Thanks mate. The point I guess I am trying to make is that our on-field leadership is a reflection of our off-field situation and vice versa. You actually cant sensibly talk about one without also discussing the other, as one is the extension of the other.
People wanting Roo back, or a superstar player to emerge from our group are completely missing the point about what good leadership is. Its about making those around you better! The last thing we need is Roo or Goddard back, or to trade in a Lynch type figure.
Okay we have missed out on Sloane (who I wanted to play a similar role to what Hamill did in the early 00s). That sucks, and unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat, I don't see the on-field leadership situation changing anytime soon (happy to debate the merits of a GT style rotation to fast-track this process, this but that is another discussion). At the moment we will just plod along with a 4 man leadership team (Robbo has bigger issues to worry about) of which 2 wouldn't get a game at any top 8 club and another who never wanted to be there in the first place.
But this on-field situation only makes the off-field appointments more important (hence almost 300 pages in a sack Richo thread). It is no coincidence that most people aim both barrels at either Richo, Finnis (off-field) or Paddy, Billings, Geary (on-field). The subtext is that we are searching (from the President down) for leadership … and we have none.
Now, if we are going to keep the holy trinity that "run the club better than ever" (Summers, Richo & Geary) then we are just going to have to find some semblance of leadership from somewhere else. So lets start from the ground up and find the best assistants and development coaches.
Now everyone is going to want the Carracella, Tudor, Burns, Ratton, Mitchell types, but realistically we cant compete with the big boys for their services because we don't have the $$, positions available or proximity to a flag. Maybe we get one, but that is just another version of the messiah complex. They will need help.
So here is where we need to be proactive and hunt the underappreciated development coaches from good systems who (most importantly) are also good leaders of young men! The Rahilly, Enright, Stevie J, McVeigh, Hickmont, Glass, Kinneally types. And let Lenny know the door is always open (with a $1m bonus if he can talk Kelly into following). Then they can get to work Monday to Friday teaching and leading these kids.
Oh and if anyone wants an education on what a professionally run off-field team looks like, go to the Hawthorn staff page and tell me how many of those positions related to culture, psychological wellbeing and development even actually exist at St.Kilda.
Finally, a few pages back someone asked what happened to Schnieds development role … Lenny poached him to GWS and the two of them are in charge of the best group of young mids in the game (who just keep getting better)! Meanwhile we have Gilbee who is so thick he moved his furniture into the wrong house. But hey, what happened this year is a complete surprise!