World Footy News

At the recent National Diversity Championships in Townsville, I was allowed access to the Northern Territory Kickstart teams coach’s bench during their Preliminary Final against the Victoria/Tasmania team. It was a match of two well performed teams, and the winner would go on to play the Western Australia juggernaut in the Grand Final. There was a lot riding on the match, but their coaches were generous in letting me have a close up view of what happens inside that inner sanctum of coaching.

Northern Territory coach, Shannon Motlop, knows a thing or two (or three) about footy. After a 54 game career at the North Melbourne Kangaroos, including an AFL premiership in 1999 with them, he went on to be recruited by the Melbourne Demons as a replacement for Troy Broadbridge who tragically died in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Stints playing and coaching across country Victoria added to his repertoire of practice.
But his assistant coaches, Jason and Leith, have been around also and know some tricks. Plenty of them. Together they have the goods to mentor these kids to success, in and out of footy.

Before the game the players chat a great deal. It is part of the release of nervous energy prior to a big match. Even their coach, Shannon, says “I’m sick of being nervous” before this game starts. It is a natural feeling. The only cure is for the siren to go.

The role of the assistant coaches here cannot be understated. Each moves about the playing group with words to calm the nerves and slow down the adrenalin.

The siren goes and the players come together on the field for final messages of encouragement. Then the players go to their positions, as do the coaches. They speak to those on the interchange bench, reminding them of who to watch…their own player and those from the opposition wreaking havoc.

The ball is bounced (thrown) and the game starts. Within seconds there are gasps of despair from the coaches. Missed marks, over run balls. The bench fires up with ”spoil from behind!”. “man up, NOW!”, then the ubiquitous “BAAALLLLL…!!”. Instructions yelled like “Too far up…GO BACK!”

All this just two minutes into the game.

Assistants, Jason and Leith, bark advice to Shannon. Suggestions are made to change player positions as the match-ups are not working. This is done. Shannon is watching everywhere. The assistant coaches are watching all of the other everywheres. Nothing is missed or left to chance.

Things begin to settle. From the coaches, “excellent contest, well done!” “Go again…good stuff!”

It is a tight contest. Urgent changes are sprung and the runner is in perpetual motion. Hasn’t had a kick yet, but has covered more ground than the players. It is nearly half time and the NT boys have a 14 point lead. Things are tense and quiet in the last seconds of the half. Shannon delegates the roles of the line coaches for half time.

The siren goes.

At the break Shannon talks of maintaining intensity and keeping the defensive pressure going. The tackles, shepherds and one-percenters. Working for each other. Then the line coaches kick in and the forwards coach reminds the players to wake up and work harder. Keep up the forward pressure and give the ball to targets. The midfield coach likes how the players are sitting outside of the 50 arc and working backwards. He drives home message also of defensive pressure. The defence coach says to keep winning the ball, be direct…don’t go wide and high, straighten up and just keep winning that ball.

Nothing mentioned by the coaches is rocket science. It is all fundamental. But it is uplifting. In the heat of battle even the most basic knowledge can slip away. Everything can be reiterated, it doesn’t hurt.

A little way into the second half and the margin increases. The runner is out with messages along the lines of the half time theme – “the match is winnable, but we cannot drop off”. The other recurring theme is to keep up the body pressure and “whack in!”

Now the assistant coach is calling many of the shots. Amongst the themes are “proper kicks long to a contest – not silly short chip kicks.” The defence is winning and the message goes out, “tell ‘em great stuff.” Advice screamed from bench – “Don’t pass it – have a shot!”

The game is almost over, but not the relentless pressure to improve and succeed. “Tell him he is doing too much, and we will keep telling him every time he does it.” Even in victory there is room for improvement, better methods, better team ethos.

The siren sounds and the Northern Territory boys are through to the Grand Final. They have played well all tournament, and again today. Everyone is smiling, or gasping for breath. The coaches go to their players and pat them on the back, congratulate them, thank them, encourage them.

It was a fascinating look at what makes an elite junior representative team tick from the sidelines. It was almost like a coaching clinic – only better. This time it was for real.

My thanks go to Shannon and the crew who so kindly allowed me to share their team’s journey on the day. It was a great experience to be inside the Northern Territory bunker during battle. Congratulations on the win.

Postscript: The Northern Territory boys went down the next day to the rampant Western Australia team, but not without a serious fight. The NT crew can feel proud of their runner up status at this event and they are one step closer to taking away the title from the Sandgropers.