Mathew Ardley –Coomera Magpies Coaching Coordinator on a Perfect
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Mathew Ardley –Coomera Magpies Coaching Coordinator On a perfect morning for any excuse to not be at work, the Coaching Coordinators of the AFLGC Junior Clubs gathered with excitement at the Carrara Headquarters of the Gold Coast Football Club, to oversee their main weekly training session as part of the Coaching Coordinator program. After a brief chat with Tim Searl (AFLGCJ Club Development Officer) and Corey Bell (Gold Coast FC Community Programs Officer) outlining the mornings itinerary, it was off to the back oval to see the boys in action. As we approached the oval and setup camp on the tiered seating, the boys were already warming up and you could instantly see a few minor differences from the soon to be AFL club and Junior club training setups. Having a full oval to yourself is a luxury for most straight away, and you could already see the drills to be used throughout the session already setup and ready to go, along with the IT guy with his laptop ready to take data on all players wearing a GPS throughout training. As the boys continued a lengthy warmup (they had already completed a 2km time trial earlier that morning) Gold Coast Football Club Senior Coach Guy “Bluey” McKenna came over to address the Coaching Coordinators and give us a detailed overview of the session ahead and the training loads to be done, after having previously been given relevant information on allowable training minutes and intensity from High Performance Manager Andrew Weller (How things have progressed over the years!!!). He also made note on the lack of media in attendance as the last few training sessions had been full of hype and exposure due to Karmichael Hunt’s arrival and lead-in to his first game. Guy advised that due to the boys already completing a 2km time trial earlier, that the session would be slightly shorter than their usual Wednesday main session, and then went on to further detail the two main drills that were to be used in this session. The first, at the back of the oval, was a handball “kamikaze” drill with two even teams playing against each other and trying to score in one of two nets at each end of the drill. The idea of the two nets or two scoring zones, was to ensure players thought outside the square when attacking to draw opponents to them, and for the defenders to not simply stay in one location guarding a single goal. The second drill, of which was closer to our vantage point, was a progressive offensive/defensive drill where after starting with even numbers in the middle, the team who either kicked a goal or cleared out of defence then had to contend with the numbers weighted against them as eventually the starting 3 on 3 ended up with 7 on 7 in a high intensity drill concentrating on in-close ball movement with the view of creating an clear wide receiving player to either kick the goal or clear out of defence if on the defending side. When the players finished with the second drill, they were then lined up for a few moments of tackling practice led by Karmichael Hunt, who stayed at this particular drill and of whom more than looked the part (For any doubters, I think he will more than fulfil an effective role once he gets a proper AFL pre-season under his belt). As the boys lined up against each other and took a few steps into their opponent opposite to wrap them up in a tackle, Karmichael at times would then hold them up and show them that they way he was taught meant that the point of their shoulder should end up low and hard into their opponents lower chest as hard as possible.........which was great for the boys to learn from but not so great on the person Karmichael was demonstrating on. You can guarantee Gold Coast Football Club will be a great tackling team next year when then enter the AFL. Whilst this was all happening, the ruckmen were doing some individual training and coaching on one side of the field led by Jeff White (Ruck Coach). After training, we then had Ken Hinkley (Assistant Coach) and Jeff White have a chat to us about the session we had just witnessed and football issues in general, as Guy McKenna completed media duties and the players headed up for their weights session. Guy McKenna then joined us and it was a fantastic opportunity to talk all aspects of football to three gentlemen with an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience. The overriding theme was that no matter what level you are coaching, the main element is to ensure that the players are having fun and where possible, add a competitive/game element to drills to really drag out the competitive spirit within your own group. It was also vital at the junior level to work on players skills, both kicking and handballing on both sides of the body. It should be noted here that the opportunity to talk to these guys is absolutely fantastic and we cannot be more greatly appreciative of their support of the Coaching Coordinator program nor the time they give to us in their busy schedules. After wrapping things up with the “Brains Trust” we then finished off the morning with a tour of the temporary, albeit very impressive facilities of the Gold Coast Football Club. Firstly was the large multi-purpose room/players lounge of which was to be used for everything from players lunch (The kitchen facilities along one wall were in full use as the chef was cooking up a storm that smelt pretty good) and relaxation area, complete with large plasma TV and table tennis table, to team selection and meeting room complete with full A/V setup and projector, to individual player game review area by way of the line of computers in one corner of which the players could watch full games or individual highlights of the team, themselves or the opposition. A large whiteboard on one wall showed the upcoming events that the GCFC players were to attend and clearly showed that this club will be doing everything within reason to be a part of the community – Community being one of the five core pillars of their team and business structure. As we then continued throughout the complex of which consisted of medical and rehab rooms, player locker rooms and ice bath area to the huge gym setup, it was clear that although the facilities were temporary, the setup they have is very good and is one that gives the players every opportunity to succeed at AFL level. As we wrapped up the morning with a quick update on the stadium that was taking shape beside the club, we were left in no doubt that we had been very fortunate for the opportunity to attend and were very grateful for such, thanking those that had allowed the day to come to fruition. The Coaching Coordinator program may be in its infancy, but with the support of all junior clubs, AFLGCJ and the Gold Coast Football Club, all in attendance were sure that over the years ahead the benefits to our junior players will be great as they take on their own journey to play for their local AFL Club. Hopping into the car to head back to work, one fellow Coaching Coordinator pulled a footy from their car, and as can only be the case after watching and being a part of the environment that is a football club for the last few hours, we went out and had a kick for the next half hour back on the oval where we had seen the boys train earlier. Old habits die hard, but the underlying message and one that we try to ingrain into our junior footballers is that football is bloody great fun to be a part of. .