Interesting…

Kernahan is a reluctant president. Had Pratt not become ill, there’s no way Kernahan would be there. And in any case, I’m not sure that standout champion players are well suited to the role presidents/chairmen play these days. Business acumen and business networking are pretty important in modern, high-cost AFL, especially in Melbourne where nine clubs compete for corporate patronage. In the current furore, Kernahan risks being seen to be hypocritical, as he was, reportedly, quite a lad in his playing days.

Will Kernahan be seen in hindsight as a good president? No, I don’t think so.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Culture blues (2) =-.

btw would/ is Kernahan be a good respected President/ Chairman? Elliot was not, Pratt had the money but probably did not spend enough time in the position to change the culture. In an earlier article (About Culture), maybe we should update that for your point of stability in the President/ Chairmen.

Clubs choose introverted ‘champion’ players as captain at their peril, for instance, Judd. Your comments on Glass suggest a lower-profile, more-rounded, more-grounded, more team-oriented, more genuinely-respected player may, in many instances, be a more effective captain. I think Jobe Watson, for instance, might well be in that mould. Adam Simpson was in that mould. . .
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Culture blues (2) =-.

… about athletes being full time.

Not sure if it’s just a matter of semantics, but Scott’s assertion wasn’t that footballers are full-time — that’s obvious to all of us. Rather, he was pointing out that elite athletes don’t let down their guard away from the game or between seasons, they don’t allow bad habits to creep in and rob them of the benefit of some of their hard work. Apologies if I’m hammering that point in again!

I can’t believe that Buckley wasn’t just as intense off the field and had expectations of his teammates (that they sometimes didn’t meet). As I mentioned previously, I don’t think it is a captain’s influence alone that can keep players on the straight and narrow.

Saw a short piece of the Kernahan/Judd press conference tonight. By the numbers. We can only hope they were a lot, lot stronger behind closed doors (but I doubt it).
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Culture blues (2) =-.

I cannot argue or agree more with your comments about athletes being professional enough to know their limit. I also agree that a career (or year) long ban on alcohol is not always the right answer but could help in ALOT of situations.

In regards to Buckley as a captain, no doubt he lead by example and would have ‘expected’ his team mates to follow but Collingwood had behaviour problems when he was leading the club. So maybe he is like Judd and think leading by example ‘on field’ is all you need.

Obviously we can only speculate but as an Eagles fan, Glass is fast becomming a more important captain than Judd was imo.
.-= Jermayn´s last blog ..Maybe AFL Footballers should give up the Booze Full Time =-.

I understand your point, Jermayn, on Maxwell and Glass as captains, although I would have thought that Buckley would have not only lead by example, but would have demanded his teammates emulate his example.

It seems pretty clear that Chris Judd isn’t that sort of captain.

Remember too, it’s not that long ago that Wayne Carey stood unassailable and proud as captain of a two-time Premiership team, whilst at the same time being the instigator-in-chief of any hi-jinks. Barely anyone would have questioned his leadership credentials. Does it hurt a club to have a playboy leader if they’re winning? I think winners are forgiven a lot!

As a Bomber fan, I sat up and took notice at a comment of Lloyd’s when appointed Captain in 2005. I can’t find the comment just now, but the implication was that he would demand much more from players than did his predecessor, Hird. I mention this because I don’t think there is a “template” for captaincy. It depends on the playing group, support staff, coaches, administration, (largely indefinable) club culture and club goals who will be the ‘best’ captain. In that respect at least, I think it’s problematic to cast Judd and Cousins as failures as captain.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Culture blues (2) =-.

AFL players are treated as elite athletes and paid as elite athletes. Surely it’s not too much to ask for them to behave like (the majority of) elite athletes. And most already do!

I don’t know about a flat, year round ban on booze. For some, Fevola for instance, it might be an appropriate course. The Carlton boys could clearly look at it as a general priciple (and it’ll be very interesting to see if Kernahan and Ratten have the balls to make a REALLY big statement to their playing group — I’m tipping they won’t.

Leadership, at player, coach AND board level, is the key to players understanding their responsibility. In the past I’ve defended players who haven’t lived up to the standard the general community expects, but no more. If the Carlton boys want to end their year on a booze cruise six weeks before the pre-season comp begins, perhaps they’d be better off going back to playing paddock football.

Let’s not be total wowsers, but let’s also hold these well-paid PROFESSIONAL athletes to a standard befitting their CHOSEN CAREER — not getting shit-faced as a bare minimum.
.-= aussierulesblog´s last blog ..Culture blues (2) =-.