The new event was held as an alternative to the regular coaching seminars held in each of the regions, and was held at the picturesque Eureka 89 - 89 floors above the city.
Over 90 coaches from Auskick, community football and school football were in attendance to hear three legends of the game in AFCA President Gary Ayres, Carlton champion Wayne Johnston and Tiger great Dale Weightman.
The three guest speakers each relayed their experiences on the main topic of the breakfast - the strengths of coaches you have played under and worked with.
The former players were all informative and entertaining – looking at the successful qualities of coaches they had experienced over the years:
GARY AYRES: As a 17 year old country boy who came to Hawthorn, Ayres was confronted by David Parkin who brought opposition analysis and was a coach who asked you to provide him with strengths and weakness of your own performance.
Allan Jeans kept the game simple – we have the ball, they have the ball and the ball is in dispute – we practiced the fundamentals, he created confidence and made you feel special.
One of the most important tips provided by Malcolm Blight was that you can’t coach all your players as if they were Gary Ayres – coach the individual that they are.
While Kevin Sheedy advised him not to dwell on the things you cannot control – move on and we will perform better next time.
WAYNE JOHNSTON: Wayne Johnston’s first coach back in 1979 was the inexperienced Alex Jesaulenko who took on a group which was a mix of the old guard and a talented group of young players – his quality was that although inexperienced he was honest and had the trust of the group. The focus was on developing players to combat their nemesis the Richmond Tigers – fitness, tackling and two way running.
This was followed by David Parkin who was a great orator, well planned and organized – it was great to go training as you knew exactly what to do.
Robert Walls introduced greater strategy and tactics to the game – work in the centre square with Justin Madden and skilled midfielders and a kickout strategy.
Johnston’s key message was that he continued to make progress as a player – moving from a hard worker, to understanding the game and his body better and finally becoming more tactically skilled – he owes this to his coaches.
DALE WEIGHTMAN: For Dale Weightman size was never a problem for him, it was something others were always talking about. In his playing journey he had nine coaches in sixteen years at the top level.
His Under 19 coach was Don Davenport who was a great teacher of the game’s fundamentals, while Barry Richardson introduced him to strategy, and Tony Jewell was hard and tough, and very direct with his feedback on your performance. When Kevin Sheedy retired from the game he became the Tigers skills coach – this opened up a new focus on game specific coaching , drills relating to different parts of the ground were implemented and a strong focus of refining the basic elements of the game were practiced.
All three agreed that the focus for all coaches in community football needs to be putting time into the fundamentals of the game – skills and positional play, nurture the individual, build confidence and surround yourself with quality support.
Last Modified on 22/04/2013 16:28