PAUL Hudson played 134 games for Hawthorn, 108 games for the Western Bulldogs and three games for Richmond between 1990 and 2002. He arrived at Collingwood as offensive/forward coach after two seasons as an assistant coach under Leigh Matthews at the Brisbane Lions. Prior to that he was head coach of TAC Cup under-18s side Gippsland Power.
Who is the coach that has influenced you the most?
There wasn’t really one particular coach but it was pleasing to have been at different clubs to be exposed to the way all the coaches went about their business.
Coming across to Hawthorn, Allan Jeans, who was very successful in his coaching philosophy, used a lot of anecdotal messages to get his point across. I only played seven games under Jeansey in 1990, but he had a big influence on my career. He made me play in the reserves for a whole 12 months on the backline. I was naturally a forward but what it did do was teach me over time how to think like a backman and help me overall. I realised that as I got older, but it’s hard to comprehend at the time. It taught me to be hungrier and more determined as part of my education coming through.
Alan Joyce, a premiership coach, was probably the opposite. He keeps to himself, doesn’t say a lot. He gave me an opportunity, and what he did say to me gave me some belief as a player. I’m thankful that he gave me a chance at the start of my career.
Peter Knights was my idol and for a guy to be playing AFL footy and be coached by your idol as a kid, I walked away and learnt a lot there. I thought he focussed a bit too much on the skill component, and probably wasn’t hard enough on the players at times, as a coach.
Ken Judge and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on his coaching philosophies. It really was the reason I left the [Hawthorn] football club. I felt Judgey focused too much on the negative component of footy and I’m quite a positive person. Things might have been different if he had understood my personality a little bit more and tried to get his message across in a different way. When I went across to the Bulldogs, Terry Wallace, who was my next coach, was more open to keep focussing on the positives. I thought he was very innovative, was always looking for different ideas. He got the best out of the club at my time with the Bulldogs and gave me a new lease on life on football in believing in me and allowing me to play the way I did.
I felt I had a few more years left in me when I went to Richmond, where Danny Frawley was the coach, but that wasn’t to be. I learnt a lot about communication under Danny, and how important it is in coaching.
I can say I’ve taken something away from all these coaches.
What is the number one quality that makes a good coach?
People management skills is where the role of senior coach is going. Because you’ve got the assistants to focus in on all the different areas like offence, defence and midfield, or development, how you manage people is the most important skill. Communicating constantly is probably the main thing. It’s very easy for a player not to speak to a senior coach for maybe three months and then they start to doubt themselves. You’ve got to be constantly in touch with what’s going on and in the loop. It does take up a lot of energy, to sit down with a player even once a week, with 48 players on your list. You’ve got to spread your time evenly with all those players and it’s a very demanding role on top of media commitments, board meetings and being the face of the football club. Then you’ve got to coach on game day.
What is the best advice you’ve received and applied to your coaching career?
I keep in touch with (former Hawthorn player and coach) Peter Schwab as a mentor. Looking back on my career, Allan Jeans – even though I only played the seven games under him – I could see why he was such a wonderful coach. The way he used his voice, he kept his message very, very simple, and his gameplan. I learnt a hell of a lot, frustrated at the time, but it taught me a hell of a lot in what he did. I was also blessed having a father growing up who wasn’t interfering but was always there for advice and support.
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The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
