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- Dec 14, 2015
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- AFL Club
- Essendon
- Moderator
- #276
A good leader is someone people will follow. Like by definition.
In a team sport, you can't just charge on ahead and leave your team behind, you have to get every last man over that line, even if you have to help them carry their pack.
And in footy, you have an entire footy department, particularly with coaches who are paid to give them feedback and train them to get better. The main difference between the roles required of a player leader and the stuff that can be done by a coach is that a player leader is a) allowed on the field during play and b) is a peer, not a boss.
Since in-depth feedback and discussion can happen outside the field of play, I'd say that's not a crucial factor for player leaders. Helpful, but not mandatory. The support a leader provides on-field can't be in-depth as there isn't time, so it has to be more tangible. He has to be the guy who doubles back to support the man that's struggling.
In terms of being a peer, that's more of the cushy stuff, inviting everyone over for a backyard barbecue or an off-season training trip or just being there to listen and relay stuff to the coaches if it's getting missed.
Both of those things are things McGrath is good at. But is he the guy that doubles back to support the man that's struggling? Does he set that example, and is it infectious?
When we say Merrett is carrying the whole team... that's both a compliment to him and an indictment on the rest of the player leaders. And not just McGrath... there's 45 odd blokes in the squad besides him.
I wonder if electing player leaders at the end of pre-season is ideal, given that you're then electing them on the basis of what they do in the off-season rather than during games?
In a team sport, you can't just charge on ahead and leave your team behind, you have to get every last man over that line, even if you have to help them carry their pack.
And in footy, you have an entire footy department, particularly with coaches who are paid to give them feedback and train them to get better. The main difference between the roles required of a player leader and the stuff that can be done by a coach is that a player leader is a) allowed on the field during play and b) is a peer, not a boss.
Since in-depth feedback and discussion can happen outside the field of play, I'd say that's not a crucial factor for player leaders. Helpful, but not mandatory. The support a leader provides on-field can't be in-depth as there isn't time, so it has to be more tangible. He has to be the guy who doubles back to support the man that's struggling.
In terms of being a peer, that's more of the cushy stuff, inviting everyone over for a backyard barbecue or an off-season training trip or just being there to listen and relay stuff to the coaches if it's getting missed.
Both of those things are things McGrath is good at. But is he the guy that doubles back to support the man that's struggling? Does he set that example, and is it infectious?
When we say Merrett is carrying the whole team... that's both a compliment to him and an indictment on the rest of the player leaders. And not just McGrath... there's 45 odd blokes in the squad besides him.
I wonder if electing player leaders at the end of pre-season is ideal, given that you're then electing them on the basis of what they do in the off-season rather than during games?
