Alan Richardson opens up on a tough 2018, eye-opening off-season and what’s next for the Saints
Alan Richardson has lost his job at St Kilda after six unsuccessful seasons. In February he sat down with Mark Robinson to talk about a tough 2018 and a confronting off-season review that led to what he hoped would be big changes this year.
St Kilda
Don't miss out on the headlines from St Kilda. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Alan Richardson has lost his job at St Kilda after six unsuccessful seasons. In February he sat down with Mark Robinson to talk about a tough 2018 and a confronting off-season review that led to what he hoped would be big changes this year ...
The sealed manila envelope lies in front of Alan Richardson begging to be opened.
The St Kilda coach is at Columbia University in Upper Manhattan for a six-day leadership conference.
It is November. In the room are 40 managers and executives from around the world.
Sitting to his left is Troels from Denmark, who is in pharmaceuticals, and to the right is Ganiyu from Nigeria, who is in education.
HOW IT HAPPENED: RICHARDSON CLASS TO THE END
SCANDAL: RIEWOLDT RIPS INTO AFL
TERMINATED: WHY SEN SACKED GRANT THOMAS
The American mediator warns them the envelopes contain feedback on their performance and leadership from staff at home.
It will prompt four stages of reaction: Denial. Anger. Revenge. And, hopefully, to hear and act.
The envelope doesn’t hold dastardly secrets for Richardson.
After the torturous 2018 season, some leaders told Richardson during their exit interviews that he too often focused on what players couldn’t do and not enough on the positives. He had lost balance with his messaging. There were slivers of gold, but Richardson would focus on the bedrock surrounding the gold.
This course is about feedback. Confronting, liberating, invigorating feedback.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE SACKED PODCAST
Before he left for New York, Richardson was required to ask for reports from superiors (Matt Finnis and Simon Lethlean), from peers (Danny Sexton, Matt Hornsby and Henry Playfair) and nine players.
They were to rate him on various leadership areas and leave a comment. Their answers were in the envelope.
Most of the feedback was consistent with the post-season reviews. Then he arrived at the second last player, skipper Jarryn Geary.
“It was a bit like a punch in the face,” Richardson said. “He was quite strong, really blunt.”
While others were less direct, Geary, and not unlike how he plays, was unrelenting and almost abrasive.
“He told me, coach, you focus too much on what we can’t do as opposed to what we can do,” Richardson said.
“Even though I had review and feedback from the players, it makes it more confronting when someone puts pen to paper and particularly the feedback that came from the captain. This part of your coaching, the focus on what’s going wrong and what we’re not doing, was a little bit relentless. It disappointed me.
“The feedback didn’t disappoint me. I was super-impressed, particularly with the players. But I was disappointed in me. That is one of the beauties of just getting away, just to be able to reflect on how you’re going. My feeling was disappointment. I didn’t get the balance right.”
There was no falling-out. In fact, the coach-captain bond was amplified. He likened Geary to his former Collingwood captains Gavin Brown and Tony Shaw and to St Kilda greats Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes.
“‘Gears’ is one of more impressive people I’ve met in football. He’s an absolute ripper. He’s tough, honest, he cares for his mates, cares for his footy club.”
Another player referenced the Round 19 match against Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium.
The Saints had 40 entries to 17 at half-time — phenomenal against the finalists on their deck so late in the season. At the break Richardson speared on what they needed to improve, but there was not enough encouragement on how the Saints were dominating field play.
“The reality is you can lose a game by five goals and still get a fair bit right … and that’s going to be hard to hear for Saints fans. But that’s reality. Here’s some reality. That GWS game. They’re a pretty good team, aren’t they?
“It was 40 entries to 17 at halftime. We lose the game. Let’s think about that game. There’s a fair chance we got a lot right. I can’t necessarily remember that review, but the feedback was just what we spoke about.”
He emphasised that his players weren’t soft.
“These blokes don’t want fuzzy, friendly coaching. It’s not a reflection of how aggressive or assertive the message was. It’s more how consistent it was.’’
After six days of 6.30am starts and 9.30pm finishes at Colombia University — readings, learnings, reflections, self-assessment and preparatory actions — Richardson came home invigorated.
“I was keen to address the group, but it wasn’t about how I was going to address the group. By the time I got on the plane it was, righto, I’m putting my hand up here.”
Embracing vulnerability and failings is the buzz recipe in football. It enhances spirit and resolve within and trust and respect collectively. And Richardson unquestionably believed the New York experience had given him a determined and concise state of mind.
“You always do, as a coach, take responsibility.”
But because of the holidays, Richardson had to wait a month before he addressed the playing group and football staff at Moorabbin. When he did, it was short, sharp and matter of fact.
In the players’ auditorium, he stood alone at the front.
“I didn’t feel nervous. It was obvious this had to happen. We needed to clear air. I said, ‘I didn’t get it right. And I appreciate the feedback from you blokes.’’’
Liberating? “Yes. It meant I could move on. It meant we could move on. I reckon it probably liberated the players to some extent.”
So will he be a better coach this season?
“Yeah, I will be. When things go really bad, I’ve learnt a pretty valuable lesson from the players. Don’t throw everything out, don’t continue to focus on what’s not working.’’
There’s life at St Kilda.
They’re home at Moorabbin. There’s a new president in Andrew Bassat. Brett Ratten, Graeme “Gubby” Allan, Billy Slater and Brendon Lade have joined a football department that was ready for change.
Newness brings verve and fresh thinking. Game plans are being refined and confidence is being instilled. The players will pressure and run as they did in 2018, but it will be better and enhanced. If one strategy or game style is failing, they are developing second and third ones.
Richardson played the players highlights of the Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The point being Ali started the fight throwing right crosses and it worked, but he didn’t knock out Foreman. Ali changed tack, famously adopting rope-a-dope.
“Last year was incredibly disappointing. We did a lot right but nowhere (near) consistent enough and we need to be more flexible, more adaptable. It cannot just be about pressure and not just about speed. I’m dumbing this down a little, but we’re making some change.”
Richardson said the Saints would have a strong system.
“Simplified is not the right word, but there’s a level of clarity. Do I think that our system now is much more based around our strengths? Yep. That’s not been an overly significant shift, but a shift that way.’’
The bruising season of 2018 has been embraced for motivation and redemption.
“Once again, the fans won’t like it, but I’m so pleased in some respects last year happened for us as a group,” he said.
“We’re all now in that headspace of response. We’ve got to do something about this.
“We’re so much better than what we produced last year. We’re embarrassed. We need to use this. We need to understand we can’t let this happen again.’’
Listen to players such as Geary at the leadership announcement on Thursday, or Jack Billings after a brutal beach session that was posted on St Kilda’s Twitter feed on Friday. There’s a resolve. It’s easy to say that, of course, and performance will dictate how much resolve.
Ratten, Lade, Slater and Allan are key inclusions. They are successful football people and exude confidence. It rubs off.
Their balance of demanding strong work ethic and taking the p--- has been noted by the coach.
“They’re very comfortable as a group,” he said. “I watch how they go about their business — this is the way we’re going to attack, this is the way we’re going to defend, this is the way we’re going to set up — it’s impressive.”
Richardson is more in tune with himself. The Saints hired a part-time communications guru to help set consistent messaging and Richardson has welcomed the innovation.
“Initially, it was geared towards me in terms of the way I communicate, listen and respect opinion of all the coaches,” he said.
There remains an elephant in the room: Richardson himself.
He’s under the pump. He has a two-year contract, the second year determined by triggers in his contract, which he won’t reveal. He knows the environment. He’s coached for 22 years at different levels and the president, Bassat, was emphatic about performance. He said competitive efforts week in, week out were the benchmark.
Football folk, both wise and naive, fear for Richardson’s future.
This is his sixth season at St Kilda and despite a lamentable four-win 2018, Richardson said he didn’t consider his future.
“In terms of survival, I couldn’t care about that,” he said. “It’s about the responsibility you feel as coach for the people you coach and the people who drive around with stickers on their cars.
“I don’t spend one minute thinking about my future. I spend every minute thinking how can I get (Jack) Billings to become a regular midfielder for us? I think about the team. Perhaps I’m lucky there. But I don’t know if coaches spend anywhere near the time being concerned about the media as the footy world thinks they are.”
RICHO SINGLES OUT
THE GURU Graeme “Gubby” Allan
“He’s involved in every aspect of the football club. It used to be Gubby and Leigh Matthews walking laps at Collingwood. Now it’s Gubby and myself. ‘Have you thought about this? Gee, that was good. I like the way you did that’ … he’s doing that across the footy department. He’s been involved in the Collingwood, Brisbane and GWS builds. There’s so much experience and knowledge. He comes in and starts moving the magnets around in my office. He’s a very positive, constructive person. He’s been brilliant.”
THE KID Hunter Clark
“He has the potential to be a really special player. When will that be is the burning question. Hunter, pre-Christmas because of shoulder surgery, wasn’t able to do everything. He was able to do a bit more running. He came into my office and I asked him: ‘If you’re going to play midfield what do you need to do?’ We test 3km after their breaks and he said he had to get down to at least 10.30. I told him Matty Hornsby (fitness coach) told me it’s going to take you two years. Post-Christmas he runs 10.22. He’s a very, very driven person. I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he’s a chance to be a very special player. He’s tough and he plays the right way, but he has to keep working hard.”
THE NRL RECRUIT Billy Slater
“His role is leadership and he’s done a bit of our tackling and stepping work. He’s worked closely with the players with respect to, ‘Righto, what do you want to stand for?’ And I’m tied in with that closely as well. Billy’s a bloody good storyteller. For me, it’s the way he does it. He’s an incredibly enthusiastic person. Billy takes home vision of our training and will come back and sit down with the players. He has a presentation on Monday. He went to the Super Bowl and I’m pretty sure his observations, given the score and the way the Storm played, it will be defence wins.”
THE FANS’ FRUSTRATION Jack Billings
“Because people have high expectations of JB and when you don’t meet those expectations, he’s going to cop it. All you can ask of a player is to do something about it and he’s had as an impressive pre-season as anyone. We’re talking about a bloke two years ago who had 60 shots at goal. JB is close to becoming the player we drafted him for. Some blokes do it a bit quicker, some blokes take four or five years, I think JB is on the verge of a special season.’’
THE ASSISTANT Brendon Lade
“He’s a very impressive person. He’s a very strong coach, strong on relationships. He has a really good balance of support, really explicit coaching in terms of think about this, think about that. He’s already built strong relations and the players know it comes from care.”
THE GOOD MATE Brett Ratten
“We’ve had a strong relationship for a long time. I said to Lethers (head of football Simon Lethlean) we’ve got to get this bloke. It’s only early but he’s been bloody super. There’s enormous enthusiasm and energy around and those blokes have been strong in that space.’’
THE PRESIDENT Andrew Bassat
“He has been emphatic. He’s going to be strong with us. He’s going to be demanding, challenging, but he’s going to be composed. He’s got a ruthless side to him. You don’t compete against Google and Microsoft if you’re not impressive and ruthless. He’s made it pretty clear — we are here to win our second flag.”
Originally published as Alan Richardson opens up on a tough 2018, eye-opening off-season and what’s next for the Saints
Robbo: No-man’s land Saints can’t afford to fluff picks 7 and 8 again
The last time the Saints had picks 7 and 8 in the draft, they chose Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield and missed a host of stars. Mark Robinson writes, it can’t happen again. Over to you, Simon Dalrymple.
Best 23s: How trade period changed every club
Trade period is behind us and the clear winners and losers have emerged. How will every club’s best 23 look for 2025 after the exchange period? FIND OUT HERE