Mr Cricket (9 page)

CHAPTER 4
WORKING WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES

A
ustralia coach John Buchanan and captain Steve Waugh would often invite respected coaches and analysts to address us at national team camps. It was a clever policy, I believe, because it gave us players a bit of a change of pace and a new perspective, which we could listen to and from which we could draw our own conclusions. After a talk by one of these guests, each player could consider what had been said and decide whether there was anything from it that he could apply to his individual beliefs or training program.

On one occasion John and Steve organised for Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett to talk to us. I didn't hold much hope of gaining anything. I was very keen at that time to learn whatever I could to improve my game and was willing to leave no stone unturned. But, being an AFL fan from Perth, I knew very little about Wayne or the nuances of the sport to which he had dedicated his life.

My image of rugby league was that it was a game played by big, burly men, whose
job was to knock the living daylights out of each other. It seemed a very aggressive sport and I couldn't see how it related to cricket. I knew Wayne was a legend in league circles, I knew he had been coaching for a long time and had an amazing record. But I wasn't sure what he could teach us, beyond giving us an interesting insight into how he coaches his teams. However, within a few moments of him starting his address, I became intrigued.

It takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before … to test your limits … to break through barriers.

He began by stating exactly what I thought – rugby league is a tough sport played by guys who think they can run through brick walls. If you are more aggressive than the next guy you've a hope of being successful. But that was only part of the picture. Pump-up motivation works to some degree in the opening exchanges of a match, Wayne said. But, after a few minutes, aggression and testosterone become less important. Beyond that stage, he said, he needed to employ a much different approach to spur his players towards success.

My ears perked up when Wayne said that his achievements weren't so much built on his ability to fire up players but, rather, to get them to think more deeply about their performance. He said an important part of his strategy to motivate his players centred around the concept that they needed to ‘look at themselves'. ‘Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Am I working hard enough? Am I doing the right things?”' Wayne would say to his players. He couldn't do it for them. Rather, they had to want to win for the rest of the team and had to have done the hard work and preparation necessary to be able to do their bit. It's one thing to try to smash and bash the opposition. But that doesn't necessarily give you the best shot at winning, as bravado can only get you so far. Rather, quiet introspection – asking yourself the hard questions – is a vital part of ensuring every individual in the team is equipped to give a good account of himself.

That really meant a lot to me. I was never into that approach you often see where coaches, players or a captain stand there screaming ‘Come on, boys, let's smash 'em! Let's bowl bouncers at 'em!' That never seemed to rev me up. So, here was someone heavily involved in rugby league saying that, in fact, you need to be calm, you need to understand yourself and look in the mirror sometimes and ask yourself some tough questions. Personal honesty is vital. Looking inwards instead of always looking outwards is a key to success. You need to be quietly confident that you have done the hard yards beforehand and don't need to rely on simply bashing the opposition into submission – even in rugby league.

I liked that approach and hearing Wayne talk about it helped confirm it in my mind. Big, angry, team talks don't tap into everyone's determination or motivation and certainly not mine. More effective for me is to look in the mirror, as Wayne suggested, be honest with myself, prepare as well as I can and do thoroughly the things I know I'm capable of doing well. If I do that, and every other player in the team does that, success becomes more likely. It was something I was hardly expecting from a rugby league coach. I'd anticipated more of a smash 'em, bash 'em type of speech. But it was a really good address, he spoke brilliantly and it's probably no coincidence that he's had so much success as a coach. I took on board what Wayne said that day and I've held on to it very solidly ever since.

THINGS I CAN IMPROVE ON:

Discipline – outside off stump – hitting over my toe, not going at the wider ones

Straight/on-drives – don't get into position quick enough; my head is still moving when I hit the ball and is probably just outside the line

Pull shot – still take too big a step causing my weight to go back and hence not hitting the ball well or only able to hit the ball in the air

Spinners – staying still as he lets go of the ball

Shadow work – should do more, so my game becomes more consistent.

While I appreciated the nuts and bolts of what Wayne was saying, I think the underlying themes that grabbed me were that it was not only important for each player to take responsibility for his own performance but it was also crucial for a coach to know how each player can best be catered for in order for him to achieve his best.

John Buchanan's coaching style was similar in some ways to Wayne's. He spent a lot of time learning about players' personalities and he would coach them according to their individual traits. He would analyse which players would respond to rev-ups or to alternative methods. John realised that a kick in the backside wouldn't necessarily work for me, so he would take the approach of trying to ensure I felt comfortable in my own mind. He would endeavour to get me to relax and not put too much pressure or expectation on myself. He knew that I was a harsh self-critic, so he would always try to reassure me that I had things in good order and was on top of the job. John could also be a caring, nurturing type of character, if he felt that's what the player concerned best responded to.

John was also well aware of the need to ensure each player took responsibility for his own performance. He trusted us with that and, to foster that environment, he would provide any resource available to help his players prepare exactly the way they desired. That way there were no excuses. We had so many great players in the team, players who were very experienced and very hardened to international cricket. They knew their games inside out, so John believed that one of the most important tasks he could perform was to act somewhat like a manager, making sure everything was on hand and that each individual could tap into whatever resources he needed or wanted. For example, John knew I liked to face lots of bowling in the nets and liked throw-downs, so he would ensure those things were available whenever I wanted. Similarly with, say, Matthew Hayden. Matt liked facing a bowling machine, so there was always a bowling machine available for Matty and someone to feed the machine for three hours, or however long. John would make video footage available to every player. Some wanted it, others didn't. I don't know if John told players to look in the mirror, as Wayne did. He never said that to me but he might have said it to other players. I don't know. For me, though, he knew there was no danger of me slackening off. If anything, there was the potential for me to push myself too hard. So, his interaction with me was based more around pulling me back a bit when he sensed that I was getting too full-on with my training and preparation. That's the thing I most appreciated about John's time as coach: his effort to understand each player's personality and needs.

An element of that part of the Australian team program involved sport psychologist Phil Jauncey, who taught us an incredible amount about ourselves and gave us a valuable insight into working out our opposition, which can be a crucial weapon in the heat of a contest. Phil is a bit eccentric and zany, but also very likeable and down-to-earth. He's done a lot of work with the Brisbane Lions, so Queensland Cricket and John thought that, as a consultant, Phil could offer the Australian team some valuable knowledge.

Phil is interested in personality analysis and his work with us provided some of the most interesting lessons of my career. It began with a questionnaire, which he later analysed and from which he placed us into certain personality categories. The personality types he devised were the Mozzie, the Feeler, the Thinker and the Enforcer. At the end of my analysis, Phil concluded I was a Thinker and Feeler. Thinkers are very planned, organised and consider the game deeply. They leave as little as possible to guesswork and need everything to be structured and set out perfectly (a bit short of obsessive, I suppose!). Another trait of mine that Phil discovered was the Feeler aspect. Feelers are emotional sorts of characters, who like to be told they're doing well, like to have a pat on the back and be reminded that they're important to the team. They need to feel valued – a bit of a wuss. They are the ingredients
that make up my personality.

KNOW YOURSELF:

THINKER

Attention to detail