I sat and watched a Fox Sports News segment on St Kilda’s captain and leadership group the other day just shaking my head.
No less than eight players have been inducted into the Saints leadership group, with Nick Riewoldt the captain. That’s almost half the bloody team, I thought.
Strangely, none of the remaining leadership group were named vice captain(s), so if Riewoldt is injured do the other seven all reach in to toss the coin?
New coach Scott Watters, with his game face on, then explained why Lenny Hayes, the widely respected and much loved game day hero at St Kilda, is not in the leadership group.
Watters, with a straight face, said that Lenny would be known as the leadership mentor. The what?
So we have St Kilda with a captain in Riewoldt, whose involvement in a bunch of ordinary photos last year seriously undermines his standing in the football world, no vice captains but seven players in the leadership group and, of course, the tokenistic leadership mentor role.
Folks, this was all delivered by the St Kilda brains trust with a serious face. The amount of consultant driven, life-coach type mumbo jumbo was staggering.
No wonder St Kilda are sliding. Just play football and let a true leader like Hayes lead the club.
North Melbourne has also clearly been at the life coach school of PR-speak and dribble.
At a press conference on Wednesday of this week, North Melbourne CEO Eugene Arocca announced rookie player Majak Daw had been suspended by the leadership group indefinitely.
Arocca offered little in way of explanation as to how Daw had broken rehabilitation protocols and team rules. All this for a player who has not even played an AFL game!
Yet the public were subjected to a bunch of politically correct oratory from Arocca mixed with the usual references to the ‘leadership group’.
Later that day, Brad Scott, North’s coach, spilled the beans on Daw’s transgressions in a plain and honest interview on radio 3AW.
That was leadership.
Gina Lewis
Guest
Perhaps you should look at all clubs with their leadership groups, and perhaps you should also look at the clubs where they have had two Captains (usually as voted by their peers). If the numbers are even then why not two Captains! This is modern day football, not the 30's and 40's.
mattamkII
Guest
you're either a) being ironic b) missing the point.
Tom Bridge
Roar Pro
It really annoys me when clubs have inflated leadership groups, firstly because I think it takes away the special feeling of being named the captain of a professional sporting club. At absolute most a "leadership group" should be made up of two players, the captain and the vice captain. Of course, in the usually unlikely event that both the captain and vice captain are out via injury or suspension each club should have in mind players that are real team players and motivators that can bind the team together in their absence when players are on the field during a game.
Lachlan
Roar Guru
AFL was never a sport, always been the national competition, since 1990, when it became the AFL, before then it was the VFL and before the VFL was established in 1897, it was the VFA.
Redb
Roar Guru
A Captain, VC and a deputy is all you need. Senior players can still play a leadership role without being included in the circle of trust.
Redb
Roar Guru
Surely you jest BigAl? On what basis do you make such a claim? Reiwoldt allowed himself to be caught up in a tawdry situation which dogged him and his team for the whole of 2011. Maxwell at Collingwood, Watson at Essendon much better on field leaders.
Jason Cave
Guest
When I first started watching AFL (or VFL in those days), the leadership group simply consisted of a captain, vice-captain & deputy vice-captain-that was it. Now, we have most clubs having 6 or 12 players in the leadership group. Surely it's time for some clubs to go back to the tried-and-true method of having only 3 guys leading the team out each weekend?
BigAl
Guest
Having Reiwoldt, and having him as the captain is the best thing the Saints have going for them at the moment. Probably the best captain in the AFL.
Redb
Roar Guru
Thanks. 1. Reiwoldt & his St Kilda mates were still in the photos in the first place. Nuff said. 2. Exactly. What a waste of time for everyone.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Good article. Two questions: 1)How on earth do some silly photos which are connected to a silly girl, undermine Riewoldt's standing at all?! 2)Why did North need to give a press conference in the first place? Speaking of fads, I think that clubs need to stop giving press conferences on every non-issue that arrises.
Redb
Roar Guru
Correct the People's Front of Judea but not the Judean People's Front - splitters!
BigAl
Guest
Totally agree, and the sad thing is that TimWatson is often cast in this role - he is better than that ! He looks like some sort of dotty housewife chasing after a celebrity or politician who really doesn't have time for him. The only thing I have gained from these episodes is that Tim is putting on more and more weight
Danielle
Roar Rookie
They probably toss a coin to see which player gets to toss the coin. Is anyone else a little surprised that Reiwoldt is still captain? If anything i thought the Saints would want a new start with a new coach AND a new captain...
Bear
Guest
Hey, if we are throwing some fads out, can we also get rid of the incessant interviewing of coaches and players by the media on game day? Pre-game, end of first quarter, begining of second quarter etc. All l need to know is ... is it wet? Is it windy? Any players not shown up for the game yet? Any extra information supplied by club officials is superfluous. My two bob's worth.
BigAl
Guest
true ! . . . true
gttommo
Roar Rookie
Now all that needs to happen is for the 4 or 5 players left who are not in the leadership group to form their own followship group and elect elect a leadership group for the followship group who will represent the followship group when something is dicussed with the leadership group. Then all of the coaching staff will also want their own group to be represented. Of course there will need to be a group commitee formed to manage all these groups. Yeah, when will it end.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Yeh - about time this little fad was shown the door.
hog
Guest
We are talking about St Kilda here
Richard
Roar Guru
Good article. The Saints have been obsessed with this leadership stuff for quite a while. Oversized leadership groups, multiple captains and the new coach virtually making the existing captain beg for his post. The next thing you know they'll be holding hands when they sing the club song. One positive. They managed to free up Luke Ball through all that mumbo jumbo.
Jimmy
Guest
Be nice if the AFL ever goes back to being a sport....this consultant driven crap has me reaching for the remote....