Coach Alastair Clarkson - NMFC Senior Coach - Coaching & Football Discussion

[Chadwiko]

Same source that guaranteed four wins in Hobart?

 

[Danni_Benson]

The culture among the playing group was on full display all over York Park this afternoon.

I’ll choose to take the culture of the playing group post the bye but not including the past 2 weeks!

 

[My Left Foote]

We could have very easily been winless too if not for a bit of luck. Not sure you can hypothesize one without the other.

Glass half full versus glass half empty.

 

[DrZaius]

Glass half full versus glass half empty.

True but we can't willingly ignore things just because they are uncomfortable to think about.

 

[ChopChopDigDig]

Not going to watch the presser (cos **** em ), but did Clarko apologise to the supporters at all? Was there any acknowledgement that 2024 wasn’t good enough?

 

[Roosurgence]

Not sure it should be either McDonald or Simpkin? Neither of them even belong in the team, let alone be captains. That’s where we’re at.

The problem is we just don’t have a ready made replacement.

Sheezel is the man long term, but I’m just not sure pushing him into that role in year 3 of his career does him or his football any favours.

The last thing you want to do is stuff his footy by pushing him into a role he just isn’t ready for.

 

[Gasometer]

Culture inside the club has been bad all year, from what I've been told.

Go on…

 

[My Left Foote]

True but we can't willingly ignore things just because they are uncomfortable to think about.

I don’t think we’re ignoring anything there’s nowhere to hide for anyone at the club.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Go on…

Turns out it’s nothing to with the football side of things so not sure why it’s being raised here at all.

 

[Gasometer]

I have no info on the culture amongst the players/coaches.

My info is specific to the front office/administration type area. The type of people who are directly under Jen Watts, and not Todd Viney/Alastair Clarkson.

Think; corporate partnerships, communications, media, membership, events, strategy, legal, wellbeing, etc.

Mate your original post was an ambiguous

 

[Spud11]

The problMe is we just don’t have a ready made replacement.

Sheezel is the man long term, but I’m just not sure pushing him into that role in year 3 of his career does him or his football any favours.

The last thing you want to do is stuff his footy by pushing him into a role he just isn’t ready for.

Xerri for 5 years, then maybe Sheezel.

Can’t believe I’m saying that hey. I didn’t even think X would make it as a ruckman this time 2 years ago.

 

[Roos1991]

Don't sack him. If we can't do it with him at the helm, fold the club.

Just shut it down. There is no one more qualified than this bloke to get us out of this mess.

Completely agree. He might not be able to coach a premiership side anymore but at any other club he's lifting base standards and pushing them to a middle of the ladder season. Something is broken in the psychology of the list. It's baffling. On paper, while unbalanced, I wouldn't trade any of our top 5 or so players for anyone on the hawks list. It's psychological.

 

[Horizons_00]

Turns out it’s nothing to with the football side of things so not sure why it’s being raised here at all.

He has no idea lol

 

[zoomba23]

Completely agree. He might not be able to coach a premiership side anymore but at any other club he's lifting base standards and pushing them to a middle of the ladder season. Something is broken in the psychology of the list. It's baffling. On paper, while unbalanced, I wouldn't trade any of our top 5 or so players for anyone on the hawks list. It's psychological.

I see a psychotherapist who I genuinely believe would draw out some pretty gnarly shit from this playing group. Go look at the team that clobbered Carlton in 2021. We put out a better side than that most weeks this year. Maybe not this week, granted, but most weeks. They're stuck in the furnaces of losers' hell and they don't have the willpower nor the desire nor the knowledge of how, to climb out.

Properly concerned for the future of the club now. I was concerned earlier in the year, then they decided they could play half-decent football after all and those worries dissipated, now they're back. The smallest Melbourne team being utter dogshit for five years in spite of some great talent? If you're at AFL House, you're looking at that and thinking 'what a waste of space, what a waste of resources, what a farce from a team whose home crowds never recouped costs in the first place.' You'd imagine someone quite high up brought it up as a semi-serious proposition earlier today

 

[RossHenshaw]

Should start the “ bye Clarko “ thread again I reckon.

 

[koshari]

Should start the “ bye Clarko “ thread again I reckon.

How about the gtfo thread.

 

[DrZaius]

I don’t think we’re ignoring anything there’s nowhere to hide for anyone at the club.

I hope so, but externally we have been getting fed a lot of meaningless fluff and positive spin. It may be different internally but if so it's not exactly getting results.

 

[The acurate one]

I'm not overly fussed with who's a coach, history tells us the role isn't that important. They get too much credit along with too much blame.
In saying that I think it is time for al clarko to stamp his authority on this group.

 

[koshari]

I hope so, but externally we have been getting fed a lot of meaningless fluff and positive spin. It may be different internally but if so it's not exactly getting results.

What we are being fed is precisely what a corporate entity such as the afl is effectively permitting with critisism of the system heavily penalised.

Secondly its in no ones interest to publically shame the players, we all know who the culprits are.

Practically the only real lever they have as a club is to direct the players to put in the work or ship them off otherwise. Unfortunately our list is so skinny there are few options to replace the limited performers. Which leaves you with battlers that try such as laz, drury and pink or talented blokes that wont put in the hard yards like sleevo, taylor and will.

Then there are the journeymen such as ford and zurhaar that could be the cherry on top if we ever got enough A grades in to compete.

Then there is harry who is in a catogory of his own.

Then there are the blokes that shouldnt even be on the list is the first place.

 

[showusyacunningt]

Do the players serve that up if they have any respect for Clarko? I do worry the investigation has hampered Clarko and our players haven't built any trust or buy-in with him.

Who really knows though? Maybe he's in control and told half of them after the West Coast game that they're gone.

 

[travelli]

The problMe is we just don’t have a ready made replacement.

Sheezel is the man long term, but I’m just not sure pushing him into that role in year 3 of his career does him or his football any favours.

The last thing you want to do is stuff his footy by pushing him into a role he just isn’t ready for.

Unless he is already a natural leader at the clubs.

Older blokes look up to him on the ground. He could possibly bring that off the field as well

 

[DrZaius]

Do the players serve that up if they have any respect for Clarko? I do worry the investigation has hampered Clarko and our players haven't built any trust or buy-in with him.

Who really knows though? Maybe he's in control and told half of them after the West Coast game that they're gone.

Not to suggest they don't respect him because I think they do, but when we brought him in I was ecstatic because I thought one of the biggest positives would be his ability to immediately command the attention of the playing group and enable them to mentally weather the beltings with his reputation acting as a shield while he implemented his gameplan.

The problem is that strength was immediately diminished with the Hawthorn stuff and then further with the mental health break. Now rightly or wrongly, suddenly the legendary master coach is a fallible human being with cracks in the armour and the air of mystique has somewhat dissipated.

I'm sure the players absolutely love him but you'd think some would start to be having doubts in the back of their minds.

 

[koshari]

As an observation how well driled are hawks that they seem to nominate a single tackler so they always have options to exploit the turnover, then transition to the absorb a tackle while popping a handball in front of their next runner . Smarter players like sheezel make it harder to execute this as they track the ball so well and often lays a spoil as the oppo attempts to execute the line breaking handball.

 

[RooDave]

The excuses for Clarko run out now.

He's been at North for 2 years now. He's had an uninterupted full year to see every single player on this list.

Its time for him to finally take control here and put his stamp on this club like he's done in the past.

No more pumping up the tires of the oppo in the presser after the game after being pumped by 100 points.

 

[RossHenshaw]

I'm not overly fussed with who's a coach, history tells us the role isn't that important. They get too much credit along with too much blame.
In saying that I think it is time for al clarko to stamp his authority on this group.

Agree as always with you 100% Accurate …
In saying that I think Clarko is sadly passed or has been forced to stay away from that type of authority you & I are thinking / hoping about.
Let’s face it every time he wants to speak his mind , show some authority by flying the flag he gets swarmed by these politically correct soft ***** & people in the media “saying you can’t say that “ “ you can’t do that”
Press writing “ Clarko farks up again”
I reckon all this has got the better of him & he’s basically coaching with one arm behind his back … sad reality