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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
Was just reading the Tom Lonergan thread, and I'm a bit intrigued about this "backing into packs" stuff. As a father of junior players and as a junior coach, my heart is in my mouth when I see one of our juniors back into a fast-approaching pack. Of course, plenty of parents and players rightly applaud the courage shown, but I can only think of the possible horrible consequences of seeing a young player badly injured or psychologically affected by a big hit to the head, back, or kidneys.
I certainly don't encourage juniors to put themselves in situations they aren't comfortable with, and I don't think that is a bad thing. After all, we are supposed to be encouraging participation and enjoyment of the game.
I guess I'm calling into question this idea that you have to back into packs and risk serious injury (not just concussion or a bad knock, though that is serious enough) to be rated as a courageous player. I can well understand it when players, including those of the AFL variety, occasionally flinch a la Josh Hunt. We are all hard-wired with a survival instinct and it isn't such a bad thing to give in to that.
As a coach, I'd be very upset if one of my star players backed into a pack in the dying stages of a 10 goal winning preliminary final, got injured, and couldn't play in the Grand Final. Sometimes players have a responsibility (and not just an instinct) to make sure they don't disadvantage the team by putting themselves in such a position.
After seeing Tom Lonergan go down, and to hear what has happened to him, is backing into a pack, without personal regard, worth a kidney, or a career or even a season, or in some cases, one game? I think it is time that we stopped expecting players to put themselves in front of moving trains. Sure, applaud the courage when they do, but let's not call them cowards when they don't. I'd call them normal!
I certainly don't encourage juniors to put themselves in situations they aren't comfortable with, and I don't think that is a bad thing. After all, we are supposed to be encouraging participation and enjoyment of the game.
I guess I'm calling into question this idea that you have to back into packs and risk serious injury (not just concussion or a bad knock, though that is serious enough) to be rated as a courageous player. I can well understand it when players, including those of the AFL variety, occasionally flinch a la Josh Hunt. We are all hard-wired with a survival instinct and it isn't such a bad thing to give in to that.
As a coach, I'd be very upset if one of my star players backed into a pack in the dying stages of a 10 goal winning preliminary final, got injured, and couldn't play in the Grand Final. Sometimes players have a responsibility (and not just an instinct) to make sure they don't disadvantage the team by putting themselves in such a position.
After seeing Tom Lonergan go down, and to hear what has happened to him, is backing into a pack, without personal regard, worth a kidney, or a career or even a season, or in some cases, one game? I think it is time that we stopped expecting players to put themselves in front of moving trains. Sure, applaud the courage when they do, but let's not call them cowards when they don't. I'd call them normal!