Question: What psychological training do the players get during the week?

Andy Friend (AF): A sports psychologist comes every Thursday in to work with the Academy boys on a one on one basis, for the main team we don’t have a sports psych. as such, we (myself, John and Dean) would do any work we perceive that we have identified that needs doing but we don’t have a professional sports psych.

John Kingston (JK): On that, when I was at Richmond, I did actually use a full time sports psychologist – I hate that word actually, I think the whole thing is about common sense and I think if the man management is right I don’t think the need is so great. I used to joke that he was there to keep me sane rather than to keep the players sane, but I think that as long as you’re on top of a relationship with the players, and that’s a big if, and you can understand what’s going on in their mind and what’s going on in their life you tend to get it right most times. It’s easily said but I think from a coaching point of view I think too many coaches think of themselves as coaches to the players on a one on one basis whereas the relationship has to be as much as a friend, or even a father and son relationship at times, to get through any problems.

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