‘Enjoy the journey’: Coach Don Pyke’s plan to revitalise Adelaide Crows after tumultuous 12 months
At the end of a tumultuous 12 months that started with a grand final loss and ended in missing finals, Adelaide coach Don Pyke emphasised the importance of switching off. After practising what he preached, he enters the 2019 season with a fresh perspective.
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There’s getting away from the AFL bubble for a holiday and then there’s hiking up Machu Picchu, 2500m above sea level in Peru away from mobile phone service and anyone talking footy.
Adelaide coach Don Pyke turned 50 in December and to celebrate, he, his wife and some friends went to New Zealand and then South America to Chile and Peru.
“50 being a reasonable milestone,” Pyke says with a wry smile that was rarely seen last year.
Hence why the trip had a broader meaning for Pyke who’d just finished the third and toughest season of his AFL coaching career.
At the end of it, when the Crows had fallen from grand finalist to 12th in 12 tumultuous months, Pyke told his players it was important they switch off and mentally refresh in their break — and that included him.
“It was just after the trade period and you’re far enough away (in South America) in terms of time zones to be able to switch off,” he said.
“It’s important for everyone in the industry which is pretty full-on to get a full break when you can get away.”
Because when the players returned for duty on November 5 — a month earlier than in 2017 after the grand final — Pyke wanted them ready to go.
But he also acknowledged the mood around the place needed to change after the club from head office down to the last spot in its list had at times taken a beating on and off the field.
So the key word emanating from just about every player who spoke to the media over summer was “fun”.
“My beliefs have always been that it’s very hard to be good at something if you don’t enjoy doing it,” Pyke told The Advertiser.
“Now last year it’s fair to say the enjoyment factor was a bit less for various reasons — results as well.
“So it was key for me — from day one when I got the job — to think the environment I want the guys to walk into was one that they looked forward to, one where they looked forward to playing footy with their mates, getting better as an individual and helping us create team success.
“So in order to do that they’ve got to feel this is a place they want to be.
“That’s been a focus not just for me but the entire staff, the way we set up the program and from a players’ point of view that they can come in here, be who they are, enjoy their footy, work hard but it’s important they enjoy the journey so I want them to still put their shoulder to the wheel but enjoy themselves.”
Pyke, with his thoughtful but serious demeanour, knew that largely started with him.
“It’s how you look at the world and as a senior coach how they see my reaction to certain things,” he said.
“There are certain things you can control and certain things you can’t. I’d like to think I want to be a positive influence on their footy careers and sometimes stuff happens.
“The (2018) grand final is a great example. Collingwood loses a grand final on the last play of the day in a fantastic game of footy that is decided by so little.
“But ultimately you look back and yes they didn’t win the cup but does that make them any less (of a team)? The line is so small between winning and losing, sometimes you can do a lot right and not walk away with the result and other times you can be lucky.”
In the past week Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and captain Scott Pendlebury have both spoken about finding peace with last year’s grand final loss, accepting the result but knowing they were and are still a very good side that had a very good year.
So in hindsight is that something Adelaide either lost sight of, or took longer to arrive at after 2017 because of the 48-point margin?
“Possibly … the margin was the margin but more disappointing was the way we played. We just didn’t play the level we were capable of on that day,” Pyke said.
“Last year’s grand final was two teams going at it if the siren goes two minutes earlier Collingwood win it, two minutes later West Coast wins, that’s sport.”
Pyke wasn’t even 30 seconds into his Round 23 press conference after the 104-point belting of Carlton last year when he started talking about 2019.
As difficult as 2018 was, Pyke said he had a lot to be excited about including the improvement of Wayne Milera, Hugh Greenwood playing 22 games as a genuine midfielder, the emergence of Tom Doedee as a key defender, Jordan Gallucci finding his spot in the team and Lachlan Murphy and Myles Poholke showing they can play at the level.
Six months on that optimism has only grown.
“I remember two years ago before 2017 we talked about that ‘organic growth’ and the reality is now you see that,” Pyke said.
“It (2018) certainly gave them opportunities that in 2017 didn’t exist. Gallucci played one game in 2017 simply because the side was performing well and we had a healthy, fit list.
“But some of the development we saw in players last year who got opportunities, it wasn’t just the way they performed, but also understanding what the game demands.
“So they know why the training is important, the strength and conditioning and skills component. And having had a taste of it, most young men are excited about building on that.”
Adelaide only missed the finals by one game yet were ravaged by injury last season. They only had four players play every game while grand finalists Collingwood and West Coast had 17 between them.
Their injury problems started in pre-season but they didn’t radically overhaul the program this time around because of starting so much earlier.
Aside from key defenders Daniel Talia and Kyle Hartigan who have had stints in rehab recovering from knee injuries, the list is healthy and in good shape just over two weeks from their first JLT Series game against Port Adelaide.
They have, however, been playing plenty of match simulation at training to adapt to rule changes this season but also to begin to form a better idea of their Round 1 team to play Hawthorn at home on March 23.
The Advertiser asked Pyke the following questions relating to his team for 2019:
Do you plan on playing two rucks — Sam Jacobs and Reilly O’Brien — in the same team?
“It’s a good battle, Reilly has had a really good pre-season and has put his hand high up to be right up there for selection which is great, you want that at a footy club,” he said.
“You have Sam who has been fantastic for us for a number of years who is being challenged, and as he gets into the latter part of his career, that’s what you want.
“Whether we can play two or not I don’t know. It really depends on the make up of elsewhere. With Josh (Jenkins) we’ve got a strong power forward who can do some ruck work.
“He’s shown he’s got the capability to do some real good work in the ruck and we’re doing some more work with him in that space in some of the around the ground stuff.
“And with Reilly whether we can have him and Josh and Sam, how does that look for our forward mix as much as anything because when they’re not in the ruck, the rucks have to play somewhere else.
“Last year we saw (with West Coast) Lycett and Vardy or Naitanui in the same side, so it’s a question of how those guys can play the forward craft that dictates whether we go with one or two (ruckmen).”
Given Wayne Milera’s improvement and running capacity will he play more midfield?
“That’s certainly an option we want to explore. We know the quality he can provide off half-back so we’ll give him some exposure in there.
“I still think for Wayne it’s developing his AFL career and getting that consistency of regular, quality AFL, he’s had a great pre-season and has given himself every chance to do that.
“But we’d like to expose him to the midfield because we think in the long term he can play some good midfield minutes.
“He’s come on each year, has a great feel for the game and moves well so it makes sense.”
How have you seen your top draft picks Chayce Jones (Pick 9) and Ned McHenry (Pick 16) this pre-season?
“They’ve both been very good, all our recruits to be honest have come in in good condition, they understand the game and have a good feel for it, and they’re performing really well.
“I’m not sitting here saying I’m not going to pick guys on age, if they’re good enough and are ready they’ll play and they’ve certainly showed in their training that they’ve got great running power, great game feel and are keen to learn, so it gives themselves a chance.”
What about mature age Sturt recruit Shane McAdam, he’s done a lot of training away from the main group?
“He’s adjusting to life as a professional footballer, he’s come from playing amateurs two years ago to now being on an AFL list so it’s adapting to training every day and the loads of an AFL player, but he’s getting there,” Pyke said.
“Hopefully we’ll get a look at him (in the JLT Series), he’s not carrying anything (injury) it’s just being able to manage the load, we’re managing it for him and bringing him up bit by bit.
“Ideally we want him ready to play in the season because it’s important he continues to build versus trying to overload him and he breaks down and doesn’t get a chance to play.”
And so Adelaide heads into the 2019 season full of optimism, hoping the injuries and off-field distractions that pestered them all of 2018 are finally behind them.
Addressing a room of supporters, sponsors and the media at the season launch last month, Pyke said he did not lose one wink of sleep in the off-season worrying about 2019 because he had so much faith in the people at the footy club.
There was reason for even more optimism last week when the Crows announced they’d signed Optus as a second major sponsor in a major boost to the off-field health of the football club.
“The players, the people, the staff I work with, I’m very comfortable they’ll do everything they can to get the best out of themselves and each other,” Pyke said.
“Andrew (Fagan) and the management team has done a fantastic job in securing and maintaining not only our corporate sponsors but our membership base so we’re in a great spot.
“But we understand the role footy plays in a footy club because we’re the shopfront if you like.
“Clearly we’re here to win games of footy and that becomes our responsibility.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
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