Ep48DavidParkin_Edit1
Sun, 5/30 4:32PM • 45:01
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coach, players, people, play, bit, football, australian, demanding, david, paul, afl, rang, years, john kennedy, game, sport, life, produce, beaten, club
SPEAKERS
Paul Barnett, David Parkin
Paul Barnett 00:00
So good afternoon, David Park and welcome to the Great coach's podcast.
David Parkin 00:04
That's very kind of you, Paul, I'm delighted to be with you.
Paul Barnett 00:07
We're very happy that you could find some time to talk with us the David, I might start with something really simple. So could you tell us where you are today? And, and how was your day? What did you get up to?
David Parkin 00:16
Yeah, COVID sent me off, I have a heart condition. I've got a pacemaker and my physician said run away somewhere where you're less likely to get this disease and fortunately have a holiday house and a Point Lonsdale on the bell rang, punish this ridge along beautiful spot have done all the jobs over the last seven months that I've been looking at for the last two decades. And they've got some lovely neighbors and supportive friends down here. So it's been pretty good. So good. I'm writing go home. But please don't tell girl that secret's safe with us.
Paul Barnett 00:49
So David, I'll jump into the questions. I've been really looking forward today, because you've had such a storied and diverse curry. And I'd like to start with perhaps talking a little bit about the firsthand experience you had of the great john kennedy. You've also been an academic published around a dozen books, I can't find the exact number anyway. And you've been a mentor to many other great coaches along the way. But what do you think it is that the great coaches do differently that sets them apart?
David Parkin 01:18
Well, it's interesting, because they're all different. I was mostly influenced obviously, by Sean Kennedy. But I didn't have either the personality or character, whatever you'd like to call it that he brought to the task, I was adopted and absorbed into a method of play, which I didn't know any different. So I thought it's the only one. But it was so far away from what I produced, I think, as a coach over my 20 or 30 years in it, that the difference between me and john, in totality was at one end of the continuum to the other, but he was a magnificent human being. And I think probably other than my parents, Paul, probably influenced my life, more than anybody else I can think of he was a brilliant art are a great teacher, a human being who considered the well being of others. In a sense, that's off the field sense. I'm not sure we care too much about what happens when we're applying, as long as we produce what was required. But he he's, if you talk to people now, and we, when he just lost him, I was fortunate to do the eulogy. For him a couple of weeks ago, I did go up to Melbourne for that, I felt a need to that when you talk to all of the the players, I guess, here the players of my time. And before and after, who were influenced also by john, he's a significant human being in terms of the lives that we all lead. And whilst I didn't coach, anywhere near using the kind of philosophies did, he was an unbelievable philosopher, we get a bit of Karl Marx and we get a bit of the Bible. And we get a bit of Winston Churchill in the pre match addresses, there were very few around the end of that. So I was in the front row, nice in the other place, were born out of there, Brian, but he was a great orator, English literature teacher, so well read, etc. and could use the English language like no other person I have ever met.
Paul Barnett 03:27
So he had such a profound influence on you, and then you've taken that influence and gone off. And I think, David, you're one of the very first coaches to really talk about a philosophy and writing your philosophy down and building your philosophy and making sure that you stuck by it through your career. But I'd like to ask how has your philosophy changed from when you started out in the 70s? through to today?
David Parkin 03:54
Yeah, and I think, not only with me, I needed to change, thank goodness, some people and some experiences change me dramatically in in the middle of my coaching career. But your philosophy and you need to change it. I think what I've written I've just written another book, I've written my autobiography, not for public consciousness, but for my family colleagues and friends, basically, the thank them for the influence they had on me and the joy that I had in life and the support they gave me etc. So I've been enjoying this time in COVID, to complete 18 months of writing, and it's interesting where you go back and check who you were and what you did, and how you actually did it. In comparison to those three things. 30 years down the track and now sitting outside the game, and watching others at work doing the very things that I did, with a different population. The athletes have to They are so different than young people coming through. And the methods that they're working with them are completely different, sometimes opposite to what we did. So I philosophically changed on the basis that my approach, I think, be fair to say, my approach, Paul changed dramatically on the basis that we failed miserably. At a time when we were expected when we went into a grand fall in 1993, you probably are not old enough to remember that but, and played jilong, who smashed us in the finish, when we'd finished on top of the beaten them during the season, pretty sad day. And then a year later, we finished on top and went out in straight sets, I think my memory is not good, but to Melbourne. Yes, I can see who the second one was. And I should remember that we'd failed miserably with what talent we had. What we did, and I did it guys sort of provoked it was to do a complete review of our organization. And I mean, it's common nature in organizations now. But I bought an outsider in a fella called Paul Burke, who's if you know, the books, I've co authored with him a number of books. He was working, applied to iseq, Paul, without him playing a game. And he came back and asked for some help, in the next stage of his life, was to get into commerce at Melbourne University, and we had a count and contact, don't tell anybody, we had a cat contact. And I was able to get cool a place and on the back of that remained great friends, and he became the CEO of a worldwide company, and took me on the journey with him. And that was a fantastic education for me as well having that parallel view of the world. And Paul did the review. And if you ever saw it, the most complete review of an organization you could find and I think there were 16 suggestions that came from that, that we should do something about. And I reckon nine of the 16 were directly related to my failure as a couch. And I cried for three days that decided we do something about it, one of the recommendations. And I think it's interesting, cool that I've worked with psychologists and university with sports psychologists, etc. And to that point, I'd never found one who I thought had both the training and the experience to make a difference, but they were demanding my players that our problem was not really technical, technical, but a psychological problem we had even though we thought were the best with the best methods or temporary we weren't able to produce when it's required. So I looked for a saw a sports psychologist who had some success and you probably know a little bit about Anthony Stewart but Auntie to work with the Australian netball team and they dominated the world. He worked with the Australian basketball team. And they had done brilliantly work with the Hawthorn Football Club, and they'd won about five premierships during that time, by foot will go and offer him a job. We took him out for dinner. And at the end of the dinner, I made him the offer. And he very gently but nicely said I couldn't work for you. And I certainly couldn't work for john Elliott. So we shook hands and he walked out the door. Well, Anthony is a bit susceptible, like everybody to a very good financial offer. So we went to his house and seduced him with money, which is a terrible thing to say. And he right Don't forget to say play this too. But he accepted rolling cane and within three months of just walking around and observing, he finally cracked the brakes. I didn't know what he was doing. He finally came to me and made the suggestion that we have a very, very, very experienced, very, very capable and very, very committed group. And we should give it over to them. And I thought he liked it let the lunatics run the asylum. That's not going to happen from my point of view. He said, Well think about it, which I did overnight. I came back and said, No, I can't do it. He said, How long is your contract? I said, Well, it's actually one year. Well, would you suggest that if you don't win this year, you'll be out of work? And I said I think that's absolutely correct. So we we set up the first I would think in Australian sport, the first leadership group, and it was unbelievable number there were, I think, 14 players who fitted the experienced, committed and capable profile and we bought them in and no one still believes to this day. But I decided each week in 1995, who would play so they selected their own team, they decided how we would play, we would sit down with the coaching group and that group of players and work out the tactical approach we would take to beat this group that were playing it. They would do as every team does. Now, they review their performance talk openly and honestly about what I did as an individual and what we did as a collective. And they decided what values and behaviors we'd live by, and what the penalties would be for anybody who transgressed in not living up to the behaviors or the values. And they did exactly that they dropped Pluto from the team. They condemned them to extra work and all sorts of things when that actually happened, as it did during 95. So on the basis of that, I had little to do, I was a part of that group. But they controlled all that we did[PB1] , they are that for that group, who were, as I suggested, very experienced the tetra was right. So what I was learning, unbeknownst to me was that leadership should be flexible. It should be applicable to the group, or that particular time, two years later, the end of 1996. That group code me six or seven of leaders Academy said we don't have time to do this anymore. It's over and above what the expectation is, for what we're doing. We have our Premiership under our belt, we'd like to give the ownership back to you[PB2] . I was really annoyed because I thought we had something special, but it was no good. Ask them to do something which they decided they couldn't. So I took some of the leadership back. And then I reckon two years later poor to be truthful, that's five or six years down the track. We had a bunch of kids, very inexperienced, not terribly capable and not very confident. And I knew that again, to take over total control and become the not the dictator, but the authoritarian in what went, how, et cetera. So what I learned, and I think the lesson out of this, and I think it's football coaches, is that you must be flexible in the style which you bring to the individual or the group, according to where they are, in the experience, competencies and confidence. I think that's the critical issue that I bring out of this. And we've seen this happen now, time and time again, not only in Australian Football, but across all sports, that they have become flexible in their leadership, ie their coaching staff.[PB3]
Paul Barnett 12:49
They've been, it's a great story, I want to thank you for sharing, because I was going to ask you about setting up play leadership groups, because you're well known for being one of the very first people in Australia anyway to do that. But I'd like to talk about empathy, if I could as well because I was listening to an interview you gave a very short interview, but it was from last year when the fourth AFL coach had been sacked in the year and it was Ross line that had been coached. And you said that you felt that the need for empathy had increased dramatically. Less particularly with the pliers these days, they were almost demanding it. And so it got me thinking that if I was to ask you to design a coaching syllabus today, what would be the competencies that would be right at the top of that page?
David Parkin 13:31
That's a really good question. I think I could answer it simply and easily. We're still coach education has evolved dramatically in this country. Over the last three or four years, one of my closest friends, Laurie Woodman headed up to coaching Australian touching Council. It has been demolished which is a bit sad. And the manner which were, I guess, educating or training on what the word is educated coaches seems to be there's a bit of a bit at the moment. We're not doing it. I don't think nearly as well as we should. But I can't tell you what the best method would be. There's a lot of online stuff which is happening. I'm not sure that companies can be built that way. The greatest asset for me was to have what I would call mentors for one of a better word, my better still critical friends who knew your loved you knew your business and could tell it to you exactly, and I think I was only talking to the Adelaide coach who's been struggling without a win was a level three graduate of ours some 10 years ago. Brilliant. Student within that course contributed magnificently. I thought somewhere down the track. He'll become an AFL coach, which in fact he has, but he's had a miserable And he was looking to for what would help him through this. And it's a terrible, it's a terrible time when you're under the spotlight, and your team just can't get up and when I don't think it's a great team at that moment, but it's better team than the performances, which has been producing and you go back into a shell. So if you don't have someone in your life, who knows you extremely well, who knows your business. That is your specific role in that business. At the moment, well, who is available can watch you at work and hear you [PB4] at work can work with you regularly, then you're in a pot of money that you're going to in real trouble. And I'm not sure that Nick's he has that in place at the moment I'm sure he has. But I'm not certain that he has the mental or critical friend or friend, who I had. Over and above. You have the john kennedy type influencer chapter, but I had a fellow called Ken Herbert. And Ken was tough. He played league football at 16, and district cricket in Melbourne at 17. But he went off to the wall, and it became a rear gunner in the Battle of Britain, flying into Europe and back when every second person's a rear gunner was being killed. He did 37 trips. And he was a tough bloke. He knew fully understood people, and could give it to me like no other person I've ever met. I was terrified and horrified in a real sense, but grew to love this man who became the single most important influence in terms of my coaching, development and understanding of the game. And you need that is because there are times in the account rely on it. He was definitely really good. He went deaf, lost his hearing, and couldn't hear me sometimes on the phone if it was clear, but most times, and I've still got his letters most times I got a letter to say why in the name of heaven in the post match. Didn't say give your players some hope for the future. I can't believe a man who's been random done, what you've done. Could be so stupid sign Can I get that kind of letter. And the next week having been rolled in the game we shouldn't have next week we went to Brisbane. And we got beaten by 19 goals or something I can't remember was no 10 or 11 girls by Brisbane, this is in a year that we ended up playing off in the grand final I think 9099 one or 299 I think 99 it was we got beaten by this and we'd be less than in the preliminary final. And it was on the back of kids let it go up. We were walking off the ground at the end of me being beaten by 11 girls in Brisbane. And Ken's note to me was ringing in my ears. And I've walked in and constantly said the players will get the most person today that we've got West Coast come into play as next week. In Melbourne, they can't beat us over there. We were the only team we continue with now. And we will floodway Scots. And we did. And we got to play in that preliminary finals against this and when we shouldn't have been there and actually won the five point. So having what I'm trying to say in the long winded way, I'm sorry, but normally the wayside but having that I call them critical friends who can give it to you in a way that you need to hear it who do have the experience and background and understandings required to have them in your life is critical. And I'm not sure that well I can I talk about AFL coaches really can't talk about others. But I'm not sure that all AFL coaches do have them and are open to the kind of suggestions and input and feedback which they can provide. [PB5] So that would be a long winded answer to the question.
Paul Barnett 19:07
It's not long winded at all, David, it's fantastic. We spoke to Eddie Jones last night last night and he employs the critical friend and new Craig. And he was talking about having coffee every morning at 7am reviewing what they've done preparing for the day ahead. So I think it's definitely something that comes up at least twice now in our discussions we've been having with great coaches. I'd like to jump
David Parkin 19:33
and cool. Cool Can I add to that because Neil, Neil and I became really, really good mates and his influence over a multitude of coaches, not just Eddie Jones, but a multitude of couches. And not only in rugby, not an Australian football but of course in cycling is legendary stuff. I'll have to download your podcast to listen During I'm sure,
Paul Barnett 20:01
we'll make sure we send you a link for that one. It was a masterclass spending an interview with him. And he did talk about Charlie Walsh as well, which was fascinating. But David, I'd like to just build on this idea of a critical friend, actually, because one of the things I read in preparing for today was when you said that all coaches are in effect teachers. But it's not just about instructing students. It's a two way process. So I was wondering if you could also talk about some of the things that you've learned from your players over the years?
David Parkin 20:33
Yeah, that's, that's an even better question. What, what I think we fail as coaches, we get so absorbed in the coaching, role, teaching, coaching, helping players to get better, so that they can perform well on the teams that we coach can win. And that's an obvious role and recognition of all cases in all sports. But I think what we failed to do in this country, and I don't know that it's all that much better. Now, what we failed to do is to talk about the complete player, the player, as the person beyond their ability to perform whatever they perform as the athlete or the player that they are. And we've struggled with that. [PB6] We now have most clubs who do employ a welfare manager and someone who's responsible for that. That's fantastic. But we were the first another I'll take that. First we employed as a men in management state status, we employed the first, I guess, players support staff, who is been a wonderful friend on play called Laurie Fabian, who still works for the Institute of Sport in Queensland. And he was the first to be appointed as a manager on a manager's salary. And with I think, three and a half, might have been, I'm not sure I'll be making it up, but a really good budget to work with. And he was full time. And he was responsible for what the players were doing in their development. Other than fully the research, Paul has been fantastic. I sat on the research board up until last year for the AFL. And now we're spending a lot of money, a lot of money, millions of dollars on trying to make the game better. For players, umpires, coaches, supporters, all that sort of spectators to try and do that they work really hard at it. And they spent a lot of time trying to work out. And they did a really good piece of research says that if you are sincerely committed to something else, other than your football, that is you're holding down a job, even though it might be part time you are studying, you are doing an apprenticeship. You doing as we had we had a program which slowly set up in a CARE for Kids programs and local schools. Or if in fact, you're doing song and dance like Shane Crawford, if you are the research is very powerful. research says you will perform better during your career, if you are in fact involved in a more balanced life, that ought to be fundamental for every club, ensuring that every player does get involved in something other than they're fully in a sincere and committed why because if they're being selfish, they'll get a better performance from that client. What we don't know and the research hasn't been done and I recommend should be done as quickly as possible. is if the player has during their career, been involved in those things that we said has a balance in their life. Will they in fact make the transition into non player better, more effective and last longer? Because we have a horrible problem in sport around the world, not only in Australian Football sport around the world, that so many athletes when they complete their life in football, I just saw some research the other day, Paul, that suggested that 62% of American footballers bankrupt within a decade of completing their career not 6% or 16%. But 62%. What are we doing, in fact during their playing and performing careers, to enable them to make that transition into a good life which is sustainable outside of football,[PB7] they all think they're going to be a journalist or on television or on radio and obviously that's not so. So I think there's a massive hole to fill in terms of ensuring and demand Within the salary cap at Sephora, they even have those people, up until this year, those are employed as welfare managers, they even have put that in the salary cap, which is ludicrous, should not be there at all We should be. And that funny that we have a piece of research call, which is interesting that suggests that every player, every season at the moment, is allowed to evaluate how well their club looks after them as a player, and looks after them beyond their playing. They're playing performance. And it's unbelievable. But the club, and this has been going now eight years, one of my students, a deacon does the research. I know it won't get out of your podcast. But anyway, it's out there. The club jaw get back the feedback not about all the other clubs but how they rate in the competition. It's funny thing that Shillong Football Club, we've been pretty good over the last decade on the field, who employ more people than anybody else in welfare, have the greatest response from the players about how well they're looked after beyond their football. Seems to me that very high relationship, very strong relationship is what every club would be aiming to do, so that we can better the game, but we can better the player whilst they're playing. And certainly when they're making the transition into non play.
Paul Barnett 26:30
Amazing, thank you for sharing that, David. It's a great statistic. And I'm sure it will stay true over a longer period of time as we continue to get more data. On the on the theme of data actually, we were chatting with john McCann and the famous Australian cricket coach. And he talks about you influencing him quite heavily with your focus on tracking sacrificial acts, which you did in the 1995, when when you won the Premiership. He said that he tried to sort you out seek you out to to understand more about the data point you were collecting and seeing if he could apply it to cricket. So what I'd like to ask you is how did you develop this idea of sacrificial acts. And if you could just explain a little bit about how, how you applied it to the team dynamics that you?
David Parkin 27:15
Well, it came, again, it's player driven, or I wasn't smart enough to think about this. But the players in their discussion, the many meetings that they had cat shredwell kicks in and balls are okay in the end is to, to to ever get back from you. We do get a coach comment, which I define for them. So they got how I felt. But I said this is only how I felt. other coaches might have felt differently and other your mom and dad probably but this is how I felt. But the players themselves came up with the idea. And it took us a couple of years to develop the concept that those who are working hard without the ball, who was spoiling and tackling and karate and shepherding and doing all those little things which no one recognized, should come into the evaluation of their performance on the day and they work very hard to come up think there are eight things in the final classification, that we trained to people or the players when they're injured train two people to recognize observed them on the field and record them against the player. And they got so excited about that. That the group said can we put up we don't want any else put up on the board each week. But we want the sacrificial act of the week, the players name and what they actually did at that time to be placed on the notice board for everybody to see. So that became quite a focus and interest. I'm glad you got the job you can remember that I thought it was just a bit had to devise something that worked poorly in cricket in the same way I'm not so sure that game lends itself to it. But the sacrificial act became a really important component. Because we're able to recognize and reward those players for things which aren't necessarily seen by most people when they're watching the game. So it became very powerful it was in a continued and we knew that I think if we got to, we might miss up there but I think it's 80 plus if we got to 80 Plus we did not lose a game in five years. So that's 20 pliers and that was that for for most clients per game. And it almost it almost what was the word underpinned our victory. When we dropped underneath it, we lost as often as we want. So it was a fair sort of a measure which the player is not even smart enough to think of that but which the players put into place pull that became A real focus for them. And they love saying their name up here. And I think during the game and inspire them motivated, whatever that word is to do the things they might not have done otherwise.
Paul Barnett 30:10
72,000 for you, along with Paul Berkey, you mentioned earlier published, what makes teams work, where you went around and you interviewed successful CEOs and sports coaches, on the topic of teams. 16 years later, it's still so relevant to great read. I'd like to ask you, though, when you were putting that book together, what was some of the most surprising things that you uncovered?
David Parkin 30:34
Look, I yeah, that's that that is a good question. It was a real eye opener to me, because I had nothing to do with industry, commerce, etc. I think I understood what was happening in most sports, but the fairly well, damn, I suppose when it came to the other areas. And I look, I must admit I, the people I've worked with and worked for I worked for Dunlop rubber for a couple of years, when I first left school, and at that time, and probably for most people, in most places, the autocratic leader who put pretty heavy demands on people to produce by no other way, but putting expectations on you and measures that you had to meet and, and outcomes that you had to produce[PB8] . I was quite pleasantly surprised by some of the people that we met, to do the interviews within in terms of the business etc. It was fascinating to me, we interviewed them, and asked them what they thought was important. And then asked permission to interview the people they were leading. I don't know that that came out in the book up surprised, Paul, how many a number of so called great leaders in this country, I think we interviewed 13, [PB9] including two females, only two should have done more than that. And he too, I think, too, we left out of the book, because they refused this access to their people to understand what what they were doing with both men. But what they were doing was acceptable and influential and helpful to those. Now, what came out clearly, to me, and it's the same theme, and probably I adopted it was yes, we want to be assisted and directed. We want to be, we want you to be for us open to suggestion that we want you to be interested in us beyond our capacity to produce whatever goods or services that we're producing, we want you to care about us as people. And that really ignited my interest along with the sports psychologist in developing that kind of approach and underpinned for me that what we were doing, whether we can outwardly see it or not, was important that applies Paul, I'd make my pliers[PB10] . Fact David McKay rang me yesterday, that year since I've talked to David, but in these times, we sit and contemplate and think and he made a chord the factory for something which I did when nothing to do with football at all, which took him down a pathway that he's been leading ever since that was to assist him to go and get some qualifications in a particular area. And I think the best thing for me as an old retired coach looking back there is that my players really did know, I might not know that I cared about as much as I should have, because I was very demanding of them. I was a real prick. Early in my coaching career, I must admit that I did care about them, and for them to understand that and then they come back and talk to me now. And there's one just a few days ago, years after I finished coaching to say thank you for helping me down the pathway that I'm still treading today, which has almost in all instances has nothing to do with footy or their football life. So that to me, is the greatest lesson I could give to coach it. If you care about your players, beyond their capacity to produce the athletic performance which you are requiring demanding of them. You will in the first instance get a better result performance wise, but in the long term, you will make a difference to this person for the rest of their lives. That to me is the greatest input and satisfaction that any coach should conceive. Now I love the fact that I can tell people I was a Premiership coach but it's far it pales into insignificance. Now you In comparison to the lovely conversations, I've continued to have with my players, not so much about their footy that does come in, we have reunions, etc, but more about the lives that they've lived to change.[PB11]
Paul Barnett 35:13
David, I read with interest when you said that confidence in what you believe, is negated rapidly, particularly if a coach loses their way. And we talked a little bit about Matthew, Nick's earlier, calling you wanting to chat about the performance of his teams. But what top tips, learnings thoughts do you have on dealing with self doubt as a coach?
David Parkin 35:38
Yeah, look at the cheapest team. Because initially, as a player, I struggled like all other players to hold for and when injury or other mental I guess approaches were failing me. And I worried about that for my players. And back in the in 1977, I think we started, what we ended up calling I've got one on the shelf, and I had a look at the other day is fantastic. We started making visualization types, which meant that we could edit out all of the good things that you did were capable of doing on the field and put them into a continuous, real or type we were the first to do that I take a bit of innovative joy in knowing that we were the first in Australian sport to go down that field. And it's now followed avidly by all athletes and all coaches, we had a great film before the 1978 flag, which is a and the players could take away at any time to sit down and watch the tape, do not read out the cover. I think they could have a copy of that and do it. So reminding yourself, and I guess we say Where do you get the first good performance. So that's the problem. We can use initialization call, if we've got something to visualize that at a iafl level with with nixie. At the moment, for instance, he has produced some wonderful performances, which he could visualize. And it doesn't have to be on tape. But he can think about the confidence that we all get by what we've done in the past certainly helps us with future difficulties and mountains to climb and problems to solve and all that sort of stuff. So it's easy rolls off the tongue self confidence is very easy to say that to get it into people and maintain it in people, particularly in demanding and difficult situations is not easy. But in the finish it it's the thing. It's the one component of your makeup, which decides whether you're win or lose or achieve or not achieve or complete or not complete but you're supposed to.[PB12]
Paul Barnett 37:52
David, you talked earlier about very quickly actually about the aeration for sport and social change that's named in your honor at Deakin University, the lecture that's given every year. And you talked also about john kennedy, your most famous coach perhaps one of the most, if not the most famous AFL coach of all time and his oratory skills. But let's say that the pregame address is being lost to the game It seems that a lot of coaches say you can do more damage with the pre match address and they're not using it. So I'm just wondering what your views are on the role of the pre Graeme address in today's sporting world.
David Parkin 38:29
Well, I could have answered it very categorically up until last week in but I went into the rooms and saw Luke beverage, the coast of Western Bulldogs at work and it was a brilliant piece of oratory about the boxer who got knocked down three times in the first round stayed with it forward on and won the technical knockout in the 10th round and it was a fantastic where they are aware that ages ago was a fantastic story. I love that sort of pre match price match address I was that as I said before in the front row for john kennedy and his addresses which Archie was just really but there is no doubt that we've we've moved past now they're touched by that five or six different touches that they all get the same message. Well that's good. I'm not sure that they do. I'm not sure that we need all those coaches here but this problem we have now might see the coaching staff and football coach reduced significantly and quickly which is not good for the work but I think it would be better for the game show our three year speak to the what is pretty much quarter time after I'm three quarter time and he had five addresses every week. So if you're allows Dr. I don't care what you have to say and what message you're trying to get up but if you're not good at using the Queen's English, then you're you've got a problem. You're going to get somebody else to do it for you will do it on film or whatever. Why do you have to do it because it still has a role to play. I think as suggested less, much less significant than it was. I think the work has been done. And we understand that the habits that have been formed during your preparation are what is what will come on the ground. There's no doubt about it. But I think we all in a literal way, are inspired by the visual picture that somebody can paint for us.[PB13] And I don't know, whether that's before again, or it could be during a job at halftime, it could be at three quarter time when something needs to be done. The great three quarter time address that I'll never forget, was john kennedy. And it's quite an interesting story because john kennedy said a three at a time in 1971. Well, if we're gonna go under, it's not a very positive thing to say, we're going to go under we'll go under gloriously. So, Don Scott, I was captain. I didn't think of anything to say other than john john Scott dragged the group back to give me said, What do you mean get done will be days by us and brought us up he stood, you might remember, but he jumped up at the first bounce after three quarter time, and hit the ball to center her forward, bounced over LMR toe, toes cellos head Bob kitty ran on and kick the first goal. And we're wrapping away on the end of some very strong arbitrary from the great Don Scott. And it is quite funny because john kennedy never was one for forgiving us any today. So I'm still waiting for the day for him to put his arm around me and say well done. Most of us, most of us are. But Don Scott rang me up probably two years ago on Grand Final morning, and said he just had a phone call from john kennedy. And I said, Oh, that's interesting. He said he ran to tell me how well I played in the 1971 Grand Final. I said on doing that. That is That's fascinating. Oh, yeah, like a UI. You'd be the first 90 play said here. He said he watched it. And even I said, I've done well, congratulations. I said, Yeah. So I got off the phone and got a bit upset. So I rang john kennedy. And I said, good eye, john. I said, I want to thank you for making your phone calls. You said I said I believe you rang diamond Scott and tell him what how well he played the 1971 Grand Final. I said Don was so excited. He's wrong, all these four friends to tell them. He said, Well, don't be like that. I said, Now you better understand that this is a significant moment in your life. I said, Look, do you have my phone number? And he said, Yeah, I do. And I said, Well, when I hang up, can you ring me and tell me how well I played in the 1971. Grandpa, he said, Sorry, Dave, I won't be making that call. And I've never got that call from john kennedy, which was a bit sad when he asked him, but that that's an absolute True story.
Paul Barnett 42:50
David, you've been very generous with your time today. I have one final question, if I may. And you've talked a little bit about it through this interview. But I'd like to ask the question directly. And that is, what is the legacy that you want to leave as a coach?
David Parkin 43:03
Oh, definitely, probably after Well, I don't know whether I've left a legacy at all, in a sense, except for what I was, I was lucky for a winning case, the 78 team, which had been bitten in the 77 Grand Finals. So I got a ready made Team 81 and 82 was on the back of 79. And they finished just about on top in 1980. So I was blessed again, went back to Carbonite to build the next one. I think the last 195 was a slow and strong build. But I was lucky enough to go into clubs were administered very well and had recruited outstanding players. So best bit of advice, you want to be a good coach, get good athletes, kid Tell him to clap for the work because I they helped. But I think in the sense I hope I'm I am remembered for someone who did care about my players in a sincere and committed way I did things and spent time ensuring that they were looked after as people[PB14] got a lovely letter from Michael Sexton father, when he came back from overseas, to thank him for the input, not nothing to do catch him and Michael's playing of his football. But how I was able to engineer him into chiropractic. And for him to be running the business having the life that he now had, and gave him the time off during football to complete that. That is the kind of legacy that I hope that I've left that people may not remember me except as a very autocratic dictatorial coach. I think most would remember that way. But I hope the other side which is not well known, is remembered more by my players than what we might have achieved as a group on the field.
Paul Barnett 44:47
David Parkin it's been an honor and a privilege to chat with you today. Thank you very much for your time and good luck with any of the remaining house repairs that you've got ahead.
David Parkin 44:57
Thanks very much, Paul. Good to meet you, too, Jim.