Yep - good call spirit.
As the saying goes - success breeds success - its amazing how players develop in a successful team. Have a look at young Richard Hadlee at the Lions for example. He is a run of the mill youngster coming through the ranks - nothing special in my books. But he is playing with champions and soon he will become a champion himself. If he were at the tigers he would soon become another dud. It would be amazing to see what type of players the likes of Ottens, Tivendale, Newman, Krakour (all players that I consider naturally talented) would have become if they started their carreers at Brisbane. They would be dominating.
It comes back to my cancer theory - where bad football habits, tendencies and attitude are passed down from player to player.
When I say habits and tendencies, I refer to a players habits and instincts in the heat of battle. Examples are -
- Whether the player kicks blindly under pressure, or whether he has confidence to hold the ball, evade a tackle knowing that there will be a player running to support.
- Whether the player is prepared to leave his man and run upfield to support teamates or whether he'd prefer to sit back, take the safe option, and ensure his man doesn't get a kick if the ball rebounds back.
- Whether a players first instinct when getting the ball is to accelerate forward and run at the opposition and really put them on the back foot, or whether it is to jog backwards, sideways and chip to a teamate lateral to him.
- Whether the player instinctively runs past a player in possession, to demand a handball to quickly move play along, or whether he'd rather stand behind or lateral to the play, hands on hips and watch his teamate kick long because the player is afraid of stuffing up if they initiated a play on situation.
- Whether the player reacts under pressure by settling down and trying to go down the middle to really put pressure on the opposition, or he'd rather go up the wings as the impact of a turnover and the risk is lower.
- Whether a player is prepared to put in that extra yard to apply a shepherd or whether he takes the foot off the pedal to rest up a bit thinking(hoping) that the player chasing his teamate might not catch him (this overlaps into attitude also).
Attitude relates to just that - the attitude of the players when they are on the ground - when they are in front and behind on the scoreboard. Attitudes are easily passed down from player to player. If the leadership group drop their heads, don't encourage, don't chase, fight and bleed for the cause then this attitude so easily becomes the attitude of the younger guys.
IMO the learning curve for a footballer in terms of playing habits and attitudes is the steepest between the ages of 17-23. Skills are learnt in the junior days - if a player can't kick before he's 17, then there's little hope that he will learn the mechanics after that. But attitude and playing habits are learnt after that, and these aspects determine who will be the next champion and who will not.
When you have players like Campbell, Gaspar, Kellaway, Chaffey, Bowden, Ottens, Richo etc setting the example it is just natural that the kids coming through pick up their habits and attitude. The same way these guys inhereted these traits from players like Gale, Knights, Kellaway, Turner, Daffy, Rogers etc before them.
IMO a strong coach is required to eradicate this cancer - one who is prepared to punish, drag and demote any player, regardles of seniority, for any bad habit and bad attitude displayed on the ground. In order it doesn't continue to spread.
Along with this some, if not most, senior players should be moved on......like amputating a limb to stop the cancer spreading.
An influx of youth and enthusiasm is then needed while the strong and competent coach starts teaching them good habits and good attitudes.
