Tim Watson believes senior players who take a negative mindset into the quarantine hubs will have a large impact on the performance of the group as a whole.
Victorian clubs will spend 32 days interstate due to the worsening situation of COVID-19 at home, with six games to be crammed into that time.
Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt opened up on AFL 360 on Tuesday night about how difficult a decision it was to enter the hub and leave his family behind.
“I won’t lie, I probably have second guessed a little bit coming up here,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy.
“Leaving yesterday was really tough obviously with Poppy only being very young and Carly as well just leaving her at home and knowing what she has to go through by herself as a single parent, there’s certainly a weight on my shoulders about that.
“It’s the decision we came to together but like everything in this current climate it shifts hourly and unfortunately we find ourselves in a position where for the next six weeks in Victoria we’re going back to the lockdown.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do up here at the moment bar just try and organise things as much as I can from afar.”
While Watson has no issues whatsoever with Riewoldt taking that stance, he hopes the star forward has a positive mindset around the younger players.
“I don’t have an issue with anything Jack had to say. I think Jack is just being brutally honest about his feelings at the moment and he still went up there,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.
“The only thing I would say about that … we know about the hub life from other clubs and we heard Jarrad Schofield, one of the assistants at Port Adelaide, saying how it significantly helped Port because of the attitude they had and they embraced the life and it gifted the opportunity to bond together as a group of players like they wouldn’t have been able to do.
“So the only thing I would say to Jack about his attitude is how he can influence other players with his attitude.
“It’s fine that Jack has that feeling, but it’s how he conducts himself while he’s there in that hub that has the potential to take the players in one direction or another direction because he’s one of the senior and more mature players.”
Garry Lyon agreed saying Riewoldt would be well aware of what he needs to be in front of the group.
“I don’t have one issue with it. He’s opening up, he’s doing a media interview, he’s giving an honest insight into his mindset and putting it out there knowing he’ll be judged by some,” he said.
“What he then delivers to his playing group in private is a whole different situation and he’d probably say the same thing.
“’Look it’s hard and I’ve struggled and I’ve had tears and I’m going to miss my kids, but let me tell you this right now I’m here and committed and let’s make the most of it’.”
Jack’s cousin Nick Riewoldt also spoke on AFL 360 and stated the importance of players remaining positive and attacking the hub period with an opportunistic mindset.
“You’re looking for it and as soon as you get a whiff of any of that sentiment – this might be a bridge too far – you’re all over it because it becomes infectious. Misery loves company,” Riewoldt said.
“There is an opportunity here for a team that’s able to, because I don’t think we’ve ever had a season where the mind is such an important weapon as it is currently, so if you are able to capture that possibility, opportunity mindset – ‘what is possible for us? If we’re the only ones who take a positive mindset to this six-week period, we could achieve something remarkable’.”