Mick Malthouse: Winning brings belief at clubs with new coaches but losing will change everything

Sam Mitchell, Craig McRae and Michael Voss were highly successful on the field, and they’ve taken that into coaching. But Mick Malthouse wants outlines the real test they’re yet to face.

MELBOURNE. 18/03/2022. AFL. Round 1. Carlton vs Richmond at the MCG. Michael Voss, senior coach of Carlton at 3\\4 time. Photo by Michael Klein

The honeymoon will end. But the first two rounds have delivered exactly what new senior coaches Sam Mitchell, Craig McRae and Michael Voss wanted — wins. Good wins.

As an observer, there has seemed to be a distinct freedom within the three clubs in their approach to these early games and the way they have performed as teams, plus individual performances.

There’s no doubt that positivity oozes from these coaches — Mitchell as a premiership captain, and Voss and McRae both part of the mighty Brisbane Lions teams of the early 2000s. They all know how to win.

The test is, do they know how to lose?

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Sam Mitchell has the Hawks up and about and 14th position last year was not a true reflection of their ability.

It’s been a terrific start and the victories will reinforce what they are trying to install at their clubs. Game structure, a certain culture, and a difference from the previous regimes.

Early wins support those theories and actions, early wins give confidence, and when the captains (Ben McEvoy, Scott Pendlebury and Patrick Cripps) support the developments, they reinforce their coach’s views on the ground.

The more wins, the more the coach’s game plan becomes cemented and belief in it grows.

But optimism and structures can be tested after a loss. Depending on the type of loss and the performances of the players, there is a question around what went wrong? Sometimes you are left with doubt, other times a steely resolve for the following week.

As a new coach, the last thing you want after a loss is the players doubting what took place and whether it can be resurrected.

As good as Brisbane was in its prime, Voss and McRae still had to deal with losses. But a loss was just a hiccup only to be remedied the following week, so great was their belief in the game system, and belief in themselves.

In Mitchell’s case it was very similar at Hawthorn.

Interestingly, their senior coaches in Leigh Matthews and Alastair Clarkson had very similar traits. A strong belief in their game style that radiated through to their senior players to carry on field.

In his five years coaching the Lions, Voss tasted the highs and lows with a 40 per cent win-loss ratio, including two finals. He then spent several years as an assistant coach to Ken Hinkley at Port Adelaide.

It is very clear that the Collingwood players feel comfortable in Craig McRae’s presence and in their respective roles on match day.

He would have wondered whether he was going to get another chance at senior level as our AFL system rarely caters to perceived failures as a first-time coach. The football world was happy that Voss, along with Brett Ratten at St Kilda, got a second chance.

There’s no doubt in my mind that coaches get better with time and experience.

Voss was an unforgiving footballer, brilliant and hard. That hardness is exactly what the Blues need. They’ve had enough early picks in the draft and acquired enough free agents. They are ready to take the next step.

Their forward line with Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow is rivalling, and could surpass, that of Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.

With a midfield that is going to be the envy of most, led by captain Cripps, superstar Sam Walsh and a rejuvenated Matthew Kennedy, they really could step up from the same position as Melbourne did last year and have a genuine run at the flag.

I’m sure Voss knows this and is coaching with a confidence that Carlton can compete favourably against all sides.

His previous experience will hold him in good stead for when the first loss comes. He won’t carry the burden of some new coaches believing it to be the end of the world. He’ll know it’s just a week until salvation.

Many tipped Hawthorn to finish bottom four but it has proven more than able to surpass those low expectations and maybe even challenge for a position in the final eight.

Michael Voss is coaching with a confidence that Carlton can compete favourably against all sides.

The young players are being nurtured beautifully by the senior ranks. James Sicily’s return from an ACL reconstruction and Jack Gunston from back surgery has helped immensely.

And they have averted disaster in relation to the infamous trade period where Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara and Chad Wingard were all up for grabs with a demonstration of how important these players are to a successful Hawks side.

Josh Ward, drafted at No. 7 last year, is a new, exciting face in the line-up with extraordinary kicking power and ball getting ability. The Hawks need not look any further than that first pick, along with the development of Ned Reeves, who at 209cm has revolutionised their ruck division.

It is evident that Mitchell as a player had great confidence in himself and his abilities, and that is also evident in the coaches’ box. He has a pattern of coaching which is allowing a freedom to express oneself on the ground, and as that expression develops so will Hawthorn’s confidence as we witnessed last week in its demolition of Port Adelaide.

Fourteenth position last year was not a true reflection of the Hawks’ ability. With a few returnees from injury and further development of young players, they could surprise in 2022.

McRae is one of the nicest young men I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. It is very clear that the Collingwood players feel comfortable in his presence and in their respective roles on match day. Some players just need to feel loved, not ridden. Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey are two that stand out and they are both having a major say in how the Pies are performing.

Steele Sidebottom and Pendlebury also reflect that impact. Last year as ageing players they both appeared to be entering the twilight zone. It’s early days yet, but right now they are playing with a new lease of life. It’s so important that senior players like these mentioned, feel happy and supported in a positive way as this rubs off on to all players within the organisation.

It’s big ticks for all three new coaches so far. The interest now is how they respond to

a loss and how they get their teams back on track for what appears to be an extremely exciting season for each club.

Originally published as Mick Malthouse: Winning brings belief at clubs with new coaches but losing will change everything