer. I reckon that part how he got the job. Though that's just a guess.

On SM-F926B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[My Hat]

I wonder what 'full time' means in the context of the AFLW, given the short season length?

If it means full time for the whole year, you'd wonder what they'd be doing for a good chunk of that time. And if it's only part of the year, it becomes a challenge to find people who are available to work on that basis. Maybe you get them involved with the VFLW for part of it?

 

[BlueGum]

I wonder what 'full time' means in the context of the AFLW, given the short season length?

If it means full time for the whole year, you'd wonder what they'd be doing for a good chunk of that time. And if it's only part of the year, it becomes a challenge to find people who are available to work on that basis. Maybe you get them involved with the VFLW for part of it?

I'd love to know qbout this too. Seems like there would be opportunities to use people across both programs. Improve skills and knowledge across the board.

 

[Bostonian]

It's tough work for a coach these days having to work with Gen Z.

They don't exactly have a mentality that's suited to building a hard working and loyal culture at a club.

 

[Coona Blues]

It's tough work for a coach these days having to work with Gen Z.

They don't exactly have a mentality that's suited to building a hard working and loyal culture at a club.

Harsh, but I get your drift.

In fairness, the model the AFL has put together has done anything but establish team ethos. They are about establishing the women’s game and don’t care much for the clubs.

I am fairly certain we have enough committed talent to turn this around fairly quickly.

 

[thylacine60]

It's tough work for a coach these days having to work with Gen Z.

They don't exactly have a mentality that's suited to building a hard working and loyal culture at a club.

Said basically every previous generation about the current one for the past 5000 years.

 

[My Hat]

Said basically every previous generation about the current one for the past 5000 years.

 

[Coona Blues]

Said basically every previous generation about the current one for the past 5000 years.

Ah, the voice of experience…

 

[Bostonian]

Harsh, but I get your drift.

In fairness, the model the AFL has put together has done anything but establish team ethos. They are about establishing the women’s game and don’t care much for the clubs.

I am fairly certain we have enough committed talent to turn this around fairly quickly.

It makes flip flopping too easy and for a group of people who love to flip flop it's a bad mix.

 

[thylacine60]

Loving your work, Hatty. Take a good look, Coondog.

 

[Bostonian]

Said basically every previous generation about the current one for the past 5000 years.

Wrong.

Never in recent history has a generation been so willing to jump from one job/employer to the next with little qualms about it.

 

[thylacine60]

"Little qualms". Think you've been watching too much Sky. Can't be easy having to fill that carping, bleat quota every day. Kudos for persistence though.

 

[Dunna Heartknee]

The search for a new coach is going to be a difficult one. Competitions around the country are all in pre season mode, and any aspiring coaches have already found a gig. Logic says that we should take a coach experienced in the women’s game who knows what a decent program looks like. We should not at this stage try to be inventive with a left field appointment not au fait with the idiosyncrasies of coaching a female group. Our players need a teacher and someone they can relate to.

I wonder if Daisy could fit it in with her media commitments, a quintessential communicator and leader.
Hopefully high on the clubs radar.

 

[Arr0w]

Wrong.

Never in recent history has a generation been so willing to jump from one job/employer to the next with little qualms about it.

I think there are other factors to consider, namely employment opportunities

When I first started working (yes, many moons ago), unemployment was high.

Companies had access to a better quality of person/worker due to the high number of candidates and employees had less opportunities to climb the wage ladder

The other factor was many companies/industries had tight wage awards, so it was generally pointless people changing jobs

Current generation are more likely to bounce around in search of the best remuneration, especially when you consider a higher cost of living, housing, etc

Although, there are still many loyal people, willing to grow within the right organisation