Sweet 16 — it’s been the magic number for Crows AFLW coach Matthew Clarke this season

As the incoming Crows AFLW coach, Matthew Clarke made no secret that improving skills fundamentals was a priority for him. Here’s how he’s done it.

Sweet 16 — that’s been the magic number for Matthew Clarke in his first season of the Crows AFLW coach.

Sixteen is the number of minutes that the Crows have dedicated to developing the players’ skill fundamentals at the start of each and every training session since pre-season started in November.

Prior to the pre-season starting, Clarke made no effort to hide that one of his top priorities as new coach would be improving basic skill levels.

He’s done that to meticulous detail.

“What we’ve done has been pretty straight forward,” he says. “We’ve just prioritised it.

“So every training session starts with 16 minutes of skill fundamentals, run by all of the assistant coaches and sometimes I do a little bit if someone’s away.

“But basically it’s groundball, aerial, tackle technique, kick, handball, bit of bodywork, bit of ruck work and we do four of those — say six or seven activities every session — in smaller groups, so always with a group of between six and eight players usually with one or sometimes two coaches and you get four minutes of intensive work on each of those skills.

Adelaide head coach Matthew Clarke speaks to his players after the Round 7 AFLW match against Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett

“That sets up training so that when we go into the more game-oriented drills they’ve at least executed some skill to get themselves underway.

“And then clearly you’re still doing all those skills in all the other drills, but all the other drills are a bit more directed at style of play.”

But 16 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot of time.

“No,” Clarke agrees, “but we’ve now had 43 training sessions, so 43 times 16, it starts to add up.

“The difference in the men’s program is that you’ve got so much time that you will often have a stand-alone session just on skill.

“But we don’t have that luxury, so we just prioritise it inside the time that we do have and we put it at the start.”

So it should come as no surprise that the Crows this season have been the AFLW’s leaders in statistical areas like disposals, clearances, contested possessions, kicks and goals scored.

“We’re not perfect by any stretch,” Clarke maintains.

“But a very strong emphasis for us, was our groundball technique, so in the allocation of those minutes, I think there’s been only three or four of those 40-odd sessions where we haven’t done groundball.

“That’s been a massive priority, firstly because it’s a really important part of the game, but also from a technical point of view, it’s important we make sure our athletes look after themselves in the way they approach the contest and that they are using their bodies in the right way and on the whole, I feel that that has improved, so that’s been pleasing.

Matthew Clarke, senior coach of the Crows. Picture: AFL Media

“And with our other skills, the pressure of the game will mean you’re not going to execute your skill the way you want to; the opposition are trying to stop you doing that, so we’re far from perfect.

“But overall, I think there’s been an upward movement in the base skill level, so that’s pleasing.”

As the Crows head to Adelaide Oval today to take on Geelong in a preliminary final for the right to play in next Sunday’s grand final, Clarke has taken some time to reflect on what this AFLW season has meant to him.

Now in his 11th year as specialist ruck coach in the men’s program, this has been the 45-year-old’s first head coaching role. And he’s enjoyed it all. “It’s been amazing,” he says. “I was very confident it would be a lot of fun, and we had a great group to work with, but it’s been all of that and more. Also, being a part of the AFLW community, it’s very inclusive, very supportive.

“I had a telephone meeting with all of the other AFLW coaches (recently) and I came away from that feeling that it’s a good group of people who are all in it for the right reasons and are passionate about helping the code get better as quickly as possible.

“We’re all very competitive and we want to win, and we’re not doing each other any favours on game day, but it’s nice to be part of.”

Adelaide Crows AFLW coach Matthew Clarke speaks to players at three quarter time during the Round 6 AFLW match against the GWS Giants at Unley Oval. Picture: AAP Image/Sam Wundke

Clarke’s also enjoyed working collaboratively with his assistants including Narelle Smith, Peter Cavan, Tim Weatherald and Andrew McLeod.

“Off-field, this team has worked collaboratively and that’s been really pleasing from a coaching point of view,” he says. “We’ve got quite a few coaches, which is great and we’ve managed for everyone to find their niche and work in their area really effectively and collaborate and then come together and work as an off-field team.

“There have been a number of times where there are elements of our game plan that have evolved that I’ve had nothing to do with and I’ve loved that.

“I love wandering over to a line that’s doing some training and they’re working on something and I’m going: ‘Oh, OK’.

“That’s brilliant and says we’re in a good place that they have the autonomy.”

But one thing that has surprised him in his role as head coach is that he’s had to become a bit of a promoter of the AFLW as well.

“One of the differences in this role is you do find yourself promoting the game as much as just trying to win games week to week,” he says.

And so the Crows’ disappointing round-one, one-point loss to reigning premiers Western Bulldogs after kicking 1.11 to open their third season of AFLW was disappointing for Clarke on many levels.

“I was very disappointed, not so much even losing to be honest, I mean, I wanted the players to get some reward for their effort and I knew how hard they’d worked and I was disappointed for them,” he says. “But I was a little bit disappointed for the code.

“I knew it was a pretty good product and when we only kicked one goal … from a promotional point of view it was a challenging little 24 hours.”

But since that loss on February 2, the Crows have steadily improved each week to rise into premiership favouritism.

Matthew Clarke coach of the Crows during the Round 2 AFLW match between Carlton and the Adelaide Crows at Ikon Park. Picture: AAP

That first loss has been their only one this season and they go into today’s preliminary final on a six-game winning streak.

Clarke’s pride in his playing group is clear. He’s proud as he watches young players including Chloe Scheer and Danielle Ponter be nominated for the AFLW’s rising star award.

As he watches Jess Foley fill the gaping breach left behind when the club’s two starting rucks were felled by injury in the pre-season.

When he looks on as third-year players like Anne Hatchard and Deni Varnhagen step out of the shadows of midfield leaders Erin Phillips and Ebony Marinoff and garner accolades all their own.

He’s proud as he see the Crows first international recruit — Ailish Considine who’d previously never played the game — slot seamlessly into his team and kick her first goals. And today, he’ll be watching on as his players take to the field for their toughest game yet on the biggest oval SA has to play on.

There’s no doubt that, today, the pride he feels for his players will be on full display.

“I am very proud of everything they’ve done and hopefully will do,” Clarke says.

“(Before I was coach) from the outside looking in, I knew there was a special quality about the group because you could see it.

“But for everybody who gets involved, once you get to know them and spend time with them, then that admiration just grows.

“They are a very good group of very high-quality people and when they do succeed and they have success, you feel happy for them and proud of them because of the work they’ve put in.”

But Clarke is well aware that the Cats will take some hard work to get over so the club can make it into their second grand final in three seasons.

“The thing in AFLW is the margins are always pretty tight and I do like the way Geelong structures their team, I like the way that they play and their contested marking is probably superior to ours,” he says.

“And they’ve got talent, some really good young talent … it’s final and it’s a one-off game. So we’ll see. That’s why you roll up.”

Adelaide v Geelong

Sunday, 12.40pm

Adelaide Oval

Entry and public transport are free