Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has revealed he adjusted his coaching strategy in the week prior to Round 1, looking to work more personally with his players.
The Hawks got Mitchell’s coaching reign off to a positive start against North Melbourne on Sunday, proving too strong late in the 78-58 win at the MCG.
The 39-year-old succeeded Alastair Clarkson in the hope his new ideas could inspire a flat Hawks outfit that finished 14th last season.
Mitchell says he’s looked to give his assistants more responsibility, especially recently, as he takes on other focuses.
“I’m quite deliberate with what (drills) I take,” Mitchell told Sportsday.
“You could easily be a full-time manager if that’s how you chose to do it, I don’t think there’d be anything wrong with that, it’s just about the skillset of yourself as a coach and the people around you.
“I had a week going into Round 1 where I was quite clear with the coaches that my focus for the next couple of training sessions was around one vs one coaching, just because I thought they (players) might get sick of my voice after the whole pre-season really taking a lot of drills.
“I spent a lot of time coaching one-on-one, but certainly the bigger picture drills where it’s really important we’re all on the same page, I look to take most of those at this point.
“But we’re quite strong on who’s taking each drill and who’s the best at executing and understanding and will help the players in the best way.
“So we’re quite deliberate about whether we want to coach or manage each day.”
Mitchell has previously mentioned the important gameday role Andy Collins plays on the boundary line for Hawthorn, allowing him to coach from the box.
Robert Harvey, Adrian Hickmott, David Hale and Chris Newman round out the other line coaches in Mitchell’s panel.