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ABs coaching debacle: Imagine you are the CEO of a large public company. Your recent and most senior hire is, at your instruction, fired after less time than it takes to attend and report to just a few board meetings. The first question you will be asked by the board is why? The second will likely be why was he hired? The third will be what unforeseen circumstances occurred between his hiring and the very short time to firing? The second question will then be asked again – so, why was he hired?

And that is where the onus comes right back to Head Coach Robertson. This is a failure of performance in management – a key part of his job.

Selection is the number one job of the head coach. It includes his direct reports, not just the team for the day. Selection was Foster’s biggest failure, both team and assistants. Let us hope the same weakness does not rule over the Robertson era. The early signs are not good!

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AFL: Unfortunately the maths doesn't work for Collingwood - too many genuine miracles required for them to make finals. Whatever happens against Melbourne, they'll be done for the season. But should still be a good game

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Unfortunately? Ha ha.

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Hey! Respect for your readers and their teams please

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Coaching change: Lots of talk about different philosophies on the game but not a single article tried to explain what those different philosophies might actually be. For those of us who long since got left behind thinking a double skip and end around ala mehrtens at Brisbane in 96 is the height of sophisticated back play, be nice to think what readers and scribes reckon. Or even if it is about Leon likes technical details and Scott likes themed motivational narratives. I dunno. Any clues?

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Not exactly but I have been thinking a little about it. The question was asked of Robertson but he sidestepped it, although he did mention that it wasn’t over selection per se. I was trying to remember if there was anything that stood out about the Blues’ backline philosophy under MacDonald, and if it differed markedly from what the Crusaders did. Honestly though, until Stern Vern came along and turned the Blues into a crash-and-bash machine, NZ Super Rugby sides have played to a largely generic template.

One thing I keep coming back to was Robertson’s frustration in the England series that they had opportunities to shift the ball in the midfield but either couldn’t or wouldn’t. Was this because of mixed messages? Maybe, but that’s blatant guesswork on my part.

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Wow.......... music analogy woven into a sports story. Singer, lead guitar, bass, rhythm guitar, keyboard, drums, amps, stylus scratching across the vinyl!! Rolling that into the article on insurance cover problems for sporting organisations, music festivals are increasingly finding no insurance cover available for their gatherings the risk whatever it is unacceptable. Sport not alone.

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On AFL, was in Melbourne last weekend and went to the G for the first time. Can’t say I pretend to really understand the draw of the sport, but boy if you could bottle the hold that it has on the public there. It’s everywhere and everyone is into it. And yet for the uninitiated it is utterly perplexing! Might have to watch the Grand final though

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