“Harro’s” new role with Carlton’s VFL affiliate affords him a two-fold responsibility - to grow future coaches under his watch, “and to be more face-to-face with young players coming through the system”.
And as he rightly observed: “There’s no better way for me to better develop our young talent than to actually coach them”.
Harris’s initial involvement with Carlton was born of the club’s commitment to fast-track the development its young players so that they quickly understood what it meant to be a professional footballer representing this great sporting institution. In what was his maiden season of 2009, Harris was afforded a list of 27 players with which to work - from the first-year types through to the likes of Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy.
His energies were focused on the development of those players’ attitudes, particularly in the vital areas of leadership. That development was complemented in the second year with the introduction of the skill acquisition program.
“My role with the Bullants was initially to oversee the on-going development of young players, and act as a mentor to help build and grow David Teague and Matty Capuano as development coaches,” Harris said.
“To now step into the role left by ‘Teaguey’, I now get the chance to actually mentor some young coaches within that program [like] Luke Webster, who also comes on board not only as a Carlton Development Coach, but also a Bullants Assistant Coach.”
In assuming the role with the competition’s Grand Finalists of the past two seasons, Harris will undoubtedly draw on the times that took in his coaching stints in both the Ovens and Murray Football League and the WAFL with Wodonga and West Perth respectively.
“I’m now back in the chair, so there’s no place to hide in terms of win/loss ratio, there’s no place to hide in terms of the way your team performs, and I love that,” Harris said.
“I also love being creative, and there’s no doubt ‘Ratts’ [Carlton Senior Coach Brett Ratten] will want me to try things at times, to use the VFL to experiment around the edges with the Carlton program.”
Harris is firm of the view that the playing group he inherits is solid, and that his job is to ensure it remains so.
“The culture of the Bullants, coupled with the relationships involving the Bullants and the Carlton players and the overall fun of playing in that red jumper is something I’ve got to make sure continues,” he said.
“I don’t see myself being vastly different to David Teague in that respect. As far as I’m concerned it’s got to be fun down there and the expectation’s got to remain that you have a red hot crack, give everything thatyou can and be the best that you can be.”
Harris hasn’t yet had the opportunity to address the playing group. That happens on the night of Monday, November 15, when the Bullants players assemble as one at Visy Park, and the front man tells them that he’s not only coaching them to win, but coaching them to develop.
As he said: “I’ve already told the Carlton boys ‘I hope I’m not coaching you too much’ because you want them all to be playing League footy . . . and if the players play for me the way they played for ‘Teaguey’, then we’re well on the way”.
