Coaches of elite sporting teams are a special breed. They need to be able to take criticism from the public, administrators and the media, and dish it out as well.
The key is how they take that criticism and how they offer it to their playing group.
Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch was in hot water for man-handling fringe senior player Zac O’Brien after O’Brien swore at reserves coach Shane Woewodin during a match on the weekend.
You can understand Leppitsch getting angry, as O’Brien was out of line. It may also have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back, as the three-time premiership star is in charge of a team sitting on the bottom without a win and hardly being competitive after five rounds.
However, if he didn’t get angry and show some emotion, he would probably be criticised for accepting mediocrity. So there needs to be a middle ground, which is hard to find.
The Bulldogs’ new coach, Luke Beveridge, seems to be there at the moment, but his side has surprised everyone by winning four of their five matches, so there should not be too much of a reason for him losing his cool yet. Although he did appear to have a tense conversation with the playing group and staff after their poor effort against Hawthorn in Round 3.
The key part there, though, was that it was in the change rooms and just among the players and staff. This is an emotional game and you can understand it would at times be almost impossible for coaches to keep their emotions in check.
There’s no doubt that Gold Coast Suns players would not have known what hit them when Rodney Eade arrived late last year. They previously had Guy McKenna, who from the outside appeared to take the softly softly approach.
However, the Suns have been plagued by major discipline issues among their players and some continue to be repeat offenders like one of their best players, Harley Bennell, who has been dropped for this week’s crucial clash with Adelaide along with Trent McKenzie and Brandon Matera.
They all went drinking when told not to. McKenzie was one of McKenna’s favourites, but it’s the second time he has incurred Eade’s wrath. He was also dropped for poor form after the Round 1 debacle against Melbourne.
Eade has often been criticised for getting too emotional, especially in the coaches box, but once again there is so much on the line and if mistakes cost your side dearly, you can empathise with coaches that there needs to be an outlet for their frustration and disappointment.
Brenton Sanderson seemed to be another who tried to find the right mix about how to approach his players but failed, resulting in his shock axing last year.
His replacement, Phil Walsh, is gaining a reputation of being a tough-love man, but is generally a poker face in the box, unlike Alastair Clarkson and Mick Malthouse, two of the more emotional coaches in the caper.
Mick in particular tends to vent his spleen or anger at losses or poor performances at the media. Many of us have had a running battle with the record-breaking coach for years. But as has been discussed in recent weeks, most of his players have always loved playing for him.
Leppitsch no doubt would like that moment with O’Brien again, and issues like this are often blown out of proportion, especially if your team is struggling like the Lions are. But we need to remind ourselves about the pressure that coaches in all sporting codes are under.
They can never relax even if they are winning. What’s the old saying? Every victory you have, you are a step closer to your next defeat!
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