News Who's who in the Collingwood zoo?

[76woodenspooners]

Great article on the club website describing who's who in the Collingwood zoo ...

Explainer: Who's that in the coaches' box?

AFL Media's Mitch Clearly analyses the roles of the people who sit in Collingwood's coaches' box

www.collingwoodfc.com.au

Behind every tactical move made on the field, there's an army of minds at work off it.

Collingwood's matchday set-up is typical of many AFL clubs, with upwards of 25 people assisting senior coach Nathan Buckley in the coaches' box and on the interchange bench.

...

So who are all these people, and what do they do?

Explainer: Who's that in the coaches' box?

AFL Media's Mitch Clearly analyses the roles of the people who sit in Collingwood's coaches' box

www.collingwoodfc.com.au

So now we can move beyond Neil the bootstudder as the person to blame for any malaises

 

[76woodenspooners]

1. Nathan Buckley, senior coach

The boss on match day. Everything in Collingwood's box is funneled to Buckley, though the eighth-year coach is said to be delegating more than when he first took the reins. Preferring the phone over the headset, Buckley has a direct line to Marcus Wagner (22), who is the central point of contact on the bench and will chat to players several times per quarter. Buckley leans most on Ash Collins (2), Anthony Stoitsis (7) and Ash Close (26) for stats to back up his messaging and what he's seeing.

 

[76woodenspooners]

2. Ash Collins, game intelligence manager

The steady voice next to Buckley with statistical nous. Works closely with Garry Hocking (6) during the week to scout the opposition, and provides that data-informed insight when required on match day. Sits among the other assistant coaches to support and clarify their messaging, and liaises with the other performance managers. Collins joined the Pies at the end of 2011 and has been with Buckley for his entire stint as senior coach. He has also filled the position of runner in recent weeks.

 

[Vicky Park]

So now we can move beyond Neil the bootstudder as the person to blame for any malaises

Hmmm. We can move beyond Neil. But 25 plus people on match day? That’s insane. 25 views being fed through - what? - over a 2-3 hour period. Any wonder it sometimes looks chaotic out there - in a bad way.

 

[76woodenspooners]

3. Robert Harvey, midfield and transition coach

Now into his eighth year at the club, Harvey is Collingwood's longest-serving assistant coach and assumes a spot in the row with Buckley. Works closely with Garry Hocking (6) during the week to work through stoppages with the midfield, and on game day is in charge of the entire midfield brigade. Has put his hand up should a senior coaching job present.

 

[76woodenspooners]

4. Brenton Sanderson, forward line and ball movement

Goes to work each day guiding the likes of Jordan De Goey, Mason Cox and Jaidyn Stephenson. The former Adelaide coach is accountable for everything that happens when the Pies have the ball going forward, liaising with midfield coach Harvey (3). Close friends with Nathan Buckley, but like the rest of the assistant coaches, will challenge moves and decisions in the box on match day before it is relayed down to the bench. Now in his third year at the Pies, Sanderson is said to be a familiar face in the Collingwood gym.

 

[76woodenspooners]

5. Justin Longmuir, backline and team defence

Now in his second year at the Pies, Longmuir is responsible for everything that happens when the Pies don't have the ball. Has simplified the defensive structures, making them easier for players to implement. The former Docker is calm in his communication to players during breaks, and is seen by many players and fellow coaches at the Pies as a senior coach in waiting.

 

[76woodenspooners]

Hmmm. We can move beyond Neil. But 25 plus people on match day? That’s insane. 25 views being fed through - what? - over a 2-3 hour period. Any wonder it sometimes looks chaotic out there - in a bad way.

Yeah, it's amazing that there are more off the field than on it!

 

[Vicky Park]

Yeah, it's amazing that there are more off the field than on it!

BTW, great thread 76.

 

[sr36]

So now we can move beyond Neil the bootstudder as the person to blame for any malaises

I still say Jack Frost would have been a senior player if Neil hadn't have put him in ice skates.

 

[Maggie5]

Hmmm. We can move beyond Neil. But 25 plus people on match day? That’s insane. 25 views being fed through - what? - over a 2-3 hour period. Any wonder it sometimes looks chaotic out there - in a bad way.

Brian Taylor was talking about Essendon and their coaching team on the Monday night footy show on CH7 and counting the number of laptops both in the box (19) and on the bench (?), well over 20.

Interesting Ash Close is on the team, was wondering where he went.

 

[Vicky Park]

Brian Taylor was talking about Essendon and their coaching team on the Monday night footy show on CH7 and counting the number of laptops both in the box (19) and on the bench (?), well over 20.

Interesting Ash Close is on the team, was wondering where he went.

Agree re Ash Close, had the same thought.

 

[Quicky]

I wanna know who the hipster glasses wearing runner chick is.

 

[Quicky]

I reckon Marcus Wagner gets his scone on TV more than anyone in that box bar Bucks and maybe Harvey.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I wanna know who the hipster glasses wearing runner chick is.

She’ll be on one of the four corners of the ground

 

[TradeDraft]

That seem bit over the top for Assistant Coaches

 

[magpie_marty]

That seem bit over the top for Assistant Coaches

We could have some BigFooty posters in the box??

 

[Jen2310]

Until I read this article, I had never knew most of these people.

 

[CFC2010]

Agree re Ash Close, had the same thought.

In charge of stats V P.

 

[Scritchyscroony]

3. Robert Harvey, midfield and transition coach

Doing a stellar job. Deserves the senior coaching job at Carlton next year.

 

[Quicky]

She’ll be on one of the four corners of the ground

Is that a riddle? How many corners does an oval have?

 

[76woodenspooners]

Is that a riddle? How many corners does an oval have?

Ha, yeah, I realised that after I typed it, should have been “pockets” - see number 16 in the article.

 

[Kappa]

Ash Close has become our runner, interesting.

 

[barrackers]

Agree re Ash Close, had the same thought.

Usually is on ground pre-game returning footys from behind the goals.

 

[Jabso]

Interesting role for that Stoitsis guy, would like to know more about that role. Is he a midfield stoppages whisperer or does he keep an eye on formations, set plays etc to feed that information to Hocking/Harvey?

I hate how negative people are about some of these behind the scenes roles. Everyone talks up when women get involved only if they're assistant or development coaches (I think there has been 1 or 2 women dev coaches working for AFL men's teams) yet there are plenty of women involved in other roles that directly influence the game in the AFL and we should celebrate them more than we are to make people aware of the opportunities available. Jess Burger for example seems to have genuine input into our match day game play and I just have never heard of her. More should be done to promote these roles in general to get people involved in the sport rather than hiding them because their roles are too nerdy and Kevin Bartlett or Gerald Healy cry about how it's not a good look. Hell i would've killed for some of these roles had they existed and I knew they existed when I was younger.