05-19-2015, 07:18 AM
I argued this issue in another post. It is a good topic and one that polorises folk.
My view is that coaching and playing to win is the first and most important principle. It applies to the short term, as in the game at hand. And it applies to the longer term, in so far as it builds a culture of high standards and attitudes.
Good management in a team environment (any organisation) is about setting expectations, not rules. High expectations are set when the team walks out with an attitude that they are aiming to win and that they believe they can. A loss can then be picked over with the approach that we did some things wrong and they can be fixed.
Playing the kids accepts that you don't believe you can win. It may not be explicit, but it surreptitiously concedes defeat. It also may mean players getting games that have not met a certain standard prior to selection. What better way to confuse a team? Who gets picked and who doesn't is now uncertain. It may be on the basis of age, experience or something else. Melbourne are the extreme of this path. They even had a second year player made captain!
Both these paths are about development. But coaching to win can remain constant, no matter where the team is on the ladder or age profile.
In the Carlton context we have been confused about this for years. We have senior players now that should have spent more time in the seconds developing their craft. They were thrown into a senior team when they were not ready and were led by poor examples, in short, a team that was not fully committed to winning, nor believed they could. Some of the confusion about selection now is the result of the cupboard being a little bare and not alot of talent to pick from. But we are coaching to win now. It is just such a massive task to change the attitudes of over a decade.
My view is that coaching and playing to win is the first and most important principle. It applies to the short term, as in the game at hand. And it applies to the longer term, in so far as it builds a culture of high standards and attitudes.
Good management in a team environment (any organisation) is about setting expectations, not rules. High expectations are set when the team walks out with an attitude that they are aiming to win and that they believe they can. A loss can then be picked over with the approach that we did some things wrong and they can be fixed.
Playing the kids accepts that you don't believe you can win. It may not be explicit, but it surreptitiously concedes defeat. It also may mean players getting games that have not met a certain standard prior to selection. What better way to confuse a team? Who gets picked and who doesn't is now uncertain. It may be on the basis of age, experience or something else. Melbourne are the extreme of this path. They even had a second year player made captain!
Both these paths are about development. But coaching to win can remain constant, no matter where the team is on the ladder or age profile.
In the Carlton context we have been confused about this for years. We have senior players now that should have spent more time in the seconds developing their craft. They were thrown into a senior team when they were not ready and were led by poor examples, in short, a team that was not fully committed to winning, nor believed they could. Some of the confusion about selection now is the result of the cupboard being a little bare and not alot of talent to pick from. But we are coaching to win now. It is just such a massive task to change the attitudes of over a decade.