Being a Carlton supporter, I’m feeling really up and about. I feel excited, content and assured that Carlton is finally on the right path. Carlton is in good hands and that Brendon Bolton is a God’s gift from Heaven.
You ask a Doggies supporter 12 months earlier and they would be feeling the same.
Ask a GWS and a West Coast supporter what do they think of their coach and they would sing the same tune.
The truth is Brendon Bolton is Alastair’s gift from Waverley Park.
Now, Bolton has in own attributes that bodes very well for a Senior Coach and I guess it was that talent that attracted the Hawks to sign him up as an assistant coach, however you cannot deny Clarkson.
I am a big soccer fan and hence I am all for footy become the technical game that it has become. I hear cries of “Mark your man”, “play man on man”, “footy back in the olden days was so much better than this flooding shit” etc. and I facepalm.
Not for one moment am I suggesting that Clarkson introduced the tactical methodology into footy. However Clarkson has taken it to the next level.
Been a miserable Carlton supporter watching Hawthorn play over the last 12 years or so, I sit there in awe of what they can do. Whilst yes, the players are guns, Clarkson’s system allows them to be guns.
It’s not the marks, the goals, the tackles etc. it’s the other stuff that I see and think WOW.
In soccer, one of the most skilful play is simply the dummy. For those who may not know the game too well, a dummy requires a player to make a call that his team mate who is behind him is also in a great position to shoot/take possession. So you pretend you are about to shoot/take possession, draw the opposition player toward you… and you simply leave the ball to your team mate.
That… that is what I was sitting in envy seeing Hawks do. Not necessary a dummy, but a simple flick… the simple not taking possession because their teammate is better suited to do so.
Then there was the other aspect. You see Hawthorn play and it always seems like they play with 3 or 4 extra players on the field because they position themselves so well.
There are changing field positioning that have evolved over time. From Pagan’s paddock to Clarko’s Cluster, but that’s a basic terminology to describe the intricacies of Clarkson’s game plan and style. Just like any brilliant manager, whether it be in sports or business, Clarkson evolves and stays a step ahead.
Clarkson has evolved footy into the highly skilled, highly technical game that it is today and his greatest gift to the game is his ability grow assistants into highly technical coaches. As these assists spread across the league, the game as a whole will become more technical and I am confident they will also produce their own disciples.
Take nothing away from Longmire, Scott brothers, Hinkley, Pyke etc. who I think they are great coaches and evolve the game in their own way, however I am sure they also would look at Clarkson and Hawthorn to see what they can learn from them and how to reach and surpass that level.
So, as a person who loves footy… thank you Clarkson for single handedly turning the game to the one I see today.
Posted by Gordonblue, 8 June 2016 at 9.39am. Click here to discuss this post.
