It didn’t come to me while I was cleaning Choco’s pool but when I was mowing his lawns I realised that the last two games at AAMI have been the first live games I have watched for approximately two years.

In a perfect world I would love to be out there however being able to watch the game from the coach’s box is the next best thing. It has been a great learning experience. It’s exciting to actually see the things that the coaches have been talking about during the week put into action.

Something that has definitely changed in AFL football is the structure of the coaches. Not that long ago, the senior coach was the main man, he barked all the orders, took all of training and pointed the club on the direction he wanted to go. The assistant coaches were basically there to move the cones at training, hold the match-up board for the coach, and agree with what he said.

Nowadays the role of assistant coaches has changed dramatically. They all put in huge hours, studying trends, editing games, attending meeting after meeting and spending one-on-one time with players.

More importantly they are now expected to voice their own ideas for training and games. Their thoughts, along with the senior coach, create a great environment of healthy debate where the end goal is for the team to improve and ultimately win. At the end of the day the senior coach is there for a reason, and he makes the final decision but the process before that decision is important.

When your playing days are closer to finishing than starting, it is important to look at all alternative career paths. The last two weeks spending time with the coaches and understanding exactly what they do has certainly had a positive effect on my interest in coaching in the future. Not quite yet though, as comfy as it is in there, I would much rather be wearing that Power guernsey on the ground and I am doing everything to make sure that happens soon.

Here’s some of my observations from the coach’s box:
  • The blokes who run the hardest get the most possessions. Watching Kane Cornes and Shane Crawford run all day is inspiring.
  • It is easier to find targets for players to kick to from the box than on the ground.
  • Our supporters are very colourful, teal everywhere!

    Go Power!
    mahns