Collingwood, Storm welcome Melbourne Star into inner sanctums
Collingwood and Melbourne Storm have opened their doors to the Melbourne Stars as the Big Bash League club looks to gain valuable lessons in leadership.
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Collingwood and Melbourne Storm have opened their doors to the Melbourne Stars as the Big Bash League club looks to gain valuable lessons in leadership.
The Herald Sun can reveal Kiwi coach Stephen Fleming led a posse of players into Nathan Buckley’s review of the Magpies’ 51-point win against Brisbane Lions in Round 21.
The Stars crew also joined Storm coach Craig Bellamy’s interchange bench for an NRL match at AAMI Park this year.
Collingwood premiership captain Nick Maxwell teed up the inner sanctum experiences through his sports leadership business, NJM Consulting.
Maxwell is expected to sit in the Stars’ dugout during some BBL games this summer.
Stars batsman Ben Dunk described watching Collingwood midfielder Adam Treloar recover from hamstring surgery in the club’s ice baths at 8am on a Saturday in August as a “powerful image”.
“He was doing his rehab and there was no one else in the centre,” Dunk said.
“It shows A) the level of professionalism he had trying to get back and B) the culture they have to promote that sort of buy-in.
“He was so keen to get back and contribute to the club. The opportunity to witness that first-hand and see it in play was really good. It took me out of my cricket bubble and showed me something else.”
The Stars were also impressed at Collingwood’s raw honesty in its game review.
“Sometimes in cricket we linger on past performances, whereas they were really quick to move on – that’s what we have to do,” Dunk said.
“They’re fortunate, they get six-day breaks whereas there’s going to be times we have three-day breaks.
“In a lot of work places you can become tunnel-visioned, so it’s nice to broaden your horizons and see how other athletes do it.”
The Magpies finished 13th in 2017 but charged into this year’s Grand Final despite one of the AFL’s worst injury lists.
The Stars are hoping to emulate that rise. They have lost Nic Maddinson (arm), Seb Gotch (finger) and Dan Worrall (back) before tonight’s season-opener against Sydney Thunder in Canberra.
“We can take a lot out of that,” Dunk said.
“We’ve had injuries to key players, and we are starting to develop those really close bonds.
“What I really learnt was how invested in each other they are, and how tight a group they are.
“In cricket we often talk about we’re a really tight group, but you’re not really tight if that makes sense.
“You come together for such a short period of time so those relationships don’t necessarily continue.
“It’s knowing each other’s families – how’s someone’s wife? Fiancé? How the kids are going.”
Dunk said “bouncing ideas” off Maxwell would help him develop young talent and transition into his next phase of life.
“Both footy clubs were full of fantastic humans,” he said.
“Great people who welcomed us, came and introduced themselves and gave you the time of day.
“Whereas sometimes in cricket I think in the past we’ve been guilty of being a little bit elitist and being in our own bubble.”
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