What we saw on Sunday night was not a team struggling or fumbling their way around the ground. Nor were they a group of individuals intent on making sure that they alone were the ones to forge success. It was a group of people banded together, playing together, and supporting each other in a way that this club has not seen for a long time. There were no egos to pump up, no petulant players to coddle. Just a group of players who not only wanted to play together, but play for each other no matter what the outcome. This has been the main gift from an interim coach. This stems from his humble, unobtrusive, and quiet way of taking over the reins when needed. It has been a revelation not only for the playing group, but also for the supporters. The chant around the ground on Sunday night was heartfelt, and while admirable, it is not the reason the club should appoint Josh Fraser as senior coach moving forward, because we are not sure if he wants the job.
To be frank, I do hope he puts his hand up, and I hope that he does get the job because what he has done for the playing group is turn them into a team where I have always believed them to be capable of. We have the talent to be a successful club; we didn’t have someone to mould and guide them in a way that reflects the modern game of AFL.
To see the first-year players consistently being front and centre of the game is a testament not only to the coach, but to the assistant coaches as well. It is a belief in the abilities of these young men that they are becoming the players some of us knew they would become. But what is more relevant here is not only the trajectory of this club since May, but who we have beaten since then and especially on Sunday night.
The reason I say this is because there were those who are now on the “Fraser” chant, who wanted and pushed for a coach, who I believe will never garner any success from their club – Ross Lyon. He is a coach that doesn’t seem to understand the modern game as it stands now. It is not a game where a tall forward is the centre of either a loss or a win. It is not a game where paying more for a ruckman who is just not worth the coinage given that one of the best ruckmen in the league is not paid anywhere near what St Kilda paid for TDK. It is not about making one player stay in that one position for the whole game if it is just not working.
This was the club before May; it is not now. To see Marc Pittonett, who I have always believed to be better than he was made out to be, not only become dominant in the ruck, but in the forward line and down in the back line, is what I am getting at. Seeing how he has stepped out of the shadow of what everyone thought TDK was, to become a player of such significance is an example of having faith in a playing group and not just one or a few players.
The same goes for Harry McKay, who I believe has blossomed more with the leaving of Charlie Curnow. His ability to be wherever he needs to be, whether it is in the ruck, down forward or in the backline, shows a growth that would never have happened while Curnow, a petulant player at best, would still be at the club. Sure, he is doing well at Sydney, but for how long? Sure, he is the leading goalkicker, but that in itself will not give the club the ultimate prize. Long gone are the days of the Buddy Franklins or the Tom Hawkins determining success. It is more about the small forwards, the players on the periphery of the game who will ultimately make a difference. We saw it last week when Carlton had sixteen goal scorers. We saw it this week when we had players who stepped over the line of hanging back in the shadows to being in the forefront.
In the past, we have relied a lot on our senior players to push the team into success. For the first time in a long time, Patrick Cripps does not need to shoulder the team to win. Jacob Weitering does not need to shoulder the team in the backline to win. From where I saw, I watched others take charge, including Nick Haynes, who has found a place in this team in a way I am sure he never thought he would. These players do not need to be in the forefront of what will determine if we win or lose. The team has become just that – a team.
We are no longer a group of players hoping for success; we are a club whereby every player on the field is striving for a win. It is one where each player is supported, encouraged and celebrated no matter what. This is because a coach understands the modern game: it is a team game and one that will afford success together, quietly going about the game and understanding that the steps are not what could eventuate but week by week what is possible.
This quiet fortitude is because of the way that Josh Fraser and the rest of the coaching team go about the business of making a group a team. If Fraser puts his hand up to coach moving forward, then that is his decision and his alone. But what it has shown is that arrogance from a coach, or prospective coach, is not what this club needs. It needs the unassuming, quiet and humble display of ensuring that a group of players have it in their hands to become a group that is a team, no matter what.
On a personal level, I hope he does put his hand up, and I hope the club does appoint him, because this is exactly what the club needs to move forward to become a dominant force in the competition again: quiet fortitude!
#GOBLUES!
Image courtesy of AFL
SPORTZ 