Brad Gotch is a man who after twelve seasons as a coach at a VFL level could be viewed as past his prime. By many standards, you could see a man after such a tenure as having lost the passion to coach. However, take my word for it, all you need to do is speak to the man in order to see the fire in his eyes. It is clear the passion to do what he loves is still well and truly alight, even after 250 games. Brendan Lucas reports.
In his early playing days at Fitzroy, St Kilda and a stint at Port Adelaide, Brad was always viewed as a border line player, one who was always fighting against the odds.
“I was a guy who was always up and down between the seniors and the reserves, so it helped me understand that mentality, and that’s why I have a lot to offer the VFL guys moving into AFL footy,” he said.
Today, he is the coach of the Casey Scorpions in the VFL and he doesn’t look like hanging up the boots any time soon at 48 years of age.
Only three people have ever coached more games at a VFA, the old system, or today’s VFL level, giving him the fourth highest record in coaching – a staggering achievement. Bill Faul (313), who coached in the 1930’s, Jim Cleary (264), and Gerard Fitzgerald (255), are the three coaches that lead the way – and if it is any indication, Gotch could surpass two of these this year if the Scorpions land a final’s berth.
Gotch still displays the same amount of passion and interminable enthusiasm that he did in his playing days. His passion has transferred to his coaching career, starting out at Springvale in the 1990’s, Williamstown in the 2000’s, and now the Casey Scorpions.
Out of his coaching career, 10 out of 12 of these have been final series. He has a premiership for the mantle piece with Springvale in 1996 and VFL’s Williamstown in 2003, including VFL coach of the year on his second occasion.
The key Gotch believes to building success is having a mission and a message in which you stand for, in your culture, and as a club.
“First, you need the right message, having a good parameter to work around and a real genuine mission with what we’re trying to do with [your] footy. The values within that are really important. If you can hang yourself on a reference point, it might be never giving up, it could be some sort of theme to have, then there is a big say in how you go about your footy. You stand for something, I think that is really important, which means you stand for a culture.”
Gotch’s strong personal values are not just an indication of what he has learnt in his time in football, but by learning from those around him, many of whom are legends of this great game.
“I was fortunate to come across Robert Walls in my early coaching days and he helped me a lot, I always liked watching Malcolm Blight play, I thought he was something special.”
“I’m probably a little mild mannered - or have become harder over the years as I have gone along - because of being with Mick for eight years and Rocket for a few, and they can get pretty lively.”
He described his time at AFL clubs Collingwood with Mick Malthouse and the Western Bulldogs with Rodney Eade in developmental roles as an invaluable experience, as it helped him to learn new techniques and styles in coaching, much of which he has had a taste for this year with Melbourne.
“Going to Melbourne I have learnt a whole heap of new drills, and ways to play and different ways of teaching. There is a lot of good people down there you can learn from, so you just hang on to these things and use them in your own ideas.”
In Gotch’s modesty what he learns can only benefit those who come after him, which has inevitably sparked his desire to continue to do what he loves, by giving back to the system that has done so much for him.
“I think I just enjoy what I am doing, and I feel like I am making a difference to the players I am coaching, and I find that keeps me going.”
Casey Scorpions’ General Manager Brian Woodman, also believe, that what he brings to the club is a great attitude and passion to succeed, but also a mentor and friend that all the players can trust – a critical element of strong relationships.
“[Brad Gotch] has been in the system a long time, and knows how to bring the best out of every player. He becomes a person you can rely on to improve the way they play the game,” he said.
“He has that passion, it is in his blood, and he loves passing on his messages to the younger players. He gets a great delight out of seeing them improve.”
When asked about what the future holds, Gotch cannot be sure – but one thing we can be sure of is he will be around for many years to come as a friend to his players, a mentor, a leader, and coach.
The fire still burns, and if the flicker is any indication within the Casey Scorpions, there is a lot of promise in his side to date.
“I work on this saying, nothing is handled, if you can work on the idea that you don’t always have control, you can learn something all the time, that really helps,” Gotch said.
photo by Robert Prezioso
Last Modified on 12/05/2011 00:09