News Andrew Russell steps away at season’s end

[Aphrodite]

Russell to step away at season’s end

Andrew Russell will step away from football at the conclusion of the 2024 AFL season.

www.carltonfc.com.au

THE Carlton Football Club can confirm that after 26 years within the AFL industry, Director of High Performance Andrew Russell will step away from football at the conclusion of the 2024 AFL season.

Following six seasons at the Blues, in which time he led high performance, Russell will conclude his time at the Club, with his current contract set to expire at season’s end.

 

[windows1]

Listening to that interview was painful. He reeked of self-satisfaction and took every opportunity to deflect blame.

What a shocker. Weak human being. Just like his defenders on here. Climate change deniers all of them. What kind of a piss weak unit says “oh the leadership structure meant I couldn’t have much impact on that”.

Take your self satisfied smile and **** off Russell.

 

[windows1]

love how some posters set themselves up to be correct no matter what. Also pissweak. “We will win somewhere between 12-16 games”. Genius predictions. Be hard to actually get that wrong. “Injuries will get better next year because we got rid of injured players”. Genius.

I’ll do one: “2025 is no measure of Innes because he will need a full 12 months to get their programs right and fix the bullshit from Russell.” Can’t go wrong for 12 months! I’m a genius.

Amidoenitrite??

 

[Arr0w]

Right, so without knowing what is going on in the inner sanctum, it is entirely appropriate to ask questions about any of these areas under the auspices of any of these personnel, IF those areas show reason for concern, over a period of time.

Of course it's appropriate, but all areas are effected by a myriad of other aspects, many of which might be out of your control

Retaining injury prone players, are the players adhering to their programs, are they informing staff to a change, such as a new tweak, soreness, etc

Let's not suggest that people were up in arms about our injury list because Martin, Marchbank, Cunningham and Sam Durdin were on it all the time. Consistently having an injury list in the teens was the cause of the angst.

Most were focusing on the number, without dissecting

Games missed from the start of 2022, to May this year

Zac Williams - 28 ACL majority
Caleb Marchbank - 21 Injury prone
Jack Martin - 20^ Injury prone
David Cuningham - 16^ Injury prone
Jack Silvagni - 16^ ACL majority
Sam Walsh - 15 Back majority
Sam Docherty - 14^ ACL majority
Corey Durdin - 13 Shoulder/hammy
Sam Durdin - 13^ Who knows
Alex Mirkov - 12 Heart
Jesse Motlop - 11^ Hammy
Mitch McGovern - 10 Injury prone

I'm confident that removing the injury prone will be beneficial to our ongoing overall health.

A large part of the number were also ACLs, which many blamed on HP. If we suffer more, will Inness be blamed? Hopefully not

If many are the cause of failure, and I'm inclined to agree, do we discuss many, any or none because we don't know?

They should all be discussed openly, but how can anyone come to an emphatic conclusion that one person is to blame

Are we more likely to talk about the high performance guy over the CEO when it comes to persistent injuries? Sure, the CEO should be getting feedback from the footy boss, who is getting feedback from the medical staff and the HPM. I'm reasonably confident that Cook would have been doing that, but there is a chance he never thought to ask. We are are sort of looking at likelihoods as a first port of call.

Everyone plays a part in success or failure, that will never change

But sure, people should have been looking at the medical staff for players getting injured again upon return. I mean, they did, but not by name because they don't have a profile.

I guess it could be a broader discussion competition wide, as all clubs suffer reoccurring injuries

They should have looked at the footy boss for not finding the answers and implementing a plan perhaps. Except they did, and Brad Lloyd has received plenty of backlash for things that are under his direct field of supervision.

Nick Austin has received criticism for keeping players on the list instead of turning it over.

And so it goes ....

We have no idea what the findings were, whether they were actioned and or monitoring strategies

In politics, when the electorate is not seeing results, they change representatives. They don't know if their initial choice did work hard enough for them or not. They do know that their expectations weren't met however. The person had 3 or 4 years to justify the faith placed in them.

I'm not one that supports the status quo, change can bring a different mindset/benefit, as long as root cause becomes the priority

The notion that you don't question or encourage that person to do better or show receipts as to how they have earned your trust, because you don't know what is going on behind the scenes is quite simply ... undemocratic. It's asking for more of the same.

Questioning or gaining information as to why something has failed or succeeded is healthy

My simple philosophy when it comes to Carlton, is that we trust until given reason not to trust. People reach that point at different times.

Everyone is different, but I don't flip based on raw data or small phases

If the list returns after xmas too lean, and not strong enough, I might ponder Innes and his directions. I'll definitely ponder whether this is a result of Yogi stealing all of their pic-a-nic baskets.

Unfortunately, most analysis or opinion is based on win/loss, which is flawed

 

[Arr0w]

What a shocker. Weak human being. Just like his defenders on here. Climate change deniers all of them. What kind of a piss weak unit says “oh the leadership structure meant I couldn’t have much impact on that”.

Take your self satisfied smile and **** off Russell.

love how some posters set themselves up to be correct no matter what. Also pissweak. “We will win somewhere between 12-16 games”. Genius predictions. Be hard to actually get that wrong. “Injuries will get better next year because we got rid of injured players”. Genius.

I’ll do one: “2025 is no measure of Innes because he will need a full 12 months to get their programs right and fix the bullshit from Russell.” Can’t go wrong for 12 months! I’m a genius.

Amidoenitrite??

And then people like you flip quicker than my burger guy, thinking your opinion holds more merit than others, all while contradicting your previous stance

I'm surprised though, I thought you were cancelling your account over your Murphy Reid claim that he will be taken top 10

 

[Arr0w]

I love staunch opinions, but detest back flippers

 

[Sector 7G]

In listening to the interview I thought the following.
Seemed like JR was concentrating too hard on the last 5% and not enough on the first 95% of getting the players fit and strong to play footy
Saying he only had 1 day off (xmas day) would indicate that he is doing it wrong and getting sucked into too many urgent unimportant. While it is more likely that that is crap it sounds like he wants to be indispensable and not managing his team properly.
Sounded like the thought he should have been more involved in rehab which is the job of Drs/Physios who actually have training in this area.

A lot of Sports science guys have an overinflated opinion of there knowledge. Like Buttifant writing a paper on the benefits of altitude training based on the changes in performance of a handful of Pies Players.

 

[slashin_velvet]

I love staunch opinions, but detest back flippers

Its evident you are unwilling to change your incorrect opinion.

 

[Arr0w]

Its evident you are unwilling to change your incorrect opinion.

I think people misunderstanding my stance on the matter

I couldn't give a stuff who is head of HP, I don't care that Russell is gone and replaced by Inness

It's somewhat like the Voss situation mid last year, where the majority of supporters were wanting him sacked because "he can't coach"

 

[Soapy V]

I think people misunderstanding my stance on the matter

I couldn't give a stuff who is head of HP, I don't care that Russell is gone and replaced by Inness

It's somewhat like the Voss situation mid last year, where the majority of supporters were wanting him sacked because "he can't coach"

So with you it's a misunderstanding and with others its backflipping? Got it

 

[jooce8891]

 

[Soapy V]

I love staunch opinions, but detest back flippers

So in your "staunch opinion" once people have an opinion that shouldn't be allowed to change it no matter the evidence or thoughts behind it?

Interesting

 

[Arr0w]

So with you it's a misunderstanding and with others its backflipping? Got it

Perhaps you misunderstand the concept, one hasn't changed their opinion, without viable evidence, while another changes their stance on a whim

So in your "staunch opinion" once people have an opinion that shouldn't be allowed to change it no matter the evidence or thoughts behind it?

Interesting

Read above

But I'm not sure what you are trying to debate, given you believed Russell was doing a good job and didn't have full control

 

[Soapy V]

Perhaps you misunderstand the concept, one hasn't changed their opinion, without viable evidence, while another changes their stance on a whim

So it's others misunderstanding and you know what they're thinking? Got it

 

[Arr0w]

So it's others misunderstanding and you know what they're thinking? Got it

I only go by what people post, and if I'm unclear, I will seek clarification

Hope that clears it up for you

 

[marcmurphy3]

The ways things played out with Russell, has all the hallmarks of how you deal with an underperforming manager, that has credits in the bank from past success.

We changed people above him, we changed people around him, we changed people beneath him. We reviewed his area. We allowed him to make changes. We made changes for him. It sounds like we even narrowed his role to simplify it.

The fact he survived so long indicates he was rated. I think it just got to the stage where we had tried pretty much everything but swapping out Andrew himself.

It just wasnt working. Doesnt mean everything is his fault, but a department that he was largely accountable for had been underperforming for some time. Eventually he had to be in the gun.

 

[juzza316]

Jack martin will be an interesting watch this year lol

Feel a 20 game / 40 goal season coming up

As long as he doesn't kick 4 on us in a final, which is what it always felt like he might do for us one day.

 

[El Topo]

In listening to the interview I thought the following.
Seemed like JR was concentrating too hard on the last 5% and not enough on the first 95% of getting the players fit and strong to play footy
Saying he only had 1 day off (xmas day) would indicate that he is doing it wrong and getting sucked into too many urgent unimportant. While it is more likely that that is crap it sounds like he wants to be indispensable and not managing his team properly.
Sounded like the thought he should have been more involved in rehab which is the job of Drs/Physios who actually have training in this area.

A lot of Sports science guys have an overinflated opinion of there knowledge. Like Buttifant writing a paper on the benefits of altitude training based on the changes in performance of a handful of Pies Players.

Russell was another Carlton messiah appointment. When we first poached him it was for some combination of high performance / leadership coaching / whatever. It's understandable if the boundaries of his role were a mess, particularly as we would have been paying him accordingly.

 

[CJMB]

Feel a 20 game / 40 goal season coming up

As long as he doesn't kick 4 on us in a final, which is what it always felt like he might do for us one day.

Maybe 4 in the first half then a calf/quad/hamstring/shoulder/all-of-the-above at the start on the 3rd.

Find it hard to see him playing more than half a season. Even if fit Cats will manage the s*** out of him

 

[teagueyubeauty]

I’m certainly no backflipper, wanted him out end of 2022.

He’s the Head of a department that was failing miserably and like any other head you take accountability through the good and the not so good times. As MM3 so eloquently wrote, everything was changed around him whether that was the club doing it or Russell doing it the outcome was it extended his time at the club when I wish it didn’t.

I have a theory, his success at previous clubs in eras that are significantly different to the demands of the athletes in todays game meant he was to proud, stubborn to change his ways…like I’ve been there and done that, it works, it will work and be damned

Arrow talks about the perennially injured and getting rid of them will fix all the ills, he fails to talk about the fact Russell had them for a vast majority of their careers, I’m taking Cuners, Philp, Marchbank et al even Martin turned from a 80% games played played to lucky to be 40% under his direction. He had plenty of time to get them to a level where their bodies could handle the rigours of the game but then we had previously durable players turn into repeat injuries.

He was a failure of the highest magnitude, like I have said multiple times we blew our last major rebuild by back office ineptness in recruiting, let’s hope we’ve still got time to not blow this rebuild by another back office employee kept on way too long


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Pablito]

I love staunch opinions, but detest back flippers

Good to know, actually no I don't think I needed to know.

 

[bigblueboy]

Whatever has transpired is in the past. I'm happy Innes is concentrating on power and speed.

I'm at a loss to understand how we were supposedly doing 80% skill based training and 13% endurance based training when Russell was there, when endurance seemed to be the only thing in evidence on game day.

It’s a matter of public record that Russell also had a power/speed focus in his early years at Carlton.

Supposedly is the operative word in the second paragraph.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

It’s a matter of public record that Russell also had a power/speed focus in his early years at Carlton.

Supposedly is the operative word in the second paragraph.

I hadn't read or heard that. I'm not sure I saw it in action either.

The second part was my main takeaway from his interview. It stuck with me because I feel like all we have been doing is concentrating on endurance, and our skills are terrible.

 

[bigblueboy]

I hadn't read or heard that. I'm not sure I saw it in action either.

The second part was my main takeaway from his interview. It stuck with me because I feel like all we have been doing is concentrating on endurance, and our skills are terrible.

Most of the discussion regarding HP approaches at AFL level is a mix of guesses and spin.
Not enough science behind either the programs or those assessing the programs. And shallow understanding within the coaching ranks … makes for a murky river.
Russell’s approach was fine but the outputs were poor - so he goes. We needed change in my view - we’ve spent five years moving the chess pieces around and within his role.
Poor skills are down to recruitment and development. The best clubs manage to work on endurance, strength, recovery, skills, game strategies, and PD concurrently …. we haven’t been able to do that effectively for a very long time.

 

[RAPPA]

Let's see if he lands another gig at another AFL team or whether his team in the game is done. I for one felt he was deflecting a fair bit and downplaying his involvement in the debacle that was our injury list, but also imo our overall fitness. He had a long tenure at the Club and our issues in those respects did not just come about in 2024. If the Club is not delivering on field success then everyone is a target. His area was a glaring issue and he was accordingly moved on.

 

[teddy-hopkins]

I think people misunderstanding my stance on the matter

I couldn't give a stuff who is head of HP, I don't care that Russell is gone and replaced by Inness

It's somewhat like the Voss situation mid last year, where the majority of supporters were wanting him sacked because "he can't coach"

I think you misunderstand your own opinion.