Meet Dean Bailey Part IV

After reading this series, I not only have a better sense of who this man is but the direction in which the Melbourne Football Club is heading and on both accounts I love it.

The word development has taken on a slightly different meaning in this context. This is holistic progress with no limits.

Rather than just seeming like just a technique to attempt to transform our team it presents an opportunity that has the potential to change the culture of the club, which I know for most of us is our primary concern.

Plenty of you old boffins will tut-tut and delight in your opportunity to grumble. But I’m backing Bailey and his charge into what I believe will be a new era for the Mfc.

from: melbournefc.com.au

In the last of a four-part series, Melbourne coach Dean Bailey reflects on his playing days. Recruited from North Ringwood to Essendon, Bailey played 53 matches with the Bombers from 1986-92, before making 60 appearances with Glenelg from 1993-96. He spoke exclusively to melbournefc.com.au.

You started your footy career in Melbourne's outer-eastern suburbs. Can you take us back to your early football days?

DB: I grew up in North Ringwood, but started playing junior footy at the Park Orchards footy club at Domeney Reserve and then I went to North Ringwood and played senior footy at North Ringwood. Then I went to Essendon.

Can you recall the first time Essendon approached you as a player?

DB: [Now Collingwood recruiter] Noel Judkins tells a story where he was the one who came out and spoke to me because back then we were in a zone situation. He told me he was going to a game and had a couple of names of other blokes who were playing in the game I was playing. Juddy saw a fat little stumpy bloke running around, who got a few kicks and looked alright. He then went to another game I happened to be playing in and he said, 'This kid is in our zone' – and it all happened from there.

Juddy came out and met my parents. He's probably one of the great recruiters. He's a fantastic bloke. I caught up with him in Canberra at the draft camp, so that's how it all started. He might tell you different and he'd probably put a different slant on it, but I think that's how it all started.

How do you reflect on your playing days with Essendon?

DB: I try not to [reflect] too much because I wasn't all that successful.

Still, you played 53 matches – not many have achieved that.

DB: Yeah, well, those things happen. I'd have liked to have had another opportunity at doing it, but that'll never happen.

Do you get more enjoyment out of playing or coaching?

DB: I wasn't a very good player, so it's a very easy question. Playing the game is always the exciting part of it, but I was a battler and a struggler as a player, so once you've moved out of playing and you start coaching, the greatest enjoyment you get is seeing players develop.

Players can really establish confidence within themselves or in a leadership role. They become great people around the footy club and they set the standards for the next young players. To see boys walk into a club and very quickly change their body shapes, their personas, improve, become professional at a very young age, take on leadership and some important roles in the community is really exciting. That inspires the coaches, players, members and sponsors. I love to see that happen, so I get great enjoyment out of seeing that part of the game – no doubt.

Playing was always the thing you loved doing, but that was a long time ago.

Who have been your mentors over the years?

DB: Probably all of the blokes I've played under – all the way back to Kevin Morris, Merv Keane, Robert Shaw. Shawy was fantastic – a great coach. Sheeds [Kevin Sheedy] was obviously the only senior coach I had and he was really good. He was just a really good bloke and he tried to help as many people as he could. That was something that really stood out about him. He pushed you hard and rode you hard when he had to but he was always trying to get the best out of his players and he seemed to always do it.

I had Denis Pagan for a year and he was really good. Denis and Shawy were probably the two reserves coaches that were professional. They planned for reserves games and they had handouts and it was really impressive to have reserves coaches that were committed.

I then had Mark Williams at Glenelg for two years and after playing under Choco, I had Tony Symonds, who was really good. He was a great character, Symo, and he loved the Glenelg footy club. I enjoyed my time under Symo.

All of the assistant coaches I've worked with [have been great]. At Mt Gravatt, Graham Henwood was really good for me. Graham had come out of Noble Park and he had some really good experiences.

The guys I've worked with like Shawy and Harvs [Mark Harvey] – they were fantastic and Terry [Daniher] was brilliant. I worked with David Flood in development at Essendon and he was really good. He's got a lot of great qualities, Floody. He coached Calder Cannons to a premiership this year, so he's really good.

At Port Adelaide, we had David Pittman and Mark Mickan, who were really good ruck coaches. Phil Walsh has had a huge influence on me as well, as has Mark Williams and Geoff Morris – a great development coach, after playing with West Adelaide. He's now at Hawthorn. Chris Pelchen, Alastair Clarkson and Damien Hardwick – the names go on and on. They've all had a little input.

Even some of the people I've got to know through business, who are not football people, but they are very smart managers of people – you pick up a lot from those types of people as well. That was really exciting for me.

You've got a family as well. How do you manage family and football?

DB: I'm married with a wife and two kids. It's going to be a tough gig. My kids are 15 and 13 and I think they're looking forward to coming over [to Victoria] from Adelaide. They're a little bit nervous I think. My wife is from the Sunshine Coast, so unfortunately she's had to travel around with me and she's had to almost raise the kids by herself to some degree – as most coaches will tell you.

She's fantastic, my wife. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for my wife – no doubt.

You're supposed to have a great sense of humour. Are we going to see much of that?

DB: I like to have a bit of fun at training. I like to have fun at the club, but when there is a time to be serious you've got to work hard and that'll always be a priority. If I lose my sense of humour and become a bit too serious, my wife and kids will tell me. I'm sure some of the media will also tell me that I've lost my sense of humour as well, so that'll be the first indication.

But I am very serious about what we're trying to do, and that's to make sure that we are competitive. I don't want to put limitations on anyone – any players, anyone we draft or our staff. We still should be trying to develop all of our people and not just pick and choose.

Chris Connolly – he can do the gags. He's very good at the gags, Chris.

And finally, what music and films are you into?

DB: I was always a Hunters and Collectors fan. I know my boys tell me, 'You're old school'. I always liked Bruce Springsteen. I really like Australian bands though. The Oils (Midnight Oil) were always a favourite. I also like Eskimo Joe. I don't go out and purposely pick the Australian bands, but I really like to listen to Australian music where I can.

As for films, a couple of mates will spew if I don't mention Caddyshack. We were always big Caddyshack fans. It's one of the great shows, Caddyshack. I like the classics like Stripes. I liked Bill Murray growing up. Some of those cult films were great. I don't get a lot of time to watch them now, but I'll watch just about anything.