I haven't seen any comment about this, so here's a link in case you missed it: Being a good athlete is only half the battle, the rest is heart and mind.

Worthy comments by Ted. I totally agree that having in mind the bigger picture and taking personal responsibility for your own goals (rather than just ticking off the ones set for you by others - coaches, trainers etc.) is crucial to success. To compare with Steve Smith, our Test cricket captain, I think he has driven his own success. Whatever guidance he has received from support staff he has principally taken the responsibility for getting better, improving and ironing out the deficiencies in his game, on himself. In general I think this is probably true of more cricketers than footy players, perhaps because while cricket is a team sport there is more emphasis on the individual than in footy. However, I suspect it is universally true among the truly elite in all sports, including footy.