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Chapter 1: What is Brenton Sanderson's role in the AFL Coaches Association?
But we're going to kickstart the hour with one of our own, Brenton Sanderson, who is a superstar. In fact, he's no stranger to Sunday Crunch Time as a host.
And he joins us now in his position, not as an SEN guy, of which he's been remarkably good for such a long period of time for, but as the chairman of the Coaches Association in an interesting time with the sacking of Brett Scott earlier in the week and just where it sits after a really good article he wrote for The Age. Sando, welcome back to Sunday Crunch Time.
Thank you, Cam, and g'day, boys. Hope you're having a good day.
It may go well. We're going to start. It's always a chaotic week when an AFL coach is given the flick or resigns or mutually aparts ways, whatever it might well be in any different circumstance. Just for this particular week in your role, what is your role around Brad Scott?
Chapter 2: How does the Coaches Association support coaches during transitions?
Do you meet with him? Do you chat with him? Is there any face-to-face with your role and the coach who is no longer there?
No, not me personally as such, but the AFL Coaches Association has a great team led by CEO Alistair Nicholson. And his team, I guess, are really hard to work at, you know, ensuring there's the right support network around the coach as they sort of transition out of that footy club and into the, I guess, pack into the real world a little bit.
But yeah, the role of the, I guess, of the Coaches Association is to just to provide any sort of support network, working with that coach's family, if they've got a manager, just to ensure that transition out of the club is a smooth one. Really emotional time, I guess, for anyone when they lose their job, whether it's an AFL coach or if you're in any other industry.
But yeah, I just thought it was the right time, only because my role, I sit on the board and it's a really good board that I'm working with, but we're all super passionate.
And because I've sort of lived it, I guess, is just to ensure, I think what we've seen now with obviously with Vossi and now Brad Scott and the other like 16 coaches and now the two interim coaches, it's the greatest job in the world.
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Chapter 3: What challenges do AFL coaches face when losing their jobs?
We know that. And like all of the guys who are in those roles, are absolutely thriving in those roles. But it also, too, I just think it's a good time to acknowledge that it does come at a cost. And that cost can, I just think it's the right time for the industry just to be made aware that I just think these guys are redlining too much.
I think the grind and the work these guys are doing, you know, 24-7 to execute their roles as best that they can, it's just, you know, potentially coming at a cost. And I would hate, you know, God forbid anything would happen to any of these guys. And I know the AFLW industry is the same. We've got some great coaches in that space as well.
Chapter 4: How has coaching changed in the AFL over the years?
But these people are working really hard. And like I said, it's the greatest job in the world, but it certainly comes with some consequences.
And you allude to that in this article. When you got sacked from Adelaide, your sister said she was relieved that you'd been given the Tijuana. And I quote, I could tell you were getting really sick. And she didn't mean physically, she meant emotionally. And she was right.
So every time you see a coach under pressure in your current role or externally watching how these coaches go around on a day-to-day basis, I'm assuming you know exactly how these players or these coaches are feeling.
Yeah, and listen, most coaches, almost all of them, do have great support networks around them, whether that's family, mentors, friendship groups, whatever. And most of the clubs, most of them, do a really good job at having an environment where a coach...
Chapter 5: What mental health support is available for AFL coaches?
can, you know, express when it might be time just to take the foot off the gas a little bit. And a lot of those, a lot of those clubs do it really well. But I think also too, we, and you know, my, my generation, I'm in my early fifties, you know, and I played with pickers and, you know, we were coached really, really hard. Coaching's changed now.
The relationship factor was very different, but we, we sort of grew up in a, self-reliant, almost resilience type thing where we're sort of guys our age. We really do struggle to say that we actually are struggling, that we need some help. We need a bit of a break. And I just think we need to work as an industry.
And that's probably a combination of the AFL, the clubs, and maybe it's just, you know, mandating some time off for coaches at the end of each season.
Chapter 6: How can AI assist coaches in their roles?
Because I guess when the players, and they've got a really strong association, the players association is great. The players get lots of time off. They get a good chance to get away and have a break, but the coaches are straight into list management decisions, exit interviews. They get ready for the draft, and then preseason starts again, and that sort of whole process starts.
The season is so long now. It's a 30-week season, and most of these guys, they have their foot flat to the floor from day one right to the end, and I'm just so nervous, really, that we're not providing... enough opportunities for coaches to just take a break when they need it. And, you know, we are our own worst enemies.
That's the problem because if you're going to be a great coach now, and JJ knows this, is the relationship factor is so important, is you have to be physically face-to-face with your playing group throughout the week, which means you've got to take a lot of work home with you.
And if you're going to prepare well to play an upcoming opponent or if you're getting ready for a big game, you know, there's so many...
Chapter 7: What are the expectations placed on AFL coaches today?
so much vision you've got to watch. There's the phone calls, there's the board meetings, there's the list management meetings. And these guys just don't stop. So I know I'm not just talking about coaches. The people in football departments really are redlining during the year. So it's just I thought it was the opportune time to
So maybe just bring it to the surface and let's start some conversations with the AFL and the clubs around how we can do this better.
So Sandor, when you finished up at the Crows, was this support available when you finished back then? Or has this just been... I don't know how long the AFL Coach Association has been going, to be honest, but was it around and did you have the support when you finished?
Well, yes and no, Pickers.
Chapter 8: How does Brenton Sanderson view the future of coaching in the AFL?
I mean, I guess the short answer, the Coach Association was up and going. It's much better...
staff now we're still we're still definitely under resourced but effectively i was told by the crows that um my job was terminated and i left the building and i never went back it was as simple as that so it's like any other industry and i know people some of the listeners would say well it's the same out in the real world you know you lose your job and and out you go uh you sort of marched out of the building but yeah it's sort of then who sort of picks up the pieces and i think the mistake i might that i that i might pick is is um when everyone asks me am i
am I okay or was I all right? I just think it was a sign of weakness for me to say that I was struggling.
And even probably now, 10 years later, I still have that inability to be able to speak to friends, speak to mates, whatever, and just say, listen, I just need to have a coffee with you or just have a couple of beers one night and just be brief because we sort of just keep our emotions or if we are struggling to ourselves.
So
I think they do it so much better now, you know, and I'm, I'm involved in the school space. I'm the, I'm the director of sport at Mentone and grammar. And this generation is so much better at putting their hand up when they're struggling.
But I just, I just know that our coaches, it's still seen as a sign of weakness and it shouldn't be, you know, some of the more experienced coaches get away and have some time off in January or December. And I reckon that it's awesome. I reckon they need to do that, but,
But yeah, I guess with my role now on the board of the Coaches Association, I just want to ensure that the senior coaching role or any coaching role is still really highly sought after and something that people want to do. I mean, everyone wants to coach. As I said, it's such a great job, but the consequences now are almost too great. I don't think it's as appealing as what it used to be.
And you see, like Sam Mitchell, for example, awesome player, premiership captain, and has become a great young coach. And I'm hoping that a guy like Scott Pendlebury will sort of head down that same sort of similar pathway.
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