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Thread: Who want to come to the Citi Behind the Scenes Experience with me???

  1. #13
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    damn i was away on Holidays! congrats to all and kudos to Cosmic a very generous offer!

    enjoy your day all! and if anyone is unable to go i'll fly up and take your spot

  2. #14
    Yesterday the event finally happened. I didn't take any photos but I think CW did. I note Auntie.Gerald's post about coaching which I read with interest because I didn't hear that conversation. Instead I will outline what happened and add a few tidbits I picked up.

    The whole thing was well organised and proceeded quickly on a pre-set timetable between 5-7 pm.

    The first hour we were given a drink, divided into four tables (there were probably about 20 something guests including the 4 of us) and two players were allocated to each table. Nick Davis was kind of MCing. We had Joey and Tippo on our table. I felt really lucky to have them because the only other senior player was Reg (who would also have been great - when I chatted to him I thought he was very approachable and funny) and I felt the senior players were more confident/less shy and had more to say. After we were split into groups we proceeded on a short tour of the Swans facilities. I was surprised at how small they were relative to the size of the SCG. We proceeded down the players' race to the room where coaches speak to the players (and where they sing the song). There we were addressed first by John Blakey, who explained a little about game day routine and how the coaches analyse and prepare for an upcoming game (they took an Essendon game as an example) and brief the players. It was all over in a blur and I had trouble keeping up. I thought the coaches were guarded about what they said (as they were the whole evening) but it was still really interesting and offered glimpses of insight. After that we moved into the large(ish) indoor space (which we see on our tv screens at half time etc) where players can practice skills and do exercises etc. Just beyond there was the gym room with exercise bikes and stuff which has the technology to provide altitude training. We didn't go in but we could see it. We divided up into our groups and then rotated among 4 stations and played games, like players might play in a warm up to sharpen up their feel for the ball. I would say we didn't perform especially impressively but AuntieG did best of us. It was fun and got us moving and the blood flowing.

    Second hour we moved via a whistlestop on the edge of the SCG for photos with players to the dining room where we were treated to a buffet dinner prepared by club chef Courtney (formerly of MasterChef). Delicious! The point was that the players get fed at the club twice a week and we were fed the exact same dishes that are prepare for the players. More gourmet than I might have thought e.g. buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad. Between dinner and dessert was a group Q&A facilitated by Nick Davis. During the meal we got to chat to the players at our table and as we were walking between places in the first hour there were opportunities to talk to some of the other players.

    The players were friendly and relatively open, although the younger ones (Hayward, Papley, Aliir) were perhaps shyer. Joey struck me as really earnest and focused and professional. I asked him about factors that influence performance and whether you can see them coming and he really thought about it and seemed interested by the question. He said that you don't always know and sometimes you can't even tell how you're performing until you review your performance afterwards. Tippo was particularly lovely - very engaging, smiley and outgoing. One opinion that he expressed was that part of the reason for the strong culture at the Swans is the that the players really like each other and he thought that having so many interstaters actually helped us in some ways combat the 'go-home' factor because the large majority of players are from elsewhere and so naturally use each other to build friendship networks. He, Joey, Hanners and Rampe are all Bondi locals and hang out together a lot. I also asked him whether players get approached by fans much and how they feel about it. He said not too much in Sydney and mostly it is welcomed. I suspect it may vary from player to player but that is obviously true for him.

    I have named some names to make it more interesting but I don't think I'm telling any tales out of school and, as I have said, I think everyone was careful not to say anything they shouldn't have or didn't want to.

    Some other interesting things I learned:

    * the turnover in coaching staff wasn't altogether planned. In particular, Stuey Dew and Josh Francou's departures were unforeseen and Francou left because he was headhunted for his next role in SA. This is interesting because it means we lost our two most senior midfield coaches without wanting to. Kirk and Cox are fresh blood but they are less experienced and I wonder if there could be any consequent hiccups before normal service is resumed. That said Kirk and Cox must have played 500+ games between them and also both have been coaching for a little while, so I'm confident we'll be fine. We've still got Horse and Blakey overseeing the other coaches.

    * Joey said that the Tigers' team this year was unchanged from the last two games of the H&A season and all through the finals series and he considered this a "massive" factor in having success.

    * I did specifically ask Nick Davis in the group Q&A whether we would play one or two rucks in the season ahead. His answer: we don't know yet and it will probably be horses for courses. Which I interpreted as honest but also guarded.

    Overall it was terrific, I only wished it could have lasted longer. I was grateful that the players stayed back after work and offered their time in such good spirit.

    Thanks again Cosmic Wizard and Citi for making it possible. It was good to put faces to names of some other posters here too.

  3. #15
    Carpe Noctem CureTheSane's Avatar
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    Sounds very cool.

    Always wanted to get an RWO Q&A done with a payer per month.

    Not sure why the club was never open to this.
    Obviously they'd look over it before the answers were returned to RWO.

    It's the kind of connectivity that can reap rewards for the club.
    The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.

  4. #16
    I think that's a great idea, CTS.

    Maybe they figure they've already got it covered with Ask A Swans? Although I find that quite inaccessible because I think you need a Twitter account.

  5. #17
    pr. dim-melb; m not f
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    Thanks bloodspirit - an expansive description like that is the next best thing to being there. Much appreciated.
    He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)

  6. #18
    It's Goodes to cheer!! ScottH's Avatar
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    Thanks bloodspirit. A great recollection of the night.
    I did see some pics and vids on insta last night but it didn't click it was realted to this until you mentioned CITI as that was the name plastered over much of it.

    Glad you all enjoyed it.

  7. #19
    Carpe Noctem CureTheSane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bloodspirit View Post
    I think that's a great idea, CTS.

    Maybe they figure they've already got it covered with Ask A Swans? Although I find that quite inaccessible because I think you need a Twitter account.
    I put it out there near the start of this forum. I believe that someone had a go at getting it going with no luck.
    Given the resistance to Troy Luff Medal type stuff, the indicator is that the Swans prefer a self contained, precisely planned giving of information.
    Which I think is short sighted and counter productive.

    I believe that the questions put forward by members of this board would have the clubs best interests at heart and would be of a higher and more unique standard than most put to them.

    Wouldn't take much from the club.
    They put forward a player.
    We accumulate questions on a thread.
    We submit the questions.
    The player takes half an hour to type a response to them.
    Player sends answers back to the club.
    Club forwards (possibly edited) answers back to RWO, and nominates next month's player.
    We post them on the thread.
    We begin a new thread for questions for the next player.

    I'd suggest that the club sees little interest in assisting what may be seen as a rival site. I'm sure they'd rather keep them in house and 'official'
    No reason they can't have both...
    The difference between insanity and genius is measured only in success.

  8. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by ScottH View Post
    Thanks bloodspirit. A great recollection of the night.
    I did see some pics and vids on insta last night but it didn't click it was realted to this until you mentioned CITI as that was the name plastered over much of it.

    Glad you all enjoyed it.
    Please could you post link? They were certainly documenting the event for posterity/marketing/whatever. I'd like to see the pics and hope there's nothing too embarrassing!

  9. #21
    Maybe they don't want to over impose on the players who are already asked to do a lot for sponsors (who return the favour with $$$)? Apparently the players have to do something like this every 3 weeks or so. However their audiences are often corporates who don't have too much interest in the Swans and footy.

  10. #22
    It's Goodes to cheer!! ScottH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bloodspirit View Post
    Please could you post link? They were certainly documenting the event for posterity/marketing/whatever. I'd like to see the pics and hope there's nothing too embarrassing!
    This is the only one I can find.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8UCO0n...by=sydneyswans

    There are more on their "your Story" board which you can only view via the Insta App.

    Screen Shot 12-21-17 at 03.35 PM.jpg

    I assume this is you guys with JPK and Tippo????

  11. #23
    Thanks for the link, ScottH. The video gives an indication of the places we visited and we do indeed feature. The image you have posted is from the room I mentioned where the games and training equipment were (with the altitude/gym room visible at the back on the far left, just left of the red boxing bags*) and is the station manned by JPK and Tippett. We rotated through all the different 'stations' and had a go with the players manning each one.

    * Nick Davis nominated Jonesy as the club's best boxer, something Jonesy was pleased to acknowledge. However Davis followed this up by nominating Tippett as the club's worst cricketer so not sure if he was only joking.

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