December issue of Inside Football

Can it be mere coincidence that the two clubs to get serious about “mind training” last season contested the AFL Grand Final?

Richmond in particular made a concerted effort to transform its culture – from the top of the football department down – and to give its players mental tools to cope with the psychological battleground that is an AFL arena. The results speak for themselves.

You can be sure that any AFL club that hasn’t adequately addressed this area of its football program (and there are possibly 16 of them) is about to do so.

What is featured this month…

THE GAME IN THE BRAIN
Richmond and Adelaide are winning the contest ‘above the shoulders’, writes Mick Ellis

CREATING JOE AVERAGE
Zealous coaches can turn young men with precocious talent into all rounders who have forgotten what they’re good at. Nathan Burke explains.

RETURN TO SENDER
As Geelong fans get excited about the return of Gary Ablett, we take a look at the history of prodigal sons that have been welcomed home. Some were success stories, others not so much…

EDEN’S ROAD TO PARADISE
From the junior wilderness to the national stage, a modest country girl’s career is about to explode and, as Phoebe McWilliams writes, Eden Zanker can’t quite believe her luck.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF GEORGE OGILVIE
An ‘accounting error’ deprived Richmond of the services of the most controversial two-game player in history, writes Russell Holmesby.

AGRICULTURAL DEFENDER
Michael ‘Spud’ Firrito often took on jobs outside his weight division during a long posting to the North Melbourne backline. Now one year retired, he is content with his contribution. David Rhys-Jones catches to him.

WONDER DRAFT IS ALREADY SHAPING THE CONVERSATION
The 2018 draft crop has already received plenty of press, and for good reason. It looms as perhaps the best yet, writes Brett Anderson.

A NEW WORLD ORDER
Wish lists, shopping lists and to-do lists. The first two are being shortened by the player payment framework, but the latter grows longer. We go inside the cut-throat world of local footy recruiting.

VFL | League of changes
Prior to being picked as a rookie by Hawthorn, a reflective Box Hill captain David Mirra chatted to Paul Amy.

SANFL | ‘Summer’ days not over yet
Despite being omitted five times in 2017, the Port Adelaide captain is expected to play on.

WAFL | Sharks circle big names
A proud East Fremantle has responded to its horror year by chasing some quality recruits.

Plus…

THE LOCAL WHITEBOARD
We highlight the newsmakers, big tranfers and other tidbits from about metro and country football.

And finally…

Blue skies behind the clouds; Another left black and Blue? Hope for sophomore season; Wild, wicked times at club; Troubling chatter at HQ and Applying soothing Balme – we reveal some of the whispers around the corridors of power.

All this and more in the December issue of Inside Football magazine.

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