News GM, Football - Josh Mahoney

[Fridge16]

At least with Scott we will actually see someone in red and black with some passion.

When Marty Gleeson stubs his toe trying to kick across goal and gifts Jordan DeGoey a goal on Anzac day I want the camera to pan to Brad Scott absolutely flipping his lid rather than a smirking John Worsefold / Ben Rutten

Ben Rutten

Age

37

Ht

190cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.4

3star

K

6.3

2star

HB

7.0

4star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

10.6

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

4.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.0

3star

.

 

[BrunoV]

As I've mentioned I've heard he's a good bloke to be around/work with as well which does help in most roles. This and he clearly has a lot of AFL experience. I'm not making any observation on his performance as a coach - more the club environment in which he spent a decade. My concern would be fit in terms of what we actually need to improve as a club to be the best. From what I've heard he isn't the most innovative thinker (a separate issue to considering Kangaroos overall as a high performance AFL environment). My issue is that i have also heard the same things about certain key football areas at Essendon that may need improvement/modernisation and that we may be better with a very progressive person in this role.

My other concern is our recruiting process. Who will be making the decion to bring him in and why, And are we actually doing a full search and considering all options and angles. Or is it more retrofit solutions? The same concerns I've had about coaching appointments at the club.

Just out of interest I dug out the last Essendon position description for the job (2017):

About the Role
Reporting to the CEO, the General Manager – Football is responsible for providing executive
leadership and management of both the men’s and women’s football programs and
performance. The role is also a member of the Club’s Executive team and will be a strong
role model and ambassador for the Club’s brand, strategic direction and achievement of our
strategic objectives.
In this role, you will develop and drive the Club’s football philosophy, framework and
systems to achieve consistent top 4 performance across the following areas:
 High Performance Culture & Leadership
 Football Development & Performance:
o Strategic list management & recruiting
o Football skills acquisition and development
o Game style strategy & coaching
o Player wellbeing & welfare
o Teaching & learning practices
o Physical Performance
o Staff development & performance
o Analytics, insights & innovation
 AFL, VFLM & VFLW Operations & Compliance Management
 Management and development of elite training facilities
 Overall management of the Club’s football investment and budget (including Total
Player Payments)
 Internal and external stakeholder engagement

The broadest relevant skill set, for someone not already in the job, is pretty clearly a former senior coach. The main issue with former coaches is the extent to which they are required to address the administrative aspect of the role. They're involved in recruiting, development, list management.

Scott, in particular, may already have been involved in the admin and management side more than he'd want to be due to the extent of under resourcing at North. He's also now been head of AFL Vic.

It's not obvious to me that an GM in the AFL is leading the charge in terms of innovating on field tactics or that any GM is particularly involved in this aspect of the game. I'd say it's more about having the nous to keep the coaches honest and up-to-date and to then be the conduit to the CEO/board.

Beerfish, this is what I was getting at.

Also, the coaches we think are dickheads are often the ones loved by their players because being a dickhead in public is largely about deflecting away from the players. In any event, I though Scott was a good communicator and media performer. He just has a severe case of white line fever which makes for funny GIFs when umpiring decisions went against him.

When you read that job description, the club should be split in 2: the CEO handles the business of the club and the GM, on the same level, handles the business of football and he should be the one ultimately responsible and answerable only to the board.

 

[11kgm]

Balme is considered the best football GM going around and he was hardly a raging success as a coach.

Scott landed a plum AFL job and despite what people say about them they rarely hire duds.

Wasn't the news that the AFL did a dodgy to help North from paying him extra?

 

[Vander18]

When you read that job description, the club should be split in 2: the CEO handles the business of the club and the GM, on the same level, handles the business of football and he should be the one ultimately responsible and answerable only to the board.

Correct - the likelihood of a single candidate being the best person to hold responsibility for Both off-field and on-field is minute.

The current structure is a bit like having an all-rounder who can bat a bit and bowl a bit but isn’t actually good enough to earn a spot based on either of those things alone. They don’t actually help the team (not sure Oz sectors have always understood this).

 

[CBombers17]

The broadest relevant skill set, for someone not already in the job, is pretty clearly a former senior coach. The main issue with former coaches is the extent to which they are required to address the administrative aspect of the role. They're involved in recruiting, development, list management.

Scott, in particular, may already have been involved in the admin and management side more than he'd want to be due to the extent of under resourcing at North. He's also now been head of AFL Vic.

It's not obvious to me that an GM in the AFL is leading the charge in terms of innovating on field tactics or that any GM is particularly involved in this aspect of the game. I'd say it's more about having the nous to keep the coaches honest and up-to-date and to then be the conduit to the CEO/board.

Beerfish, this is what I was getting at.

Also, the coaches we think are dickheads are often the ones loved by their players because being a dickhead in public is largely about deflecting away from the players. In any event, I though Scott was a good communicator and media performer. He just has a severe case of white line fever which makes for funny GIF when umpiring decisions went against him.

When you read that job description, the club should be split in 2: the CEO handles the business of the club and the GM, on the same level, handles the business of football and he should be the one ultimately responsible and answerable only to the board.

I looked up a couple of clubs and there seem to be different pathways to the position. At Brisbane with Noble there was some coaching into list management and with Simon Lloyd at Geelong (bio below) it seems to be quite diverse but and also including recruitment (and interestingly psychology). Tom Harley was one that went from an AIS coaching role to GM of football at Sydney through to CEO - (he's known to be a pretty innovative football person apparently).

Whilst coaching experience at some level seems to be somewhat of a prerequisite, it is often paired with deep recruitment/list management experience. Other professional experience also seems to be valued as well - Current Swans GM of football, Gardiner is ex-AFL player and lawyer for example.

Broadly looking at these bio's it appears that certain types of people/thinkers do well as GM of football. An ideal mix may be a background in coaching (at some level), list management at AFL level and a history of driving high performance and innovation - perhaps also with a profession or education outside of football.

**
Lloyd has enjoyed a long and successful career with 20-years AFL industry experience, working across the key football functions of coaching, high performance, development, recruitment and psychology, and recently completed the AFL's level four senior coach program.

Lloyd joined the Cats after spending six years with Fremantle. He was a key part of the Dockers coaching staff that in 2013 led the club to its first grand final.

Lloyd has also held positions with Collingwood and Hawthorn. He was with the Magpies from 2005-2009 as high-performance manager, psychologist and specialist coach. He joined the Hawks in 1998 and served the club as development coach, psychologist and player development manager until the end of the 2004 season.

 

[GUMBLETRON]

Wasn't the news that the AFL did a dodgy to help North from paying him extra?

Yes, but - he was in a mickey mouse role at first and has been promoted/confirmed into a real job now.

 

[11kgm]

Yes, but - he was in a mickey mouse role at first and has been promoted/confirmed into a real job now.

Oh okay didn't hear about that just knew about the mickey mouse

 

[Beerfish]

As in a “yes man”....?

Yes man.

 

[RearNaked]

Will probably ask Hird to take the job let’s be honest

 

[Vander18]

Yes man.

I think you are incorrect on that one old mate - the Scott brothers are very, very strong personalities.

 

[Lore]

Campbell on SEN this morning:

Essendon haven’t earmarked a replacement for sacked football boss Dan Richardson with former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott linked to the role.

“We don’t have a person in mind yet, we’ve got a role in mind; we want a strong and experienced leader ideally with some diversity in their background and their experiences,” Campbell said.

“We haven’t had any discussions with anyone, we’ll start to build that process over the coming days.”

Adam Saad exit a “surprise” and “disappointing”: Essendon CEO

“We would have loved for him to take a bit more time to make his decision."

www.sen.com.au

 

[Vander18]

He said something competent on Footy Classified that one time


Wouldn't be the worst thing though. I can definitely think of worse things.

Lyon is a clear thinker - he’s a bit like Leigh Matthews in his ability to cut through to the heart of a complicated matter and reduce it to its simplest form.

My experience is that this a trait of many successful people in many walks. Doesn’t mean he should be our next GM Footy but combined with his coaching background you couldn’t say he is unqualified.

 

[Lore]

Lyon is a clear thinker - he’s a bit like Leigh Matthews in his ability to cut through to the heart of a complicated matter and reduce it to its simplest form.

My experience is that this a trait of many successful people in many walks. Doesn’t mean he should be our next GM Footy but combined with his coaching background you couldn’t say he is unqualified.

Reading between the lines, that seems to be an area Rutten has been working on – part of the thing he was working on with Worsfold was around refining his message before addressing the team in breaks.

 

[Vander18]

Reading between the lines, that seems to be an area Rutten has been working on – part of the thing he was working on with Worsfold was around refining his message before addressing the team in breaks.

It’s pretty important - ever noticed how other teams look they have 22 blokes who know exactly where they should be and what they should be doing? Simple messaging is a big part of that.

 

[Fin ice Smuggler]

Campbell on SEN this morning:

Adam Saad exit a “surprise” and “disappointing”: Essendon CEO

“We would have loved for him to take a bit more time to make his decision."

www.sen.com.au

Odd? Didn't we tell Joe and Saad to go away for 2 weeks and make a decision? I bet if Saad said I want to re-sign at Essendon we wouldnt have said, oh no, have a little more time to think about it.

In reference to the comments Saad felt like he was being singled out- Ummm yeah, i wonder why? Richardson on live radio told everyone Saad wasn't a team player?

I was a fan of Xavier but i'm beginning to have my doubts.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Seems to me we need somebody who knows a bit about coaching, a bit about recruiting (they’re the two main functions of the football dept) and who has some admin senior management experience.

 

[MiguelM]

You gotta love the clickbait headlines "Essendon boss responds to player exodus as stars queue up to leave"

As it stands, 3 players going with 2 hardly surprising.

exodus, give me a break.

 

[citizen-erased]

You gotta love the clickbait headlines "Essendon boss responds to player exodus as stars queue up to leave"

As it stands, 3 players going with 2 hardly surprising.

exodus, give me a break.

Corr, Jez, Williams, Langdon, Caldwell, Hately
GWS well out ahead of us.

not even 50% of the way towards ann exodus

 

[Old Campaigner]

Odd? Didn't we tell Joe and Saad to go away for 2 weeks and make a decision? I bet if Saad said I want to re-sign at Essendon we wouldnt have said, oh no, have a little more time to think about it.

In reference to the comments Saad felt like he was being singled out- Ummm yeah, i wonder why? Richardson on live radio told everyone Saad wasn't a team player?

I was a fan of Xavier but i'm beginning to have my doubts.

We probably drank enough bathwater that we couldn't imagine a scenario where he'd come back at the end of the 2 weeks and say he wants out

 

[Old Campaigner]

Correct - the likelihood of a single candidate being the best person to hold responsibility for Both off-field and on-field is minute.

The current structure is a bit like having an all-rounder who can bat a bit and bowl a bit but isn’t actually good enough to earn a spot based on either of those things alone. They don’t actually help the team (not sure Oz sectors have always understood this).

Mitch Marsh for GM of football

 

[BrunoV]

Seems to me we need somebody who knows a bit about coaching, a bit about recruiting (they’re the two main functions of the football dept) and who has some admin senior management experience.

There is no distinction between coaching and recruiting, not in the sense that a coach doesn't have the ability to identify talent, particularly when the ground work is done by scouts.

 

[BrunoV]

Correct - the likelihood of a single candidate being the best person to hold responsibility for Both off-field and on-field is minute.

The current structure is a bit like having an all-rounder who can bat a bit and bowl a bit but isn’t actually good enough to earn a spot based on either of those things alone. They don’t actually help the team (not sure Oz sectors have always understood this).

And the all-rounder can't get a contract with a Shield side but still plays tests.

 

[Beerfish]

I think you are incorrect on that one old mate - the Scott brothers are very, very strong personalities.

Maybe. It's just an opinion of course. I don't believe the two things are mutually exclusive though.

I'd be more comfortable with Chris. He seems pretty cluey. Brad has always seemed a bit... dull in interviews that I've seen though.

Hopefully we don't get the opportunity to find out who's correct.

 

[Vander18]

Maybe. It's just an opinion of course. I don't believe the two things are mutually exclusive though.

I'd be more comfortable with Chris. He seems pretty cluey. Brad has always seemed a bit... dull in interviews that I've seen though.

Hopefully we don't get the opportunity to find out who's correct.

I’m not advocating him for the role or anything - just know enough about him to know he’s not that guy.

Agree that Chris seems the better operator.

 

[CBombers17]

If the club is actually doing a proper process it should take about 5 to 7 weeks before there is a replacement. It's hard to imagine anything happening faster than that for this level of appointment.