GWS Giants introduce phone ban to improve communication after runner changes

GWS Giants have adopted a new win tone they hope will prove a great call in their pursuit of a first AFL flag.

Dawson Simpson says GWS Giants’ phone ban is about improving communication between players. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright.

GWS Giants have adopted a new win tone they hope will prove a great call in their pursuit of a first AFL flag.

In an age when so many of us are glued to our phones day and night the club’s leadership group has decided enough is enough.

And for Dawson Simpson and his colleagues there is clear method to their phone-free strategy.

“The senior boys got together to try and looked at ways we could try and get a couple of per cent better here and there,” Simpson told The Daily Telegraph.

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Communication was one such area and that means more people talking to each other more of the time.

Last weekend’s trip to Perth saw the first outing for the new rule. Players, coaching staff, office staff, media staff. No exceptions.

Ruckman Simpson, who will see his spot in the side come under pressure from Shane Mumford this weekend, was the phone ‘enforcer’ for the long trip west and even though one or two swiftly fell foul of the rule, there will be no going back.

“It started out as more of a society issue, people being so dependent on their phone that whenever you get a spare moment you revert to your phone,” the 30-year-old said. “The common thought around the footy club was that it wasn’t the best thing for creating relationships.

“So we’ve brought the phone ban in around any meal times. And any time on the bus there’s a no phone rule. And if you absolutely have to make a call, then you move up the front of the bus to do it.”

Dawson Simpson jostles with Tom Hickey during GWS Giants’ loss to West Coast. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos/Getty Images.

The only exception is en route to the ground on game day with players permitted to use their phones for music to ‘get in the zone’.

“There are a lot of bus trips during the year and it’s a really good time to create some banter, laughs and conversation among the players and travelling staff,” Simpson said.

“We had to confiscate a few phones (on the Perth trip) and it was like being back at school.

“It’s been quite funny actually how itchy some boys get just sitting there in silence. “But even a brief bit of silence usually causes conversation to start.”

One ‘victim’ was a member of the club’s media staff. Again, no exceptions.

Joking aside, communication is more important than ever this season. New rules regarding runners mean coaches have fewer opportunities to get their message out to the players. That means more onus on the players to instruct and guide each other — whether they’re bosom buddies off the field or not.

“It’s pivotal that our communication skills go up a notch because the runners only get that 45 seconds and they won’t get to all the lines, defence, midfield and forwards during that time,” he said.

“There’s a lot more responsibility on the players and we’re adapting quite well.

“Whether you can put a percentage on it (making a winning difference) is difficult but you have to start somewhere and a little bit here and little bit there must help.

“There might be other ideas we adopt. We might do some extra recovery sessions together, or extra skills sessions — all these things add up over a year. It could be the difference in a game.

“So it’s about better footy but we also look at how we can be better human beings.

“You want to develop yourself as a person as much as a player and we think this kind of initiative covers both bases.”

Sadly the phone ban wasn’t enough to deliver a win over West Coast but there is still a positive mood in the camp ahead of Saturday’s clash with Richmond.

“I think we’ll look to come out hard,” Simpson said. “We’ll learn from the first two rounds.”