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.
Article courtesy of www.taccup.com.au
Last Modified on 25/08/2009 12:20