WHEN Jade Rawlings returns to the Gabba on Sunday, there will still be a surreal feel to it.
The assistant coach/backline mentor spent the past two seasons with the Brisbane Lions, after serving as caretaker senior coach with Richmond for the final 11 rounds of 2009.
Still only 34 years old - he was 31 when he coached the Tigers - Rawlings said the fact that most of his former colleagues were still at the Lions made it a somewhat personal return for him.
But interestingly, it will actually be the third time he has confronted his former team, after the Demons played the Lions in the NAB Cup at Metricon Stadium and in the opening round at the MCG.
“Round one was tough. I’ve still got a lot of friendships up there with staff and players and I watch them every week, unless we play at the same time,” Rawlings told melbournefc.com.au.
“I really love watching the group play and seeing how they’re progressing.
“Clearly, my vested interest and passion is with Melbourne, but I’ve got such close ties with people at Brisbane that I’ve watched them from afar and keep in contact with them.”
Rawlings said returning to the Gabba added an extra element to this round.
“I love the Gabba as a venue and a twilight game at 3.15 pm is ideal with the weather in the middle of winter - it’ll be perfect,” he said.
“They’re playing as best as they’ve played over the last few years, so I’m genuinely looking forward to the game on Sunday.
“But we’re really going up there for business, and that’s the mindset with our group, particularly after our last trip to Sydney was poor. This is a great opportunity to travel and perform much better.”
Rawlings, who had a fine AFL career, playing 148 matches with Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne from 1996-2006, said he had experienced mixed feelings when he coming up against his former clubs on previous occasions.
“When I left Richmond, it was different, because a lot of the personnel and staff had changed. It was a different footy club. Whereas with Brisbane, there are a couple of slight changes and it’s pretty much how I left it,” he said.
“As a player, I had 10 years at Hawthorn, so from afar, when I get the arse from footy and I’m just a spectator, I’d imagine [I’d support Hawthorn].
“Most of my long-term friendships have come out of Hawthorn. I’ve got life-long friendships out of all of them - Brisbane being the most recent one, although it’s difficult to keep in touch, due to being interstate.”
Despite reflecting on his heritage with fondness, he doesn’t take his incumbent club for granted. In fact, Rawlings has become a passionate Melbourne person and is hellbent on seeing the red and blue achieve success.
“All of my energy and focus is about Melbourne, because once you’re in it - people still think you might support someone else, but it’s not even a consideration,” he said.
“The more you go into battle with the players and your workmates and staff - the more you become attached. I have a three-year deal at Melbourne and I intend being here being plus [three years], because I really want to help build what we’re starting and see the progression of what we’re all after.
“It’s hard to say if I have a genuine affinity [with one particular club] because my vested interest is here at Melbourne.”
Rawlings said it didn’t take long to feel part of the Demons.
“Once it gets to a point where you read an article in a paper and get offended by it and it’s an attack on your footy club - that’s when [you feel you’re a part of it],” he said.
“You give so much to the players over the summer and once you go into battle - you’re impacted by the results. To lose the way we did a few times means that you become very angry and you feel a part of it.
“Then, when you’re winning, it’s a bloody great release. But it happens a lot quicker than what people actually think.”
From his experiences at six AFL clubs, Rawlings said each club was similar and “all trying to achieve the same thing”.
“There are subtle differences in strategy. The core of footy clubs is made up of great people, who are passionate,” he said.
“I’ve been through a fair bit of turmoil. At Richmond, we had multiple sagas and at Brisbane we had a bad patch there in 2010, and then there’s what we’ve been through in the first eight weeks at Melbourne. So it’s been interesting to see how it’s been handled each time.
“The interesting thing at Melbourne is that people say ‘you need to stick together’. And Melbourne has stuck together - it’s had good leadership from our president, board, CEO, coach and footy manager. We’d like to think as coaches we’ve supported Neeldy, and the players feed off us.
“You speak to any player or coach and there are more down times than good, but if you can work through the down, it makes the good so much better.”
A passionate coach, whose communication and presence are at the forefront, Rawlings said he was relishing his position as backline coach.
“I absolutely love it. I feel as though I’ve got the best job in the country. You get to work with this backline and the leadership group, which is another part of my role, and I get to work with other assistant coaches and the senior coach, who have become some of my closest friends,” he said.
“I love coaching the backline and that’s what I feel most passionate about. I love seeing progress and individuals develop and evolve, and I feel as though our group is starting to make some inroads.
“I couldn’t be any happier with the job that I have. I just want to get to the point where these guys run their own backline and I’m just the backseat passenger, who facilitates and steers the ship occasionally - that’s what I want to build up.”
Although Rawlings is at pains to say that he wants to remain at Melbourne for a long period, he still has long-term aspirations of becoming a senior AFL coach again in the future.
“Yeah it is [something I still aspire to]. The opportunity that I had in 2009 was so good. I really enjoyed it. It was one of the best experiences of my life,” he said.
“I don’t need to push myself out there or pursue it actively. I’m far more patient about it now. If it happens, I feel as though I’m in a position that I’m improving and learning from good people in a good environment, which enables me to be in a good position.
“The experience you gather over time, I find it’s invaluable. Coaching is about experiences. And if you can empathise with players, because you’ve been through something similar, then you have an awareness of what they’re going through. It’s the same as a coach. You can have some good experiences and some bad ones - but it’s all about how you come out of it on the other side.”
The assistant coach/backline mentor spent the past two seasons with the Brisbane Lions, after serving as caretaker senior coach with Richmond for the final 11 rounds of 2009.
Still only 34 years old - he was 31 when he coached the Tigers - Rawlings said the fact that most of his former colleagues were still at the Lions made it a somewhat personal return for him.
But interestingly, it will actually be the third time he has confronted his former team, after the Demons played the Lions in the NAB Cup at Metricon Stadium and in the opening round at the MCG.
“Round one was tough. I’ve still got a lot of friendships up there with staff and players and I watch them every week, unless we play at the same time,” Rawlings told melbournefc.com.au.
“I really love watching the group play and seeing how they’re progressing.
“Clearly, my vested interest and passion is with Melbourne, but I’ve got such close ties with people at Brisbane that I’ve watched them from afar and keep in contact with them.”
Rawlings said returning to the Gabba added an extra element to this round.
“I love the Gabba as a venue and a twilight game at 3.15 pm is ideal with the weather in the middle of winter - it’ll be perfect,” he said.
“They’re playing as best as they’ve played over the last few years, so I’m genuinely looking forward to the game on Sunday.
“But we’re really going up there for business, and that’s the mindset with our group, particularly after our last trip to Sydney was poor. This is a great opportunity to travel and perform much better.”
Rawlings, who had a fine AFL career, playing 148 matches with Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne from 1996-2006, said he had experienced mixed feelings when he coming up against his former clubs on previous occasions.
“When I left Richmond, it was different, because a lot of the personnel and staff had changed. It was a different footy club. Whereas with Brisbane, there are a couple of slight changes and it’s pretty much how I left it,” he said.
“As a player, I had 10 years at Hawthorn, so from afar, when I get the arse from footy and I’m just a spectator, I’d imagine [I’d support Hawthorn].
“Most of my long-term friendships have come out of Hawthorn. I’ve got life-long friendships out of all of them - Brisbane being the most recent one, although it’s difficult to keep in touch, due to being interstate.”
Despite reflecting on his heritage with fondness, he doesn’t take his incumbent club for granted. In fact, Rawlings has become a passionate Melbourne person and is hellbent on seeing the red and blue achieve success.
“All of my energy and focus is about Melbourne, because once you’re in it - people still think you might support someone else, but it’s not even a consideration,” he said.
“The more you go into battle with the players and your workmates and staff - the more you become attached. I have a three-year deal at Melbourne and I intend being here being plus [three years], because I really want to help build what we’re starting and see the progression of what we’re all after.
“It’s hard to say if I have a genuine affinity [with one particular club] because my vested interest is here at Melbourne.”
Rawlings said it didn’t take long to feel part of the Demons.
“Once it gets to a point where you read an article in a paper and get offended by it and it’s an attack on your footy club - that’s when [you feel you’re a part of it],” he said.
“You give so much to the players over the summer and once you go into battle - you’re impacted by the results. To lose the way we did a few times means that you become very angry and you feel a part of it.
“Then, when you’re winning, it’s a bloody great release. But it happens a lot quicker than what people actually think.”
From his experiences at six AFL clubs, Rawlings said each club was similar and “all trying to achieve the same thing”.
“There are subtle differences in strategy. The core of footy clubs is made up of great people, who are passionate,” he said.
“I’ve been through a fair bit of turmoil. At Richmond, we had multiple sagas and at Brisbane we had a bad patch there in 2010, and then there’s what we’ve been through in the first eight weeks at Melbourne. So it’s been interesting to see how it’s been handled each time.
“The interesting thing at Melbourne is that people say ‘you need to stick together’. And Melbourne has stuck together - it’s had good leadership from our president, board, CEO, coach and footy manager. We’d like to think as coaches we’ve supported Neeldy, and the players feed off us.
“You speak to any player or coach and there are more down times than good, but if you can work through the down, it makes the good so much better.”
A passionate coach, whose communication and presence are at the forefront, Rawlings said he was relishing his position as backline coach.
“I absolutely love it. I feel as though I’ve got the best job in the country. You get to work with this backline and the leadership group, which is another part of my role, and I get to work with other assistant coaches and the senior coach, who have become some of my closest friends,” he said.
“I love coaching the backline and that’s what I feel most passionate about. I love seeing progress and individuals develop and evolve, and I feel as though our group is starting to make some inroads.
“I couldn’t be any happier with the job that I have. I just want to get to the point where these guys run their own backline and I’m just the backseat passenger, who facilitates and steers the ship occasionally - that’s what I want to build up.”
Although Rawlings is at pains to say that he wants to remain at Melbourne for a long period, he still has long-term aspirations of becoming a senior AFL coach again in the future.
“Yeah it is [something I still aspire to]. The opportunity that I had in 2009 was so good. I really enjoyed it. It was one of the best experiences of my life,” he said.
“I don’t need to push myself out there or pursue it actively. I’m far more patient about it now. If it happens, I feel as though I’m in a position that I’m improving and learning from good people in a good environment, which enables me to be in a good position.
“The experience you gather over time, I find it’s invaluable. Coaching is about experiences. And if you can empathise with players, because you’ve been through something similar, then you have an awareness of what they’re going through. It’s the same as a coach. You can have some good experiences and some bad ones - but it’s all about how you come out of it on the other side.”
