I couldn't find it on the net so I typed it out...
Senior Tigers need to do team thing
By Shane Crawford
Sunday Herald-Sun 17 MAY 2009, Page S03
AN attitude of self-preservation has brought about the death of many AFL careers, and that's what I fear is happening at the Richmond Football Club.
I saw it with the Tigers last weekend, and unless there is a rapid change in philosophy, you are likely to see it today against Port Adelaide, too.
I know all about it, because I was even guilty of it at a few stages in my career at Hawthorn.
But unless some of the senior players who appear to be gripped with it at the moment eradicate that from their game, then they will gone next year.
It's been well documented that Richmond has more players aged 30 or more than any other team -- six.
That's a damning stat when you consider where the Tigers are on the ladder.
It's a fair bet that regardless of who is coach next year, the bulk of them will be moved on. How many are gone probably depends on who gets the gig.
If a development coach replaces Terry Wallace, the chances are most of them will be pushed into retirement.
But if a more senior coach, such as Mick Malthouse, gets the job, he will know the importance of keeping a few old hands.
Matthew Richardson and Kane Johnson are injured, but the Tigers will go into today's game with four of their over 30s -- Joel Bowden, Nathan Brown, Ben Cousins and Troy Simmonds.
They all have fantastic traits and have had great individual careers.
The thing that strikes me about all six, though, is that I don't really see any of them as completely team-oriented players.
It pains me to say that about Richo, because he has been a superstar and is one of my all-time favourite players.
But when you are fighting to keep your spot, survival mode kicks in, and it can be detrimental to the team balance.
And sometimes the individual brilliance of those ageing Tigers has overshadowed the team aspect, perhaps not always of their own making.
It's a delicate balancing act, particularly for players at the tailend of their careers. When you are getting towards the end, you tend to jealously guard your patch.
Sometimes you think in trying to help your club you need to have 30 possessions or kick four goals.
But in many instances, particularly these days, you don't need that. You need a team focus.
When Hawthorn was in trouble five or so years ago, I was guilty of the same thing.
I thought it was my job to go out there and beat my opponent, win as many kicks as I could and have an impact.
But it's really about combining for the greater good. We weren't doing that at Hawthorn back then.
It wasn't Peter Schwab's fault as coach, it's just that too many players were playing for themselves.
As crazy as it sounds, I remember going to watch my cousin's under-14 basketball team and being envious of how they combined as a unit.
It was a simple plan: simply do everything in your power to back up your mates, forget about yourself and give everything to the team.
We did that at Hawthorn last year and it helped us win a premiership.
As an example, in a game against West Coast last year, we played Campbell Brown in the forward line specifically to keep the pressure on.
Never mind that he only got six touches, he did a super job and was voted best player by his teammates, even though he didn't get a look in with Brownlow votes or media commentators.
Geelong has had that philosophy. St Kilda has adopted it and perhaps is the best in the business with it so far this season.
Ross Lyon made a statement last year when he dropped Nick Dal Santo and Stephen Milne for not adhering to the team-first way. Both were known for wanting to get on the end of the ball to get a kick rather than doing the team stuff.
Now, their whole mindset has changed and they seem to derive more pleasure out of helping the team out rather than seeking their own stamp.
That's a good lesson for Bowden, Brown, Cousins and Simmonds today, and they need to carry that into the rest of the season.
