Spending a season away from The AFL Club environment and working part time in the media has certainly been quite interesting for me. I have found that the majority of conversations I have with people centre around questions regarding what life is really like inside an AFL Club. These discussions have been with both media people and the everyday football supporter.
I have been quite buoyed by this feedback as quite often football personnel are told that football followers are not really interested in ‘that stuff’ and simply prefer the ‘sensational headline.’
Over the past week I have been quite taken aback, and at times, quite disappointed at the type of criticism that has been directed at Mick Malthouse. Obviously I have a close connection to Mick having worked with him at Collingwood for several years and every now and then we still chat about all things football.
This column is in no way being written to simply defend Mick and his coaching, he is very capable of doing that on his own, and quite frankly his coaching record does a pretty good job of that anyway. I would simply like to provide an insight into what it is like to work with Mick on the inside of an AFL Club. I am doing this because I believe that it is disgraceful for someone to have to listen to and read about so called experts claiming that you have lost your way, you are a bully and that you have no friends.
AFL coaches are fully aware that they live in the public eye and most of what they do will come under close scrutiny, and fair enough. It is when these observations/criticisms become personal and clearly not researched that I strongly object. These guys are also people, they are husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and in some cases grandfathers. Before looking for that sensational headline, I would suggest doing some thorough research and perhaps leaving the personal stuff alone. Some media personalities might even find that some coaches enjoy a discussion of topics instead of the ‘let’s lock horns’ approach.
The first three things that Mick teaches people who work with him are to respect the organization and the people who work for it, listen and work very very hard. Not a bad starting point. He is also a wealth of knowledge and has probably forgotten more than many of us will ever know about AFL Football. If you require direction, clarification or advice he is more than willing to sit down with you and have a discussion.
If I were to identify Mick’s greatest strength it would probably be his ability to build relationships. From supporter, to property steward, to CEO, to player; a common trait of people who have worked with him is loyalty towards him. A simple example of this would have to be the performance of Carlton on Friday night against North Melbourne. The players clearly played a hard brand of football, for the most part for the coach I am sure.
To say that this would be is only strength would also be misleading. A quick conversation with Mick regarding the rebuilding of a club is absolutely fascinating. West Coast was near the bottom when he took over and Collingwood bottomed out twice in his reign there. Mick has firm beliefs in what it takes to be a successful football club. They centre on culture and work ethic. He demands that all people who work with and for him strive for excellence and leave no stone unturned. He is a passionate man and this often shines through. Mick is a demanding boss and refuses to cut corners.
Press conferences are an interesting part of a senior coaches’ week. It is compulsory to do two and in total they last for approximately 20 minutes. In real terms this is 20 minutes out of a working week that can last anywhere from 50-90 hours. Most of the time the journalists who attend these conferences are inexperienced and at times are often asking questions that have been prepared by someone else. However, a coaches ‘performance’ at a press conference is often more heavily scrutinized than the performance of his team.
The two time slots for these are also peculiar. Straight after a game when emotions are running high, particularly after a loss. The losing press conference regularly attracts more interest than the winning one. The second one is usually squashed in between a player presentation and a training session. Not optimum in anyone’s language.
I strongly encourage all football fans to be questioning and supportive of their team. I also encourage you to be critical evaluators of the information you receive through the media on a daily basis.
My final word on Mick in response to some outrageous comments last week; he is still coaching well and will work tirelessly to rebuild Carlton; he is a person who demands a strong work ethic and a striving for excellence at all times; and he does have some friends!
