Source: The Geelong Advertiser
Click here for full article.
A NEW era for Geelong's VFL team starts today when new coach Dale Amos and new captain James Podsiadly lead a squad full of fresh faces against Collingwood at Visy Park.
Luckily for Amos, what looked to have been a ruck shortage crisis during the week has eased, with Shane Mumford (cork) and Dawson Simpson (ankle) both named.
Injuries to two of their big men last weekend looked like the continuation of what has been a tough run for some of the Cats' younger players.
"The last couple of weeks haven't been great for us, certainly Ranga (Ediriwickrama) with his hamstring initially, and Mitch Brown (broken leg) on the weekend," Amos said.
After becoming one of local football's most successful coaches at South Barwon, Amos said his time at Geelong has already taught him valuable lessons.
"I think if I was to go back and coach locally now I'd do it quite differently to what I did," he said.
"I've seen the benefits in some of the things we do down here that certainly helps advance the young guys, especially, and I've been exposed to what the best side in the competition do and how they prepare and you can't help but be better at what you do because of that."
Geelong's VFL team finished 10th last year, but Amos said there were no expectations of how far it might go in 2009.
"It's a slightly different focus, working mainly with first and second-year players and it's geared heavily towards the development of those guys and winning becomes a by-product of what you do and not necessarily the be-all and end-all," Amos said.
"So we wouldn't sacrifice someone's development or subject them to potentially breaking down for trying to win games of footy. So I'm totally aware of that and comfortable with that."
