TAKING THE LEAP

After a disappointing 2006 season for the Cats, Leading Teams consultants were called in to reshape the club’s culture.

THEhardest part was the “honesty sessions”, where one player would sit in front of his teammates and receive honest feedback about his preparation, attitude and performances.

At the time, I believed I was doing enough on game day.

I believed that I was a hard trainer as well.

But I got up in front of my teammates and was shocked when they told me that they didn’t think I was doing everything possible to become the best footballer I could be.

It was difficult to hear teammates I respected tell me that I could be one of the best midfielders in the league, but that I wasn’t training hard enough to get to that level.

They told me I had the potential to play at the same level as Chris Judd at West Coast, but as things stood I was a long way off and needed to lift my training intensity.

I reflected on what they were saying and decided to make some changes.

As hard as their feedback was to hear, it was a real turning point for me in my career, as it was for others.

It wasn’t a case of the guys being unnecessarily harsh — they followed up on the feedback, reinforcing that it came from a desire to see me and the team lift to another level and succeed.

Guys like Tom Harley, Joel Corey, Cameron Ling, Corey Enright and Cameron

Mooney were very strong voices in that process.

Matthew Scarlett, on the other hand, tended to lead by example, and wasn’t afraid to challenge you on the training track.

“Scarlo” always picked his mark, never asking something of a teammate that he wasn’t doing himself.

He was an extremely hard worker who never missed a training session, and was always working to improve his craft.

Outside of the club, there was certainly a consensus that Matthew Scarlett was a brilliant player, but observing him up close, you could see all of the hard work that went into making him that player.

The younger guys looked up to him during that time.

Looking back on that 2006 post-season period now is interesting.

Without it, I feel confident that I could still have had a good career, but the whole process was a wake-up call and made me a far better player.

When I arrived at the club as a 17-year-old, I’d never had much structure in my life, Mum and Dad had divorced when I was quite young; Mum lived in Torquay and Dad in Geelong.

Both worked very hard to provide for us, so we would often come home from school and fend for ourselves.

We were used to doing things in our own time.

If I wasn’t home in time for dinner, Mum and Dad wouldn’t get worried because they knew I’d probably be hanging out with mates.

I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Mum and Dad gave us the freedom to learn from our mistakes.

I loved it, but when you get to a professional football club, where there is a very structured way of doing things, it can be quite challenging for someone who has never worked to a schedule.

When I first arrived at Geelong I just didn’t understand what it took to be a professional footballer.

Thanks to that Leading Teams process, the guys highlighted what I wasn’t seeing, and needed to be told.

From that point onward — and most of the teammates who’d delivered those home truths would agree with this — I began developing into a more complete player.

I learned that football isn’t just about talent; it’s about working hard to get the best out of yourself and those around you.

IT WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR TEAMMATES I RESPECTED TELL ME THAT I COULD BE ONE OF THE BEST MIDFIELDERS IN THE

LEAGUE, BUT THAT I WASN’T TRAINING HARD ENOUGH TO GET TO THAT LEVEL.”