Welcome to Collingwood, Coach Craig McRae

[KenH]

Another pay per view article, sigh

[watt price tully]

Another pay per view article, sigh

Sorry couldn't cut and paste on my iPhone but try these bits:

".....Craig McRae talks of happiness more than football. He talks excitedly of smiles on faces more than footballs in hand. But he concludes one begets the other: happy players make better players.

He has a Ted Lasso-like unrelentingly positivity to him. At any moment you feel he could call his assistants for an urgent meeting of the Diamond Dogs. Arooo!

You can’t quite see McRae bursting into new CEO Craig Kelly’s office with freshly baked cookies, but he does have a retro tabletop arcade game machine in his own office. He embraces a Lasso-like “fun first” philosophy.

McRae’s face reddens at the mention of Ted Lasso. “My wife thinks I am [the Ted Lasso of the AFL],” he says.

Reflecting on last year’s one point preliminary final loss to Sydney - which he has not yet re-watched- and the critical moments, including the game-deciding free kick not paid against Tom Papley, he’s as philosophical as Ted.

“It was a tight game wasn’t it? I don’t really know what to say other than Jack Crisp was amazing in the last two minutes I watched. I don’t want to live in the what-ifs. I don’t do that, I haven’t sat in that space. I wish I was six foot four. I’m not, so you just move on,” he said.........."

From: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/why ... mcrae-is-t

[stui magpie]

It is a very good article, I read it this morning. Here's another very good article, also behind a paywall.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ ... 2c9921c3d9

Mick McGuane and Glenn McFarlane sit down with Graham Wright for a Q&A style interview covering a range of topics including who he arrived just before all hell broke loose with the Do Better Report being leaked and Eddie resigning, how they chose Fly, how it was a salary cap decision to trade Grundy but they were after McStay regardless, how he thought De Goey was gone to St Kilda but is really happy he stayed, comments on why they got the other 3 in Hill, Mitchell and Frampton and how with the Salary Cap now fixed we'll be active in the Trade period at the end of 2023.

[KenH]

Thanks WPT

[stui magpie]

Here's a place you can read the article I posted.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/ ... t-78203143

[watt price tully]

Here's a place you can read the article I posted.

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/ ... t-78203143

Thanks Stui, that's a great read.

[BazBoy]

[KenH]

Good read Stui!

[KickTruly]

Thanks

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

How do we compare McRae to the likes of Hardwick, Clarkson and Scott from Geelong.

All 3 have coached AFL premierships too.

McRae yet to open his account.

[BazBoy]

I cannot compare Craig with those premiership coaching men you have put up

Neither in my opinion can I compare him to them on a personal veiw

He is an excellent coach and good honest person who doesn’t rule with a big stick yet gets the best out of all around him

[Rex]

[quote="90 nice"]How do we compare McRae to the likes of Hardwick, Clarkson and Scott from Geelong.

All 3 have coached AFL premierships too.

McRae yet to open his account.[/quote]

Fair question 90 nice. Obviously it’s too early to tell, but I’d prefer him any of that trio. McRae’s Lasso style got us from 17th to 3rd. De Goey might end up dropping the ball this year, but so far he looks superb and I reckon a lot of that is to do with McRae’s approach. Allowing players to be themselves, enjoy the game, take it on and dare to make mistakes is one of the reasons we won the close ones. Heavy-handed coaches (I’m not saying your three) who rule by fear do get as much out some players.
In 2022 we had the trio of a good team, a very good coach and an excellent run with injuries (only Grundy and Adams out of our best 22).
Our 2023 team is better than 2022. If we don’t have any major outs, then McRae may well take his first step to joining those coaches you mentioned.

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

How do we compare McRae to the likes of Hardwick, Clarkson and Scott from Geelong.

All 3 have coached AFL premierships too.

McRae yet to open his account.

I compare them like this:

Clarkson 18 years
Hardwick 13 years
Scott 11 years
McRae 1 year

[piffdog]

Also, Richmond and Geelong are leading the pack in the way they run their club off field (profit and loss, list management etc). Hawthorn have been a powerhouse but I look back and think that had a lot to do with list management and seeing the looming influence of both free agency and the two new clubs sapping the draft pool.

While we are always tempted to blame/worship the coach based on outcomes it is soo much more than that. If my brief analysis of what helped made the above clubs successful are close to the mark, I think its a good sign for us - so much change (for the better) occurring off-field for us.

[watt price tully]

^ So we need to employ Rebecca Welton as CEO?