Notorious former AFL bad boy Brendan Fevola in this picture celebrates after Yarrawonga won the Ovens and Murray Football League grand final against Albury. Picture: Simon Dallinger Source: Herald Sun
A PLAYER once mused an AFL list is much like a PE class at school.
You have your teacher's pets, leaders, jokers, nerds and those who sit at the back of the class and insist on mucking about.
And while the latter are tolerated as long as they fall back into line, those prone to detention are not.
Brendan Fevola and Daniel Connors are two players who have fallen out of the system because of behavioural issues.
Thursday's national draft is a critical filtering point where clubs can make sure "bad eggs" are kept out.
As Essendon captain Jobe Watson told the Herald Sun, clubs can not afford to waste time on players who aren't of a certain disposition.
"Any time you bring someone into your club, you want to know that they aren't going to be people who hold you back," Watson said.
"You want to know that they are willing to fulfil and embrace what the ethos of the team is.
"The amount of energy that you might spend trying to manage people and get them to do what you want is really wasted, so clubs and even teammates now aren't prepared to put up with people who they have to constantly manage."
NEVER has being a "good bloke" in the eyes of a prospective coach, footy manager or recruiter been so important.
AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan says the sport requires players and staff to work together productively for up to 50 hours a week.
So attitude is the No.1 thing that Michael Turner, regional manager of TAC Cup team Geelong Falcons, tells his players to focus on.
"And that's a whole range of things," Turner said.
"It's being prepared to work hard, to fit in with the team, follow instructions, be coachable. That is 100 per cent the key area with AFL clubs now. Once they tick off on the (playing ability) then that's what they home in on."
Recruiters are under enormous pressure to get the right people to their club. Several recruiting departments have access to a psychologist to help assess the characteristics of potential players.
Parents, teachers and employers are all interviewed to get a better idea of the man behind the footballer.
COLLINGWOOD recruiting manager Derek Hine says no stone can be left unturned to find the right player for the club - on and off the field.
"Because clubs are becoming more and more accountable, and as a consequence it's just critically important that you are able to profile the athlete and be able to substantiate the pick that you make," Hine said.
"It obviously matters if the pick is right or wrong, but it's extremely important that you're able to get in front of the board and say 'these are the reasons we actually picked this particular player'.
"It's obviously about looking at the athlete, his strengths and weaknesses in both a physical sense and psychological sense.
"Then you look at the resources that you've got in your organisation to say: 'OK, if I end up bringing player X in, can I do so in confidence, knowing that we've got the support structure in place to be able to address any particular weaknesses he might have in his game or psyche?'
"If you don't think you can turn him around, then you may as well not bring the athlete in."
Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett confirms there is pressure from board level to bring quality people into the club.
"It's terribly important," Kennett said.
"Recruiters spend a great deal of time not only assessing the individual's football abilities, but whether he is going to fit in well as a member of the team and within the culture of the club.
"It wouldn't have mattered how good a footballer they were, if they were not able to be a part of the team they will not be selected.
"All recruiters, and certainly at Hawthorn, spend a great deal of time with the individual, with his family, before making recommendations that they should be drafted. So it's not just on football ability."
PSYCHOLOGICAL assessments and interviews with clubs are critical when determining if a player is the right fit.
Some try to meet players before they are "coached" to give good answers in interviews, while others wait until after the under-18 national championships.
But if clubs want to get the full picture, Turner said they should look no further than the player's TAC Cup or state league club "because they see them in a football atmosphere and know how they react to scenarios".
"Some AFL clubs are very good at doing that and some clubs are very poor," Turner said. "We all give an honest appraisal."
He said players know what to expect when interviewed - Geelong's Billie Smedts addressed Falcon players on the subject this year - but above all they are urged not to feel intimidated.
"We only encourage them to be themselves," Turner said. "That's what the clubs want. They just want an honest assessment."
