By Joe Barresi
When it comes to football, Denis Pagan has just about done it all. He played 143 games for North Melbourne and South Melbourne before going on to become a highly respected AFL coach.
Pagan started his coaching career in 1982, coaching the North Melbourne Under 19s before moving to the Essendon reserves in 1992. Pagan found immediate success at Essendon, winning the reserves premiership in his very first season in charge. As a result of his success, Pagan was appointed as the senior coach of North Melbourne in 1993.
Pagan again found immediate success at North Melbourne, guiding his side to seven consecutive preliminary final appearances that wielded three grand final appearances and two premiership wins in 1996 and 1999.
In 2001, the Kangaroos missed the finals for the first time under Pagan, however the side responded the following year by returning to finals action and a seventh place finish.
In 2003, Pagan accepted a huge challenge when he took on the senior coaching role at Carlton, a side that had finished 16th the previous season. With the promise of a handful of early round draft picks to help rebuild the club, Pagan was ready for the challenge.
To his shock, the club was found guilty of salary cap breaches, promoting the AFL to punish the club by stripping them of their early draft picks. With a restricted list, the Blues battled under Pagan, failing to make the finals and twice finishing in 16th place.
In 2007, Pagan was sacked by the Blues, leaving football fans to wonder what may become of the great AFL figure.
A media career beckoned for Pagan, however with his vast knowledge of the game, his love for coaching still lingered. Having started his coaching career guiding youngsters, Pagan decided to return to his coaching roots somewhat, taking on the coaching position with TAC Cup side the Northern Knights this season.
Naturally a man of Pagan’s calibre was hot property in coaching circles, with jobs coming in from both the SANFL and WAFL, however Pagan decided on the Knights role as he believed the Victorian Under 18s competition was simply a better fit.
With the TAC home and away season coming to an end, Pagan is really enjoying his time with the Knights, finding working with young footballers extremely refreshing. “Yeah it’s been really refreshing to deal with some young men who really want to develop and grow their football, it’s just been a really positive experience”, said Pagan earlier this week.
When asked about the main differences when coaching an Under 18s side compared to an AFL side, Pagan explained that the biggest differences were the time restrictions as young players have a busy life outside football as opposed to AFL players who have football as one of their main priorities in life.
“Probably the biggest thing is that you haven’t got a captive audience because with the TAC Cup, there are so many distractions and so many other things in a young players life such as school and study. A whole host of issues that can distract them and take them away from training”, said Pagan.
When it comes to coaching younger players, Pagan approaches the role in the same manner he would if he were coaching an AFL squad. “I think the principles of coaching, whether your coaching at senior level or junior level are the same. It’s about management, about teaching, it’s about communication and having good methodologies in place and having sound philosophies, so the principles don’t change”, explained Pagan.
With the TAC competition being Victoria’s main breeding ground for AFL draftees, TAC coaches are often torn finding a balance between player development and of course winning, however Pagan truly believes that the two go hand in hand.
“I think development is critical wherever your coaching and winning is a part of development. Development is about every aspect of their life and it works better if they win”, added Pagan.
Despite being just two points out of a finals position with two games remaining, Pagan isn’t contemplating a finals appearance just yet. “We haven’t thought about that (finals), we’ve got some really hard games in front of us. We’ve got a process in place and if we get the process right then perhaps it might turn out they way we want it.”
Whether the Knights make finals or not, Pagan’s decision to coach the club will no doubt be of huge benefit to the many players under his guidance. Thanks to his extensive knowledge of not only football but also life in general, Pagan is sure to guide this year’s crop of Knights youngsters to a better and brighter future.
Last Modified on 20/11/2009 10:18
