Mark Schwarzer

There's a public line that needs to be held with more than a quarter of a team's games played.

But what's happening privately is far more illuminating.

In the first systems check that's being run, there tends to be a scheduled board meeting where the coach presents the true state of the team and its prospects.

Sometimes that's reassuring.

Other times it's managing expectations and occasionally it's edgy.

Bordering on hostile, publicly and privately, now is the time for coaches to get a grasp on where the team is at.

Today's Art of Coaching is managing up the early season presentation to the board.

And our guide through the Art of Coaching is Ken Hinckley.

Hello to you, Kenny.

Is it a shiver down the spine when you contemplate presenting to the board?

What would you arm yourself with going into a board meeting?

Would you have a presentation to back up your thesis?

How would you approach it?

So...

What doesn't get said publicly, does it get said privately?

So if you've had a wretchedly difficult draw, so I would put the Bulldogs and St Kilda into the really hard draw and you try to avoid the excuses publicly.

Are you tabling that with your board and going, hey, just for what it's worth, we're being crucified here?

So there's a few different guises in that.

The first guise is things have started super.

Is that an easy presentation?