August 12, 2025 • 43 mins
In 2024, young mentor Ethan Szendrey coached his first ever year of A Grade football and his Stanley River side finished LAST in the Sunshine Coast Competition after making the Reserve Grade Grand Final a year earlier.
One year on, the Rivers are Minor Premiers and many people's favourites to take out the 2025 Premiership.
It's a remarkable story of a coach and club on the rise.
Interviewed by former NRL club and World Cup coach Lee Addison of rugbyleaguecoach.com.au and host of the Rugby League Coach Podcast out weekly.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-rugby-league-coach-podcast--5572032/support.
One year on, the Rivers are Minor Premiers and many people's favourites to take out the 2025 Premiership.
It's a remarkable story of a coach and club on the rise.
Interviewed by former NRL club and World Cup coach Lee Addison of rugbyleaguecoach.com.au and host of the Rugby League Coach Podcast out weekly.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-rugby-league-coach-podcast--5572032/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to this episode of Rugby League Coach Stories.
My name is Lee Addison, owner of Rugby League Coach
dot com dot au and author of Rugby League Coach
thirteen Game Changing Conversations to Transform Your Coaching, and this
version of the podcast is bonus episode. Each fortnite is
designed to highlight the coaching efforts of people at all
(00:23):
sorts of levels in the game. And this fella I'm
about to interview's straddled between a grade level. His coach
at reserve grade level at the in Park Footballer supposed
and I don't mean that negatively, but he's going to
be doing some junior rep stuff next year. Welcome Heathan Sandre.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Hey you going mate? Good you? Yeah, you're going well.
Mike going very well.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Tell everyone who eatan is Yeah. So I'm just a
country lad.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Mite. Grew up sort of applied for they originally down
Brisbane for the winning only Seagulls juniors, moved up sort
of kill Koway and finishing up with Jos through Standing
River Wolves and Bulldogs. Yeah, sort of progressed into a
senior career. Never really got off the groundmate, quite a
few injuries and whatnot. And my last got injury. I
(01:13):
was giving it up and I got asked to coach
a reserve guide side at bo R and my coaching
journey sort of went from their mate so reserve grade
at beer wartles through it. Yeah, So first year I
got asked, I was sort of a bit hesitant to
take the job. I've probably never really seen myself as
(01:34):
a coach. Do you know why anybody saw you as one? Yeah?
I had a couple of guys. I spoke to a
few guys at the time around it, and they sort
of said, you know, I've always probably been a bit
of a leader and people sort of listen when I speak.
I've got I know how to approach people on that.
So I thought I'd give it a go. And yeah,
(01:57):
I had a pretty good first year. Mate, first you
have a coaching seniors in reserve grade made it to
a GF. Unfortunately we didn't get the chocolates in that one.
But yeah, I'll learned a lot in that first year.
But and then after that, after that, I ended up
getting spoken to about coming back to my junior club.
(02:18):
Once I moved up to Kilkoy to stand the River Wolves.
Same token to go go coach reserve grade there. I
was a little bit on the fence, but I had
some work stuff in the background as well that I
didn't know if I was going to be available, whether
I was going to be working away. And then also
you know, coaching against my previous junior club the year before,
I actually knocked him out in a prelim final to
(02:40):
go to the GF, So I didn't know how how
I welcoming it was going to be down there. But yeah,
it went down for a couple of sessions, mate, you know,
I'll be honest. It wasn't great numbers down there. I
was a little bit on the fence, but I decided
to sink my teeth into it with with Gary Atkinson
at the time, made and built a really good squad there.
(03:02):
Brought quite a few guys across from from where I
had coached previously that the year before. Sorry that bu
a few guys come across, and also another made of mine, Jay.
He brought a few large in from our black part
way and yeah, we put together a pretty handy side
and went all the way through to a Grand final
and unfortunately lost that one by two points.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
There's a theme coming here, So what year was that ethan.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
That would have been would have been there twenty four
twenty three Mate.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Twenty three, So twenty four I met you and the team.
The Stanley River team had been promoted to a greed
and not necessarily on criteria, was it it was an invitation?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, it was sort of. You know, when I got there,
the club sort of had a chat to me about
whether I thought it was possible to go back into
a grade, which I thought it was. We knew it
was going to be a big mount the climb, but
I thought we had a lot of good people around
that were willing to put in the hard yards to
get that club back into being an A grade football club.
(04:09):
So yeah, that's sort of how it transpired. There was
a lot of hurdles we had to jump over and
hoops we had to jump through with the league to
get allowed back in as Rivers or Standard River sorry
had dropped out of the camp in twenty twenty two
after winning the comp in twenty nineteen. So yeah, there
(04:31):
was plenty of hurdles and hoops and loops and everything else, Mate,
but we managed to get it done.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Twenty twenty four was a tough year in terms of
win loss, column, But you no doubt grew as a
coach in that time because you were coaching and I
hate that what would have been then the highest level
of football you coached.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, mate, it was. It was an extremely tough year
last year for you know, I'd come off lest a
lower grade, come off a couple of really good successful years.
You know, I thought it was always confident we would
have competed and probably pushed to play some finals last year,
(05:11):
and just the way it transpired that it was tough.
It was tough on myself, you know, the playing group,
the club, everyone like I probably questioned myself a lot,
being my first year coaching a grade, and you know,
I'd had a lot of doubts in myself. But yeah,
it was in the same token, but it was probably
(05:34):
one of my most one of the years I learned
the most.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Also, but because you would have been forced into that
position to learn the most, basically one.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Hundred percent made it. You know, I'd never dealt with
a lot of the things I had to deal with
last year, and yeah, I had no choice. Roll My
two choices were packed in and walk away, or work
with what I had and try and learn as much
as I could and take every positive I could out
of that year, and.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
How much of last year has turned in to what
this year? Your top of the ladder lost one game
so far. Everyone's favorites, I think to win the competition,
but every time you get to a grand final eath
and you lose it. So tell us where we're up
to and then how you got how important last year
was in that?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
But I think last year was massively important to this year.
You know, like I said, as much as last year
was a tough year for the club, you know, a
grade finishing wooden spoon and I think was a grade
finished one position off the bottom, so they finished second last.
I think what did happen last year was there was
some good standards and that that as a club of committee,
(06:41):
coaching staff and some of the senior players that have
returned this year set and we tried hard to stick
to them. Last year just didn't probably pan out that
we could, which I think is really transported into this year.
And then also you know, we've got around six seven
guys that are turned from that last year's team that
(07:02):
got a real real fire in their belly about this year.
So yeah, I think a lot of them things. I
think I learned a lot and I implemented a lot
of stuff that I learned from last year, probably into
how I've approached this year. You know, I'd probably first
person throwing your hand up, so probably wasn't the most
organized coach last year. I'll probably tried to be at times,
(07:24):
but it wouldn't pan out, Whereas I feel a lot
more planned and organized this year, which I find helps
your sessions flow better, and you know, the player, it's
a lot easier for the players to understand what we're
trying to achieve and what we're trying to do with sessions.
So it's you know, it's a big thing you you
worked a lot with myself on last year, Lisa.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
The A big theme of your coaching has also been
recruitment so far. So Jack Gibson, who everybody likes to quote,
he said things like, you know, a club is only
as good as it's front office, for example. But another
big quote that often doesn't get mentioned is he also
(08:04):
said coach is a good recruiters. So so my next
question to you is how important is recruitment and how
how do you do it?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Man? I think recruitment's huge, you know, my belief in
it is you could be, especially the level where coaching,
you could be the best coach in the league. If
you haven't got the cattle, you're probably always going to
struggle a bit.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Look at look sorry to interrupt, look at Look at
the two guys that are at the bottom of the
NRL right now, the most experienced coaches in the competition
right now. And you can't tell me Death Has they
can't coach football. You can't tell me Wayne Bennett can't
go exactly right. And I truly agree made.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
And you know, as much as we didn't get things
right in some areas last year, I think that was
a big part of it last year too. You know,
we we just didn't well we probably had the cattle
to begin with, but just ran out of cattle. And
it was as simple as that. So yeah, I think
recruitment's massive made It's a huge part of the game.
I even think at community level recruitment's getting bigger and bigger.
(09:13):
It's becoming more and more important if you want to
stay competitive in these local leagues now. But for me,
how I go about it, I'm probably probably look at
things a bit more. I'd judge somebody on character before
I necessarily judge their football skills. You know, I'm a
believer in if you get someone that's decent and committed,
(09:36):
and you back your coaching skills and you're coaching staff skills,
well you can help that player and prove to be
better and better. Whereas if you get someone that's maybe
super skillful, has all the ability in the world and
everything that's uncoachable, and maybe asn't a team player, well
you're may be going to struggle. So for me personally,
that's the way I always try and trying to approach recruiting.
(09:58):
I sort of look at what to give you an
idea This year, I looked at what positions I thought
I needed, areas, I thought we needed depth, et cetera,
et cetera. And then when I started talking to people
made it was always, you know, a lot of more
conversations start with, you know, what do you do for work?
Here's your life? Have you got a family? If you do,
here's your kids, here's your missus, whatever it may be,
it's more about life and how comfortable and happy they
(10:20):
are in life and what they are as a person.
And then we sort of transition into football from there.
Did you find that you might have your plan.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
You might think, right, I need two centers, I need
a half, I need basically that. But as soon as
you started conversations, that planning was taken away from you
somewhat because the players would say, oh, I know somebody
who would want to call moves in this position, and
then you ended up maybe replacing somebody you didn't think
you need to replace. Did you find that happened? It
(10:49):
was a momentum thing. Definitely might look.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think players recruit players too, Yeah, especially at this level.
Like I'll give a huge amount of it to a
guy that's part of our club and another good good
friend of yours, Lee Taylor Brown, good friend. I don't
like him. Uh. You know, Taylor come last year and
he helped a lot in the recruitment of last year,
(11:16):
just unfortunately we probably didn't get it quite right with
the fitness of people and a lot of injuries that.
But then same into this year, he's brought in massively
to the club and he helps hugely and that that
aspect as players recruit players, and then you know, off
the back of that, some of the guys we got
they brought someone with them and you know, that's sort
of how it rolled. You know. It probably helped also
(11:38):
with Daniel Green coming on board with myself this year
is sort of co coach assistant coach roll. You know.
He brought a handful of players that he's coached for years,
and off the back of them guys coming there was
a couple to come with them. So recruitment this year
actually ended up being quite easy for the easy questions,
why did you coach? Whe eye coach. I get a
(12:00):
huge amount of satisfaction out of helping people. Yeah, whether
it be my day to day job life.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Tell everybody what your job is, by the way, so yeah,
so my job well I do now have recently changed ups.
I'm a Queensland area manager for a civil company, so
you'll manage manage company with all earthwork civil in the
whole years. You have a way from three kids, I
partner and three kids.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yep, correct, mate, Yeah, I got three little ones six Leah,
Braylin and mcivey. So six, five and ten months.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
When'd you plan on seeing them?
Speaker 2 (12:39):
If you ask my partner mate, never, no, it's good mate,
like even probably in that aspect of family right, this
year has been a little bit easier in that that
side of things too. So my two older ones, you know,
I sort of rotate them. They come down to footy
early with me, you know, they go run around with
the other kids and whatnot as well. So even in
that aspect, it's getting easier, which is good.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
So yeah, so I ask your way, your coat will
help people that the un stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, that's probably my main one, mate. I get a
huge amount of satisfaction now to helping people, you know,
whether that be I'm not there just to try and
coach these guys to be better footy players. I try
and give some of my experiences where I've come from
and whatnot, and try and help these guys, know, be
better in life and guide them through life too. Like
it's a big thing I've learned, especially probably in the
(13:29):
last couple of years with coaching, is you're not just
a coach. Sometimes you're a coach, you're a father, you're
a best mate, you're a brother, you're a pastor, you're
a counselor your every hat. Yeah, look that one rolls.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
But coaching strength and work on things you need to
work on.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I'd say, you know, my strengths, I think when it
comes to man management and probably understanding players and understanding
how how to try and get them performing at their best.
I think I relate very well there, and I think
that'd be one of my more real strong points still
to work on that. I'm a big believer in anything.
(14:13):
I'm always working. I don't think anybody's ever a complete
you know, everything always at one hundred percent. But you know,
I still work very hard in my planning and stuff
like that, which was probably one of my biggest downfalls
last year. But I'm still working very hard in that
space to you know, I feel I'm pretty good at
(14:35):
it now, but just work harder and harder. Instead of
being four weeks planned out in front, you know, I
want to strive to be eight weeks planned out in
front and my whole year planned and different bits and
pieces like that. So I still think that's a great
area that I'm that I'm learning in And probably something
that I've gotten a little bit more new to this
year is genuine video, so doing video analysis of games
(14:58):
and players and all that. So hands that I've really
taken on board this year, and I'm sort of sting
to be better out every week.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
On the subject of video. I work with a few coaches,
as you know, and I was. I'll tell you this,
Analyzing video changed my coaching basically once I got the
software and everything else.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
This was back in.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Eight I invested in some software. Don't know where I
got the money from, but I did, and it changed
everything for me. And it changed the way I looked
at the game, analyzed the game, but also how the
players could access information about themselves. The problem is in
a grade football, as you know, you can be as
(15:44):
professional as you want as a coach, and even when
your top of the ladder and winning more games than
you lose, sometimes the players are away at work or
players I've only got a couple of hours spare for
rugby league and that's Tuesday and Thursday night, whatever it
may be. Have you got to that point yet where
(16:06):
you want to do video, You want to do this,
you want to do that, but actually it's going to
have a diminishing return. Have you got to that point yet?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Probably? Probably not, Mate. So a lot of the video
I do, we can send out players during the week,
so we can individually send it to them so they
can find some time throughout the week. Yeah. Huddle, Yeah,
I use huddle, so they can view it during the
(16:35):
week and then we can just sort of have a
chat about it briefly. They can ring me during the
day whatever it can be. But then when more so
the team stuff. At the moment, we're trying to keep
fairly simple, especially on the Sunny Coast. It's pretty rare
the first time you played a team, they're the same
lineup as the second time you play the team. So
we more try and look for team trends, and then
(16:58):
pre game we might break off middles edges spine and
you know, we might have four or five videos, you know,
short clips that then we just run through them game
day an hour and a half before the game and
go that way. So I haven't found a diminishing effect
yet because we're not really going super super hard on
(17:22):
the video. It's nearly even more a bit of a
coaches tool at the same time for myself and Greenie,
we'll sort of review and we'll do some clips and
then we'll talk about what we're seeing, and you know,
that might affect a little bit on what we implement
a training. You know, we might see some things around
our defense that we go right Tuesday night. We've seen
some areas and laps in the last couple of weeks
(17:43):
around here, let's get a good session in on this.
So it's as much probably a coaching tool at the
moment as what I'm using it as a gener How.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Much video do you show you plays each week in
terms of minutes and hours?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
What was that? Sorry? How much?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
How much footage will one of your players consume in
terms of minutes and hours each week?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Twenty minutes max?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Twenty minutes? Yeah, what about culture is almost you consume?
Oh hours? What's an ethan CenTra training session? So because
we're chatting on a Friday morning, why not tell us
what your Tuesday session was? On your Thursday session? We
got to buy this week, so we got last week
Tuesday session off. But like, for instance, a Thursday session,
(18:29):
we sort of try and genuinely run that as a
bit of a captain's run.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So we're pretty big this year. We'll generally start the
night for a bit of a game, whether that's a
soccer ball in a big group. You got to keep
it off the ground, see how many times you can
do it, sort of any sort of active game like that,
and we'll move into our dynamics or sometimes we will
do a bit of a bit of speed and agility
work and then into our into our dynamics mate. Then yeah,
typical Captains none Captains runs night as we normally do
(18:55):
a bit of left first right, cover us some stuff
we want to go through there, and then we just
go into opposed. Whereas our Tuesday nights all for instance,
sorry last night, with with grade not having a game
this weekend, we'd probably blow them out a little bit longer.
We went through some some speed, just some race stuff
with some speed work, and then we probably went into
(19:17):
a bit of a longer I went into an underposed
and a bit of a longer opposed. But whereas generally
our Tuesday nights is where we try and focus anything
around our core skill. You know, it's something I worked
a fair bit on with you last year and sort
of continue to work on with Greennie this year. Is
how important core skill is. You know. We start a
(19:37):
lot of our Tuesday nights, even sometimes our Thursday nights
with a simple drill four line, five hundred passes, two
hundred and fifty each way, and then we'll implement in right,
everything's got to be spiral pass well, everything's got to
be a six o'clock pass and really emphasis around that
core skill. So, yeah, if we're going to do a
(19:58):
biggest core skill night, so might go through, yeah, our
passing core skill. You know, you might go through a
bit of our stuff around our hip hops and bumpers
and hitting spins and everything like that. And then sometimes
if we're going to go probably a bit of a
heavier light on our defense work and contact, well we'll
make sure there's a block in there around that. So
(20:19):
generally use our Tuesdays as our our core skill night
and anything you know to give the boys a blowout
if we feel they need it, or you know, all
our heavy contact sessions and then use these our sort
of genuine captains run.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
What's Ethan Sanders' game plan? Like, how do his teams play?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I think I'm very defense minded coach. I'd say, you know,
I think it takes one point to win a game.
If you can defend somebody and not let them score anyone,
you don't need to score not score any points. You
don't need to score that many yourself. So I'd say
or a lot of my teams are coach very heavily
on our defensive principles and how anal and I am
(21:02):
on them. But in the same token in attack, I
try not to over complicate the game too much. You know,
that probably differs on what sort of halves you've got
to what sort of spine players you've got, But you know,
I try and outline, you know, a couple of plays
(21:22):
for yardage set, a couple of players that we can
use for our midfield transition sets, and a couple of
plays for our good ball sets. And then outside of that,
I just really trying to power the boys to play footy,
you know, play what's in front of them. So, yeah,
that's probably how my attack works, and that's probably how
my team sort of play. You probably see, especially this
(21:44):
year and in our team we've got this year that
we've probably got a little bit of the off the
cuff sort of stuff that we do run. You know,
we don't want attacking short sides now and different little
bits and pieces like that.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
So you've mentioned this year's team, So give them a rundown,
I sorry, give give the listener a rundown of the
caliber of player you've got in that team this year
and their history.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Yeah, I've got maybe.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Going from one to seventeen. That's probably the easiest way.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Right, Yeah, I've got a fair fair caliber of of
player this year out there in Stanley Rivers. So to
give you an idea, I'll work that way. I'll just
go off my last last Weekend's team seventeen. So you
know Scott Maddick played at fullback, you know, probably played
one hundred plast games of a grade football, a little
(22:34):
bit of BRL, but also gone right up to what
sort of World Cup level in t r L. So
he's a very attacking style player and he's got that
very TRL style of player, but got fullback.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
He suited to run in the football from what I've seen, correct, mate, correct?
You know Tyler mcgoderick one of my wingers there, he's
played a bit of colts up there at the Falcons.
You know, probably played close to one hundred games of
a grade football now as well, I'd say somewhere between
eighty and one hundred. New to the club this year,
so you know, plenty of experience there and he's only
(23:10):
twenty three years old. One of his center Sam Leach,
so you know, Leachi come to us last year, played
quite a bit of Cup, was contracted to the Brisbane Broncos,
played under twenties for the Broncos and the NYC comp.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yeah. Yeah, played a fair bit of cup out there
at Redcliffe. Reagan Glynn's another one of me Center's mate.
Probably not as much of the higher level you know,
into the REP stuff or the cup side of things,
but hugely experienced BRL A grade player, you know, played
a lot of BRL.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So in my head as you're going through this list,
I'm thinking, if they've got to a BRL level, I'm
classing that as having some.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Skin in the game. Yeah, correct. Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
If you say one hundred plus a grade games that
skin in the game, that's probably been harsh on A
grade's fifty skin in the game too, But one hundred,
we'll go one hundred. So so far you're four out
of four with skin in the game.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Then you go, you go to my my next wing
of the Alex Clig. You know we brought him across
from England last year.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
He played third tier second tier in England. Yeah, correct, mate.
You know, leading tri score for Newcastle Thunder two years ago.
You know, plenty plenty of skin in the game. Quality guy.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You know my six Corey Herdigan, you know the Herdigan's
are pretty well known across rugby league. You know he's
a current Q Cup contracted player to the Falcons. Yep.
So you know quality guy me seven. You know Cameron
Cullen is my current seven. You know, played an r
L player, a lot of Q Cup at Redcliffe one comp,
(24:45):
then he won a camp with Redcliffe and with Burley
Cup level, played played down r L at manly played
down r L Titans, a huge, huge influence around our club.
You know, one of my front rowls at the mar
Ben King you know, same a lot of cup. I
think it was two or three years ago. I believe
(25:06):
him done an NRL pre season with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
And was one of your key players last year in
terms of trying to drive culture and got frustrated when
the culture wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Correct, mate, like that. That bloke is a genuine winner. Yeah,
like and.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Hes every bit of success. Is enjoying this year based
on last year.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Exactly right made it and the beauty of it this
year is too. You know, like you've seen yourself how
how critical and how much effort he put in last year.
You know he's our captain or my captain this year
and it's probably even gone more again with a better side,
like he's holding him even more accountable now, which is
really good to see. So then you go into like
me nine. It's played nine for me nearly eighty minutes
(25:46):
every every week, this every game this year. Logan Cox,
another young guy twenty three twenty four, played CARLT at Redcliffe.
You know, he was pretty entire pretty embedded in there,
got unseated by Wade Egan in the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So i'd start a skin in the game too if
they're only twenty three, because in tire and they could
still goal to Q Coup and an RL mate.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
I know for a fact I've been talking to the
local Q Cup side up there fast that's got their
eye on him, so very good other front of their
kyle E Mia come over from New Zealand. I played
New Zealand residents, played some BRL, you know, played quite
a bit a grade. Now I've done a full pre
season up with the Falcons of Q Cup this year.
(26:28):
I think he was the only train and trial they
carried right through till two weeks before the season kicked off.
And we're probably pretty close to offering him a contract,
so you know, pretty handy in one of my back rollers,
Robert Jennings. Yeah, yeah, exactly mate, And I think once
(26:48):
he played nearly one hundred games of NRL represented Tonga
or Samoa. Sorry if we got that wrong, Jenco, whichever
one it is. You know, I come from the Dolphins
and mat huge experience into my other back row, which
is Paddy Burns. Another guy brought over from England this year. Yeah,
(27:09):
you know, he's played right up to I believe he
might have even had one or two games of Super League,
but played a lot of the second division over there
in England with Hull and different bits and pieces, mate,
So you know, just tough as nails. You know, probably
doesn't say a lot, but just leads on the field, mate.
Or he's non negotiable. Areas are crazy made, his reload
(27:33):
speed on his defense, he's aggression in three man work
in defense, he's line running, his willingness to do the
hard yards when made. He's an absolute quality player and
an absolute quality guy, and that into me. Thirteens is
another young guy, Hudson Jones, played quite a bit of BRL.
(27:54):
I believe he had some MENRL interests when he was
a bit younger. Played cults for Redcliffe Dolphins. Yeah, really
really really heated guy.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
So I started thirteen. All got skin in the game, Yeah,
significant skin in some cases, exactly right. So then your
bench last week, and I suppose we have to mention
the players that are either not selected or injured right
now suspended as well, so.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Which there's a lot mate, So you know you go
into logan pot of too. He's played quite a bit
of fullback for us this year too, you know, played
culture at Falcons, you know, played quite a bit of
a grade across the Sunny coast and the young gery
himself twenty four each quality guy. Probably one guy that's
been massive for us this year and it's great to
see him come of leaps and bounds. Taylor Brown, Yeah,
(28:40):
Taylor's played, was contracted to the Dragons, played twenties for
the Dragons, played a lot of que car you know,
like he's he's coming off the bench for us and
just been amazing. Mate. So you know you got him,
You've got Garre Friedrich, you know, played a bit of
BRL at Valley's played BRL at West. You know, another
(29:02):
not the quality guy. I played a lot of a
grade from a young age, like he'd have to be
across b r L and Sunny Coast be pushing one
hundred games of a grade by now I'd reckon. Yeah.
You know. Then you've got j Ellery. You know, a
local junior from out there played Hastings Steerings down at Ipswich.
You know, probably played seventy eighty games of a grade
across the Sney Coast. Now played a lot of junior
(29:25):
rut back in his day, knows football. You've got big
big Alo Tualo Varupu from Varpoulu sorry, from Redcliffe another
I made. He's played, played his share of cup you know,
across North and Redcliffe. When he wasn't playing cups, played
quite a bit of b r L A grade like
he was the Redcliffe b r L A grade captain
(29:45):
last year. So you know he's quite quite the player, mate.
And then yeah, sort of the list just keeps going on. Mate.
You're going to some younger guys like Liam Gash. You
know he played most of the last year and b
A grade for Brighton. You've got Jaden Tower far he's
out injured at the moment. Made he was signed by
(30:07):
Melbourne Storm for Jersey Flag. I believe played Colts. Is
he a Penrith By I'm not entirely sure, but I
think he's local from up here.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Okay, I can't find that one out for me because
I remember a table for from the Penrith day. He's
a similar time to.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I'll try and find it out for you. You know,
they got guys like them. And you've got James Cochrane,
local local journam from the club. You know he's game
this year mate has gone to another level, like he's
he's really flourished from I think a tough year last
year and then having a really good preseason and having
some good experienced guys around him just pushing him to
(30:44):
be better.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Raising tide left old boltte so and then you've got
Jackson Sandbrooks Mate, like he's filled in.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I think he's played six games in the Harves for
us now this year. You know, he's an eighteen year
old kid playing a grade. I think he's fifth leading
triscorer for a grade. You know, up there on the points,
kicking goals. He's just getting better and better and better
every week. You know, Aden, your old kid now that's
probably had across the last two seasons. He's probably looking
(31:14):
you know fifteen, i'd starting to nudge nearly twenty games
of a grade experience at Adeen, so you know he's
coming along leaps.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Is that the that started back end of last year?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Yes, yep, yeah, yep.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
You've got an audience now on this pod. Three most
important lessons you'd give to any coach if you were
pontificating to a coach, Geez told you that the easy
ones had gone, the softballs had gone. Yeah, oh that's
a tough hole. Is now three three bits of advice
I've givenother coach? That's what you said, isn't that? Yeah?
(31:55):
Probably it's the three biggest things you've learned.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Yeah. Probably. One I would say, no matter how hard
it gets, remember why you do it. You know I've
mentioned there before. That's one for me, as you know
yourself might have went through some pretty dark tomes last year,
and I think just really been able to sit back
as a character and reflect on why you do it.
It's not alway it's going to be easy, and remember
(32:18):
the bigger picture on why you don't.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
I think it was important our dynamic last year actually
because you had somebody to put it into some context
for you. And I did say numerous times to you,
you've got to work hard. But then eventually it would
just flip round, correct, And it flipped round even quicker
than I thought it would. But yeah, and the other
(32:43):
thing is I tend to get employee to clubs that
need help. I don't get employed to premiership winning sides.
If you think about that, no coach does, right, Lester
retires or you know. And so yeah, it was, it
(33:08):
was needed, and I think it was an essential part
of your growth because because let's say you didn't have
last year, you wouldn't be one tenth of the coach
you are now. You'd have gone from reserve grade Grand
Final to first grade, top of the comp. But last
(33:30):
year you had to really deeply analyze number one, why
you coached, which was the first point you've brought up.
Number two, how the hell to get yourself out of
the the predicament. Because the other thing and another thing
we spoke about last year quite significantly, and funnily enough,
I see this at one of the clubs I work
out right now too. In another comp. If you had
(33:53):
to drill down into the losses last year, maybe one
or two was a significant loss. The rest were all
close games. Of football, and that builds character, that builds resilience,
that builds care, that builds want, that builds desire, that
builds eagerness to try and repair it. And it also
(34:15):
preaches to people's pride. So in your group this year,
even though you've just listed a who's who, are a
grade Rugby league footballers a team the envy of everybody
in Australia, the people around them. So the people you
haven't mentioned are the club and they went through that
(34:38):
last year and they went through the growing pains have
been a reserve grade outfit essentially, And everybody who knows
football in the bush or near the bush, near the
city but sort of the bush, knows that a reserve
grade club is very social, very relaxed about football. I
(35:05):
see reserve grade games regularly where one player doesn't warm up.
His name is Ben. Shout out to Ben. He just says,
I'm not doing that. And then all of a sudden,
some of those players are asked to play first grade,
which is video refereed intensely. The referees are coached, there's
(35:28):
a big judiciary attached to it. There's care, there's sponsorship,
moneies that people pay to watch that and the pressure
is real, and particularly in some of these towns in
and around Australia that are off the beaten track, the
(35:48):
fortunes of that football team are the thread that runs
through that community.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
So it's a different kettle of fish.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
So going back to last year, all the players and
the committee and the coaches that worked through with you
last year, they would have been the welcoming committee to
all the players that you got in this year, and
your current culture will be a fusion of those two things.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Which it really is made and one way I've gone
about it this year. You know that there's been stages
this year and there's been some really quality guys that
have been playing reserve grade. And one of my biggest
biggest things this year with us is we're not a
grade reserve grade. We're a senior squad. Yeah, you know,
(36:40):
and I've said it to them probably one hundred times.
They're probably sick of hearing it, but you know, if
we're not all in it together, nobody succeeds because you
look through I've just come through a patch of about
six games mate, where we had sort of six to
seven to eight guys out each week that you know,
(37:02):
that's six to seven to eight guys coming out of
that reserve grade, so I play an a grade and
just seeing them come in and do a job, and
you know, not only do a job, but actually take
that opportunity and run with it and play some of
the best football I've ever seen some of these guys
play coming up into a grade. You know that that
tells me the culture is right. Yeah, that tells me.
(37:24):
It's there's no animosity between I want to be playing
a grade, but I'm playing reserve grade. I don't get
me wrong. There's a lot of guys there and that
want to play a grade that probably aren't paying consistent
a grade at the moment, but there's no animosity there.
We're a big, tight group, you know. They all the
boys love hanging a bit of shit on each other,
(37:44):
a bit of banter, and it is made. And you know,
I know you've said it a lot yourself before, but
you've got to get the front office right as well.
And I think it needs to be a huge amount
of gratitude and congratulations given to the media out there
as well. You know that it wasn't just hard last
year on me as a coach. It was hard on
(38:05):
a committee, Mate, there was you know, there was a
lot of noise. Yeah there was.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
There was overhaul on the committee, wasn't they? And yeah
there was president last year for one reason or another.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
So that's the longest answer ever to the first important thing.
The other two most important things.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
I'd say, secondly, be open minded and don't ever be
afraid to ask questions. Okay, that's probably been another big
one for me to come from a couple of years
of decent success in reserve grade to last year just
(38:45):
going everything spiral and out of control, and you know,
when yourself, when you come on board and whatnot. You know,
just even players, not not just other coaches have just
been confident enough and to just go to someone and go, mate,
I'm not sure about this. Watch your thoughts or whatever.
Like you even look at probably this yearly earlier in
(39:06):
the year that I was sending you some of my
pretty game warm up set out, you know, ask them
what your thoughts are with that? Different bits and pieces
like what did I do to them? I can't remember.
You're actually pretty happy with you. Change them a little bit,
but you were pretty happy with them.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
So I gave myself I might put that bit out
of the podcast of anybody hearing that I was happy
with undred percent A couple of things pretty good.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
So yeah, that's that's one thing i'd say, you know, like,
I'll always be willing to learn and never never be
afraid to ask you mm hmmm.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
And then the third one. Third, so you've said don't
be afraid to ask. The first one was always remember
what you do it. I always remember why you do it.
I don't be afraid to ask.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Third most important planning.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
Okay, yeah, so a little bit different from you individual,
but planning, like I've really really noticed this year with
the difference in being a lot more well planned really helps.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Yeah, life really really helps.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I'm big coaching ambitions and what's happening next year.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Mate, it's coaching ambitions a bit of a dream in myself.
But I'd love to God as far as I could
with my coach made it.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
How old are Yeah, so he's still a yeah, look
at a yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Yeah, I'd love to God as far as I genuinely
love coaching and I love the challenge of coaching and whatnot.
It's a it's a sport that you know, as far
back as I can remember, I've always had a footy
in my hand and whatnot say that side of it
next year. Probably can't say too much just yet, but
(41:07):
there is some some sort of offers for some some
rep stuff. Yeah, Junior looking at the sort of nineteenes Melmedinger,
So yeah, I'm sort of hoping to have that sealed
away next week. So it's sort of but yeah, that's
(41:29):
sort of probably the plan there, mate. You know, the
conversations I've been having would be probably once that Melmninger
seasons finished, i'd sort of try and amalgamate over into
into the cup squad and whether that's running water, whatever
it may be, just around that and continue to learn
and go be a part of some elite systems. So
(41:52):
I'm not sort of looking at the bigger picture, but yeah,
I'll still when I can float around rivers. I'm very
out of what I've been a part of there to
help build it to where it is. And I've got
a lot of close friends there and a lot of
players there that you know, and only players to me
now will be you know, lifelong friends. So still still
(42:13):
try and pape me eyes in there and help you
out wherever I can. You're a Broncos fan, you're happy
with out there going this year. I don't know they're
they're frustrating football side. Yeah, I think they've got the
talent made of complete honesty of him is. I think
they've got a bit of a soft and a belly.
(42:33):
I don't think they like to half games of football.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
To send them some players if you want, If you
want to be like Ethan and be featured on Rugby
League Coach Stories, do I say Rugby League Coach Coach
Stories or Rugby League Coach Stories stories, Rugbiley Coach Stories podcast.
(42:56):
Contact me Lee Addison, admin at Rugby League Coach dot com.
Say you is the email at Rugby League Coach on
Facebook and Instagram if you want to message me altho
on a few other things TikTok. I don't look at
TikTok because I get distracted. All I'll say is I'd
get distracted too much Ethan on TikTok. I get distracted
enough on Instagram as it is. That's all I'm saying.
(43:19):
So yes, please get in touch and visit Rugby League
Coach dot com dot au when you can. Ethan Cindric
thank you so much for being one of our Coach Stories, not.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
A drama make thanks for having me on and I'm
all the best and I'll talk to you mine. I
do appreciate your taking Tom to have a little interview
for me there to die, and hope everyone gets a
bit of an insight in myself and enjoys listening a
little bit about me
Hello and welcome to this episode of Rugby League Coach Stories.
My name is Lee Addison, owner of Rugby League Coach
dot com dot au and author of Rugby League Coach
thirteen Game Changing Conversations to Transform Your Coaching, and this
version of the podcast is bonus episode. Each fortnite is
designed to highlight the coaching efforts of people at all
(00:23):
sorts of levels in the game. And this fella I'm
about to interview's straddled between a grade level. His coach
at reserve grade level at the in Park Footballer supposed
and I don't mean that negatively, but he's going to
be doing some junior rep stuff next year. Welcome Heathan Sandre.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Hey you going mate? Good you? Yeah, you're going well.
Mike going very well.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Tell everyone who eatan is Yeah. So I'm just a
country lad.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Mite. Grew up sort of applied for they originally down
Brisbane for the winning only Seagulls juniors, moved up sort
of kill Koway and finishing up with Jos through Standing
River Wolves and Bulldogs. Yeah, sort of progressed into a
senior career. Never really got off the groundmate, quite a
few injuries and whatnot. And my last got injury. I
(01:13):
was giving it up and I got asked to coach
a reserve guide side at bo R and my coaching
journey sort of went from their mate so reserve grade
at beer wartles through it. Yeah, So first year I
got asked, I was sort of a bit hesitant to
take the job. I've probably never really seen myself as
(01:34):
a coach. Do you know why anybody saw you as one? Yeah?
I had a couple of guys. I spoke to a
few guys at the time around it, and they sort
of said, you know, I've always probably been a bit
of a leader and people sort of listen when I speak.
I've got I know how to approach people on that.
So I thought I'd give it a go. And yeah,
(01:57):
I had a pretty good first year. Mate, first you
have a coaching seniors in reserve grade made it to
a GF. Unfortunately we didn't get the chocolates in that one.
But yeah, I'll learned a lot in that first year.
But and then after that, after that, I ended up
getting spoken to about coming back to my junior club.
(02:18):
Once I moved up to Kilkoy to stand the River Wolves.
Same token to go go coach reserve grade there. I
was a little bit on the fence, but I had
some work stuff in the background as well that I
didn't know if I was going to be available, whether
I was going to be working away. And then also
you know, coaching against my previous junior club the year before,
I actually knocked him out in a prelim final to
(02:40):
go to the GF, So I didn't know how how
I welcoming it was going to be down there. But yeah,
it went down for a couple of sessions, mate, you know,
I'll be honest. It wasn't great numbers down there. I
was a little bit on the fence, but I decided
to sink my teeth into it with with Gary Atkinson
at the time, made and built a really good squad there.
(03:02):
Brought quite a few guys across from from where I
had coached previously that the year before. Sorry that bu
a few guys come across, and also another made of mine, Jay.
He brought a few large in from our black part
way and yeah, we put together a pretty handy side
and went all the way through to a Grand final
and unfortunately lost that one by two points.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
There's a theme coming here, So what year was that ethan.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
That would have been would have been there twenty four
twenty three Mate.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Twenty three, So twenty four I met you and the team.
The Stanley River team had been promoted to a greed
and not necessarily on criteria, was it it was an invitation?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yeah, it was sort of. You know, when I got there,
the club sort of had a chat to me about
whether I thought it was possible to go back into
a grade, which I thought it was. We knew it
was going to be a big mount the climb, but
I thought we had a lot of good people around
that were willing to put in the hard yards to
get that club back into being an A grade football club.
(04:09):
So yeah, that's sort of how it transpired. There was
a lot of hurdles we had to jump over and
hoops we had to jump through with the league to
get allowed back in as Rivers or Standard River sorry
had dropped out of the camp in twenty twenty two
after winning the comp in twenty nineteen. So yeah, there
(04:31):
was plenty of hurdles and hoops and loops and everything else, Mate,
but we managed to get it done.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Twenty twenty four was a tough year in terms of
win loss, column, But you no doubt grew as a
coach in that time because you were coaching and I
hate that what would have been then the highest level
of football you coached.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, mate, it was. It was an extremely tough year
last year for you know, I'd come off lest a
lower grade, come off a couple of really good successful years.
You know, I thought it was always confident we would
have competed and probably pushed to play some finals last year,
(05:11):
and just the way it transpired that it was tough.
It was tough on myself, you know, the playing group,
the club, everyone like I probably questioned myself a lot,
being my first year coaching a grade, and you know,
I'd had a lot of doubts in myself. But yeah,
it was in the same token, but it was probably
(05:34):
one of my most one of the years I learned
the most.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Also, but because you would have been forced into that
position to learn the most, basically one.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Hundred percent made it. You know, I'd never dealt with
a lot of the things I had to deal with
last year, and yeah, I had no choice. Roll My
two choices were packed in and walk away, or work
with what I had and try and learn as much
as I could and take every positive I could out
of that year, and.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
How much of last year has turned in to what
this year? Your top of the ladder lost one game
so far. Everyone's favorites, I think to win the competition,
but every time you get to a grand final eath
and you lose it. So tell us where we're up
to and then how you got how important last year
was in that?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
But I think last year was massively important to this year.
You know, like I said, as much as last year
was a tough year for the club, you know, a
grade finishing wooden spoon and I think was a grade
finished one position off the bottom, so they finished second last.
I think what did happen last year was there was
some good standards and that that as a club of committee,
(06:41):
coaching staff and some of the senior players that have
returned this year set and we tried hard to stick
to them. Last year just didn't probably pan out that
we could, which I think is really transported into this year.
And then also you know, we've got around six seven
guys that are turned from that last year's team that
(07:02):
got a real real fire in their belly about this year.
So yeah, I think a lot of them things. I
think I learned a lot and I implemented a lot
of stuff that I learned from last year, probably into
how I've approached this year. You know, I'd probably first
person throwing your hand up, so probably wasn't the most
organized coach last year. I'll probably tried to be at times,
(07:24):
but it wouldn't pan out, Whereas I feel a lot
more planned and organized this year, which I find helps
your sessions flow better, and you know, the player, it's
a lot easier for the players to understand what we're
trying to achieve and what we're trying to do with sessions.
So it's you know, it's a big thing you you
worked a lot with myself on last year, Lisa.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
The A big theme of your coaching has also been
recruitment so far. So Jack Gibson, who everybody likes to quote,
he said things like, you know, a club is only
as good as it's front office, for example. But another
big quote that often doesn't get mentioned is he also
(08:04):
said coach is a good recruiters. So so my next
question to you is how important is recruitment and how
how do you do it?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Man? I think recruitment's huge, you know, my belief in
it is you could be, especially the level where coaching,
you could be the best coach in the league. If
you haven't got the cattle, you're probably always going to
struggle a bit.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Look at look sorry to interrupt, look at Look at
the two guys that are at the bottom of the
NRL right now, the most experienced coaches in the competition
right now. And you can't tell me Death Has they
can't coach football. You can't tell me Wayne Bennett can't
go exactly right. And I truly agree made.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
And you know, as much as we didn't get things
right in some areas last year, I think that was
a big part of it last year too. You know,
we we just didn't well we probably had the cattle
to begin with, but just ran out of cattle. And
it was as simple as that. So yeah, I think
recruitment's massive made It's a huge part of the game.
I even think at community level recruitment's getting bigger and bigger.
(09:13):
It's becoming more and more important if you want to
stay competitive in these local leagues now. But for me,
how I go about it, I'm probably probably look at
things a bit more. I'd judge somebody on character before
I necessarily judge their football skills. You know, I'm a
believer in if you get someone that's decent and committed,
(09:36):
and you back your coaching skills and you're coaching staff skills,
well you can help that player and prove to be
better and better. Whereas if you get someone that's maybe
super skillful, has all the ability in the world and
everything that's uncoachable, and maybe asn't a team player, well
you're may be going to struggle. So for me personally,
that's the way I always try and trying to approach recruiting.
(09:58):
I sort of look at what to give you an
idea This year, I looked at what positions I thought
I needed, areas, I thought we needed depth, et cetera,
et cetera. And then when I started talking to people
made it was always, you know, a lot of more
conversations start with, you know, what do you do for work?
Here's your life? Have you got a family? If you do,
here's your kids, here's your missus, whatever it may be,
it's more about life and how comfortable and happy they
(10:20):
are in life and what they are as a person.
And then we sort of transition into football from there.
Did you find that you might have your plan.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
You might think, right, I need two centers, I need
a half, I need basically that. But as soon as
you started conversations, that planning was taken away from you
somewhat because the players would say, oh, I know somebody
who would want to call moves in this position, and
then you ended up maybe replacing somebody you didn't think
you need to replace. Did you find that happened? It
(10:49):
was a momentum thing. Definitely might look.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think players recruit players too, Yeah, especially at this level.
Like I'll give a huge amount of it to a
guy that's part of our club and another good good
friend of yours, Lee Taylor Brown, good friend. I don't
like him. Uh. You know, Taylor come last year and
he helped a lot in the recruitment of last year,
(11:16):
just unfortunately we probably didn't get it quite right with
the fitness of people and a lot of injuries that.
But then same into this year, he's brought in massively
to the club and he helps hugely and that that
aspect as players recruit players, and then you know, off
the back of that, some of the guys we got
they brought someone with them and you know, that's sort
of how it rolled. You know. It probably helped also
(11:38):
with Daniel Green coming on board with myself this year
is sort of co coach assistant coach roll. You know.
He brought a handful of players that he's coached for years,
and off the back of them guys coming there was
a couple to come with them. So recruitment this year
actually ended up being quite easy for the easy questions,
why did you coach? Whe eye coach. I get a
(12:00):
huge amount of satisfaction out of helping people. Yeah, whether
it be my day to day job life.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Tell everybody what your job is, by the way, so yeah,
so my job well I do now have recently changed ups.
I'm a Queensland area manager for a civil company, so
you'll manage manage company with all earthwork civil in the
whole years. You have a way from three kids, I
partner and three kids.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yep, correct, mate, Yeah, I got three little ones six Leah,
Braylin and mcivey. So six, five and ten months.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
When'd you plan on seeing them?
Speaker 2 (12:39):
If you ask my partner mate, never, no, it's good mate,
like even probably in that aspect of family right, this
year has been a little bit easier in that that
side of things too. So my two older ones, you know,
I sort of rotate them. They come down to footy
early with me, you know, they go run around with
the other kids and whatnot as well. So even in
that aspect, it's getting easier, which is good.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
So yeah, so I ask your way, your coat will
help people that the un stuff.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, that's probably my main one, mate. I get a
huge amount of satisfaction now to helping people, you know,
whether that be I'm not there just to try and
coach these guys to be better footy players. I try
and give some of my experiences where I've come from
and whatnot, and try and help these guys, know, be
better in life and guide them through life too. Like
it's a big thing I've learned, especially probably in the
(13:29):
last couple of years with coaching, is you're not just
a coach. Sometimes you're a coach, you're a father, you're
a best mate, you're a brother, you're a pastor, you're
a counselor your every hat. Yeah, look that one rolls.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
But coaching strength and work on things you need to
work on.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
I'd say, you know, my strengths, I think when it
comes to man management and probably understanding players and understanding
how how to try and get them performing at their best.
I think I relate very well there, and I think
that'd be one of my more real strong points still
to work on that. I'm a big believer in anything.
(14:13):
I'm always working. I don't think anybody's ever a complete
you know, everything always at one hundred percent. But you know,
I still work very hard in my planning and stuff
like that, which was probably one of my biggest downfalls
last year. But I'm still working very hard in that
space to you know, I feel I'm pretty good at
(14:35):
it now, but just work harder and harder. Instead of
being four weeks planned out in front, you know, I
want to strive to be eight weeks planned out in
front and my whole year planned and different bits and
pieces like that. So I still think that's a great
area that I'm that I'm learning in And probably something
that I've gotten a little bit more new to this
year is genuine video, so doing video analysis of games
(14:58):
and players and all that. So hands that I've really
taken on board this year, and I'm sort of sting
to be better out every week.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
On the subject of video. I work with a few coaches,
as you know, and I was. I'll tell you this,
Analyzing video changed my coaching basically once I got the
software and everything else.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
This was back in.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Eight I invested in some software. Don't know where I
got the money from, but I did, and it changed
everything for me. And it changed the way I looked
at the game, analyzed the game, but also how the
players could access information about themselves. The problem is in
a grade football, as you know, you can be as
(15:44):
professional as you want as a coach, and even when
your top of the ladder and winning more games than
you lose, sometimes the players are away at work or
players I've only got a couple of hours spare for
rugby league and that's Tuesday and Thursday night, whatever it
may be. Have you got to that point yet where
(16:06):
you want to do video, You want to do this,
you want to do that, but actually it's going to
have a diminishing return. Have you got to that point yet?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Probably? Probably not, Mate. So a lot of the video
I do, we can send out players during the week,
so we can individually send it to them so they
can find some time throughout the week. Yeah. Huddle, Yeah,
I use huddle, so they can view it during the
(16:35):
week and then we can just sort of have a
chat about it briefly. They can ring me during the
day whatever it can be. But then when more so
the team stuff. At the moment, we're trying to keep
fairly simple, especially on the Sunny Coast. It's pretty rare
the first time you played a team, they're the same
lineup as the second time you play the team. So
we more try and look for team trends, and then
(16:58):
pre game we might break off middles edges spine and
you know, we might have four or five videos, you know,
short clips that then we just run through them game
day an hour and a half before the game and
go that way. So I haven't found a diminishing effect
yet because we're not really going super super hard on
(17:22):
the video. It's nearly even more a bit of a
coaches tool at the same time for myself and Greenie,
we'll sort of review and we'll do some clips and
then we'll talk about what we're seeing, and you know,
that might affect a little bit on what we implement
a training. You know, we might see some things around
our defense that we go right Tuesday night. We've seen
some areas and laps in the last couple of weeks
(17:43):
around here, let's get a good session in on this.
So it's as much probably a coaching tool at the
moment as what I'm using it as a gener How.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Much video do you show you plays each week in
terms of minutes and hours?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
What was that? Sorry? How much?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
How much footage will one of your players consume in
terms of minutes and hours each week?
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Twenty minutes max?
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Twenty minutes? Yeah, what about culture is almost you consume?
Oh hours? What's an ethan CenTra training session? So because
we're chatting on a Friday morning, why not tell us
what your Tuesday session was? On your Thursday session? We
got to buy this week, so we got last week
Tuesday session off. But like, for instance, a Thursday session,
(18:29):
we sort of try and genuinely run that as a
bit of a captain's run.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So we're pretty big this year. We'll generally start the
night for a bit of a game, whether that's a
soccer ball in a big group. You got to keep
it off the ground, see how many times you can
do it, sort of any sort of active game like that,
and we'll move into our dynamics or sometimes we will
do a bit of a bit of speed and agility
work and then into our into our dynamics mate. Then yeah,
typical Captains none Captains runs night as we normally do
(18:55):
a bit of left first right, cover us some stuff
we want to go through there, and then we just
go into opposed. Whereas our Tuesday nights all for instance,
sorry last night, with with grade not having a game
this weekend, we'd probably blow them out a little bit longer.
We went through some some speed, just some race stuff
with some speed work, and then we probably went into
(19:17):
a bit of a longer I went into an underposed
and a bit of a longer opposed. But whereas generally
our Tuesday nights is where we try and focus anything
around our core skill. You know, it's something I worked
a fair bit on with you last year and sort
of continue to work on with Greennie this year. Is
how important core skill is. You know. We start a
(19:37):
lot of our Tuesday nights, even sometimes our Thursday nights
with a simple drill four line, five hundred passes, two
hundred and fifty each way, and then we'll implement in right,
everything's got to be spiral pass well, everything's got to
be a six o'clock pass and really emphasis around that
core skill. So, yeah, if we're going to do a
(19:58):
biggest core skill night, so might go through, yeah, our
passing core skill. You know, you might go through a
bit of our stuff around our hip hops and bumpers
and hitting spins and everything like that. And then sometimes
if we're going to go probably a bit of a
heavier light on our defense work and contact, well we'll
make sure there's a block in there around that. So
(20:19):
generally use our Tuesdays as our our core skill night
and anything you know to give the boys a blowout
if we feel they need it, or you know, all
our heavy contact sessions and then use these our sort
of genuine captains run.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
What's Ethan Sanders' game plan? Like, how do his teams play?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I think I'm very defense minded coach. I'd say, you know,
I think it takes one point to win a game.
If you can defend somebody and not let them score anyone,
you don't need to score not score any points. You
don't need to score that many yourself. So I'd say
or a lot of my teams are coach very heavily
on our defensive principles and how anal and I am
(21:02):
on them. But in the same token in attack, I
try not to over complicate the game too much. You know,
that probably differs on what sort of halves you've got
to what sort of spine players you've got, But you know,
I try and outline, you know, a couple of plays
(21:22):
for yardage set, a couple of players that we can
use for our midfield transition sets, and a couple of
plays for our good ball sets. And then outside of that,
I just really trying to power the boys to play footy,
you know, play what's in front of them. So, yeah,
that's probably how my attack works, and that's probably how
my team sort of play. You probably see, especially this
(21:44):
year and in our team we've got this year that
we've probably got a little bit of the off the
cuff sort of stuff that we do run. You know,
we don't want attacking short sides now and different little
bits and pieces like that.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
So you've mentioned this year's team, So give them a rundown,
I sorry, give give the listener a rundown of the
caliber of player you've got in that team this year
and their history.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Yeah, I've got maybe.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Going from one to seventeen. That's probably the easiest way.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Right, Yeah, I've got a fair fair caliber of of
player this year out there in Stanley Rivers. So to
give you an idea, I'll work that way. I'll just
go off my last last Weekend's team seventeen. So you
know Scott Maddick played at fullback, you know, probably played
one hundred plast games of a grade football, a little
(22:34):
bit of BRL, but also gone right up to what
sort of World Cup level in t r L. So
he's a very attacking style player and he's got that
very TRL style of player, but got fullback.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
He suited to run in the football from what I've seen, correct, mate, correct?
You know Tyler mcgoderick one of my wingers there, he's
played a bit of colts up there at the Falcons.
You know, probably played close to one hundred games of
a grade football now as well, I'd say somewhere between
eighty and one hundred. New to the club this year,
so you know, plenty of experience there and he's only
(23:10):
twenty three years old. One of his center Sam Leach,
so you know, Leachi come to us last year, played
quite a bit of Cup, was contracted to the Brisbane Broncos,
played under twenties for the Broncos and the NYC comp.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yeah. Yeah, played a fair bit of cup out there
at Redcliffe. Reagan Glynn's another one of me Center's mate.
Probably not as much of the higher level you know,
into the REP stuff or the cup side of things,
but hugely experienced BRL A grade player, you know, played
a lot of BRL.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So in my head as you're going through this list,
I'm thinking, if they've got to a BRL level, I'm
classing that as having some.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Skin in the game. Yeah, correct. Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
If you say one hundred plus a grade games that
skin in the game, that's probably been harsh on A
grade's fifty skin in the game too, But one hundred,
we'll go one hundred. So so far you're four out
of four with skin in the game.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Then you go, you go to my my next wing
of the Alex Clig. You know we brought him across
from England last year.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
He played third tier second tier in England. Yeah, correct, mate.
You know, leading tri score for Newcastle Thunder two years ago.
You know, plenty plenty of skin in the game. Quality guy.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
You know my six Corey Herdigan, you know the Herdigan's
are pretty well known across rugby league. You know he's
a current Q Cup contracted player to the Falcons. Yep.
So you know quality guy me seven. You know Cameron
Cullen is my current seven. You know, played an r
L player, a lot of Q Cup at Redcliffe one comp,
(24:45):
then he won a camp with Redcliffe and with Burley
Cup level, played played down r L at manly played
down r L Titans, a huge, huge influence around our club.
You know, one of my front rowls at the mar
Ben King you know, same a lot of cup. I
think it was two or three years ago. I believe
(25:06):
him done an NRL pre season with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
And was one of your key players last year in
terms of trying to drive culture and got frustrated when
the culture wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Correct, mate, like that. That bloke is a genuine winner. Yeah,
like and.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Hes every bit of success. Is enjoying this year based
on last year.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Exactly right made it and the beauty of it this
year is too. You know, like you've seen yourself how
how critical and how much effort he put in last year.
You know he's our captain or my captain this year
and it's probably even gone more again with a better side,
like he's holding him even more accountable now, which is
really good to see. So then you go into like
me nine. It's played nine for me nearly eighty minutes
(25:46):
every every week, this every game this year. Logan Cox,
another young guy twenty three twenty four, played CARLT at Redcliffe.
You know, he was pretty entire pretty embedded in there,
got unseated by Wade Egan in the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So i'd start a skin in the game too if
they're only twenty three, because in tire and they could
still goal to Q Coup and an RL mate.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
I know for a fact I've been talking to the
local Q Cup side up there fast that's got their
eye on him, so very good other front of their
kyle E Mia come over from New Zealand. I played
New Zealand residents, played some BRL, you know, played quite
a bit a grade. Now I've done a full pre
season up with the Falcons of Q Cup this year.
(26:28):
I think he was the only train and trial they
carried right through till two weeks before the season kicked off.
And we're probably pretty close to offering him a contract,
so you know, pretty handy in one of my back rollers,
Robert Jennings. Yeah, yeah, exactly mate, And I think once
(26:48):
he played nearly one hundred games of NRL represented Tonga
or Samoa. Sorry if we got that wrong, Jenco, whichever
one it is. You know, I come from the Dolphins
and mat huge experience into my other back row, which
is Paddy Burns. Another guy brought over from England this year. Yeah,
(27:09):
you know, he's played right up to I believe he
might have even had one or two games of Super League,
but played a lot of the second division over there
in England with Hull and different bits and pieces, mate,
So you know, just tough as nails. You know, probably
doesn't say a lot, but just leads on the field, mate.
Or he's non negotiable. Areas are crazy made, his reload
(27:33):
speed on his defense, he's aggression in three man work
in defense, he's line running, his willingness to do the
hard yards when made. He's an absolute quality player and
an absolute quality guy, and that into me. Thirteens is
another young guy, Hudson Jones, played quite a bit of BRL.
(27:54):
I believe he had some MENRL interests when he was
a bit younger. Played cults for Redcliffe Dolphins. Yeah, really
really really heated guy.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
So I started thirteen. All got skin in the game, Yeah,
significant skin in some cases, exactly right. So then your
bench last week, and I suppose we have to mention
the players that are either not selected or injured right
now suspended as well, so.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Which there's a lot mate, So you know you go
into logan pot of too. He's played quite a bit
of fullback for us this year too, you know, played
culture at Falcons, you know, played quite a bit of
a grade across the Sunny coast and the young gery
himself twenty four each quality guy. Probably one guy that's
been massive for us this year and it's great to
see him come of leaps and bounds. Taylor Brown, Yeah,
(28:40):
Taylor's played, was contracted to the Dragons, played twenties for
the Dragons, played a lot of que car you know,
like he's he's coming off the bench for us and
just been amazing. Mate. So you know you got him,
You've got Garre Friedrich, you know, played a bit of
BRL at Valley's played BRL at West. You know, another
(29:02):
not the quality guy. I played a lot of a
grade from a young age, like he'd have to be
across b r L and Sunny Coast be pushing one
hundred games of a grade by now I'd reckon. Yeah.
You know. Then you've got j Ellery. You know, a
local junior from out there played Hastings Steerings down at Ipswich.
You know, probably played seventy eighty games of a grade
across the Sney Coast. Now played a lot of junior
(29:25):
rut back in his day, knows football. You've got big
big Alo Tualo Varupu from Varpoulu sorry, from Redcliffe another
I made. He's played, played his share of cup you know,
across North and Redcliffe. When he wasn't playing cups, played
quite a bit of b r L A grade like
he was the Redcliffe b r L A grade captain
(29:45):
last year. So you know he's quite quite the player, mate.
And then yeah, sort of the list just keeps going on. Mate.
You're going to some younger guys like Liam Gash. You
know he played most of the last year and b
A grade for Brighton. You've got Jaden Tower far he's
out injured at the moment. Made he was signed by
(30:07):
Melbourne Storm for Jersey Flag. I believe played Colts. Is
he a Penrith By I'm not entirely sure, but I
think he's local from up here.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Okay, I can't find that one out for me because
I remember a table for from the Penrith day. He's
a similar time to.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
I'll try and find it out for you. You know,
they got guys like them. And you've got James Cochrane,
local local journam from the club. You know he's game
this year mate has gone to another level, like he's
he's really flourished from I think a tough year last
year and then having a really good preseason and having
some good experienced guys around him just pushing him to
(30:44):
be better.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Raising tide left old boltte so and then you've got
Jackson Sandbrooks Mate, like he's filled in.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I think he's played six games in the Harves for
us now this year. You know, he's an eighteen year
old kid playing a grade. I think he's fifth leading
triscorer for a grade. You know, up there on the points,
kicking goals. He's just getting better and better and better
every week. You know, Aden, your old kid now that's
probably had across the last two seasons. He's probably looking
(31:14):
you know fifteen, i'd starting to nudge nearly twenty games
of a grade experience at Adeen, so you know he's
coming along leaps.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Is that the that started back end of last year?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Yes, yep, yeah, yep.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
You've got an audience now on this pod. Three most
important lessons you'd give to any coach if you were
pontificating to a coach, Geez told you that the easy
ones had gone, the softballs had gone. Yeah, oh that's
a tough hole. Is now three three bits of advice
I've givenother coach? That's what you said, isn't that? Yeah?
(31:55):
Probably it's the three biggest things you've learned.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Yeah. Probably. One I would say, no matter how hard
it gets, remember why you do it. You know I've
mentioned there before. That's one for me, as you know
yourself might have went through some pretty dark tomes last year,
and I think just really been able to sit back
as a character and reflect on why you do it.
It's not alway it's going to be easy, and remember
(32:18):
the bigger picture on why you don't.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
I think it was important our dynamic last year actually
because you had somebody to put it into some context
for you. And I did say numerous times to you,
you've got to work hard. But then eventually it would
just flip round, correct, And it flipped round even quicker
than I thought it would. But yeah, and the other
(32:43):
thing is I tend to get employee to clubs that
need help. I don't get employed to premiership winning sides.
If you think about that, no coach does, right, Lester
retires or you know. And so yeah, it was, it
(33:08):
was needed, and I think it was an essential part
of your growth because because let's say you didn't have
last year, you wouldn't be one tenth of the coach
you are now. You'd have gone from reserve grade Grand
Final to first grade, top of the comp. But last
(33:30):
year you had to really deeply analyze number one, why
you coached, which was the first point you've brought up.
Number two, how the hell to get yourself out of
the the predicament. Because the other thing and another thing
we spoke about last year quite significantly, and funnily enough,
I see this at one of the clubs I work
out right now too. In another comp. If you had
(33:53):
to drill down into the losses last year, maybe one
or two was a significant loss. The rest were all
close games. Of football, and that builds character, that builds resilience,
that builds care, that builds want, that builds desire, that
builds eagerness to try and repair it. And it also
(34:15):
preaches to people's pride. So in your group this year,
even though you've just listed a who's who, are a
grade Rugby league footballers a team the envy of everybody
in Australia, the people around them. So the people you
haven't mentioned are the club and they went through that
(34:38):
last year and they went through the growing pains have
been a reserve grade outfit essentially, And everybody who knows
football in the bush or near the bush, near the
city but sort of the bush, knows that a reserve
grade club is very social, very relaxed about football. I
(35:05):
see reserve grade games regularly where one player doesn't warm up.
His name is Ben. Shout out to Ben. He just says,
I'm not doing that. And then all of a sudden,
some of those players are asked to play first grade,
which is video refereed intensely. The referees are coached, there's
(35:28):
a big judiciary attached to it. There's care, there's sponsorship,
moneies that people pay to watch that and the pressure
is real, and particularly in some of these towns in
and around Australia that are off the beaten track, the
(35:48):
fortunes of that football team are the thread that runs
through that community.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
So it's a different kettle of fish.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
So going back to last year, all the players and
the committee and the coaches that worked through with you
last year, they would have been the welcoming committee to
all the players that you got in this year, and
your current culture will be a fusion of those two things.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Which it really is made and one way I've gone
about it this year. You know that there's been stages
this year and there's been some really quality guys that
have been playing reserve grade. And one of my biggest
biggest things this year with us is we're not a
grade reserve grade. We're a senior squad. Yeah, you know,
(36:40):
and I've said it to them probably one hundred times.
They're probably sick of hearing it, but you know, if
we're not all in it together, nobody succeeds because you
look through I've just come through a patch of about
six games mate, where we had sort of six to
seven to eight guys out each week that you know,
(37:02):
that's six to seven to eight guys coming out of
that reserve grade, so I play an a grade and
just seeing them come in and do a job, and
you know, not only do a job, but actually take
that opportunity and run with it and play some of
the best football I've ever seen some of these guys
play coming up into a grade. You know that that
tells me the culture is right. Yeah, that tells me.
(37:24):
It's there's no animosity between I want to be playing
a grade, but I'm playing reserve grade. I don't get
me wrong. There's a lot of guys there and that
want to play a grade that probably aren't paying consistent
a grade at the moment, but there's no animosity there.
We're a big, tight group, you know. They all the
boys love hanging a bit of shit on each other,
(37:44):
a bit of banter, and it is made. And you know,
I know you've said it a lot yourself before, but
you've got to get the front office right as well.
And I think it needs to be a huge amount
of gratitude and congratulations given to the media out there
as well. You know that it wasn't just hard last
year on me as a coach. It was hard on
(38:05):
a committee, Mate, there was you know, there was a
lot of noise. Yeah there was.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
There was overhaul on the committee, wasn't they? And yeah
there was president last year for one reason or another.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
So that's the longest answer ever to the first important thing.
The other two most important things.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
I'd say, secondly, be open minded and don't ever be
afraid to ask questions. Okay, that's probably been another big
one for me to come from a couple of years
of decent success in reserve grade to last year just
(38:45):
going everything spiral and out of control, and you know,
when yourself, when you come on board and whatnot. You know,
just even players, not not just other coaches have just
been confident enough and to just go to someone and go, mate,
I'm not sure about this. Watch your thoughts or whatever.
Like you even look at probably this yearly earlier in
(39:06):
the year that I was sending you some of my
pretty game warm up set out, you know, ask them
what your thoughts are with that? Different bits and pieces
like what did I do to them? I can't remember.
You're actually pretty happy with you. Change them a little bit,
but you were pretty happy with them.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
So I gave myself I might put that bit out
of the podcast of anybody hearing that I was happy
with undred percent A couple of things pretty good.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
So yeah, that's that's one thing i'd say, you know, like,
I'll always be willing to learn and never never be
afraid to ask you mm hmmm.
Speaker 1 (39:38):
And then the third one. Third, so you've said don't
be afraid to ask. The first one was always remember
what you do it. I always remember why you do it.
I don't be afraid to ask.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
Third most important planning.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
Okay, yeah, so a little bit different from you individual,
but planning, like I've really really noticed this year with
the difference in being a lot more well planned really helps.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
Yeah, life really really helps.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I'm big coaching ambitions and what's happening next year.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Mate, it's coaching ambitions a bit of a dream in myself.
But I'd love to God as far as I could
with my coach made it.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
How old are Yeah, so he's still a yeah, look
at a yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Yeah, I'd love to God as far as I genuinely
love coaching and I love the challenge of coaching and whatnot.
It's a it's a sport that you know, as far
back as I can remember, I've always had a footy
in my hand and whatnot say that side of it
next year. Probably can't say too much just yet, but
(41:07):
there is some some sort of offers for some some
rep stuff. Yeah, Junior looking at the sort of nineteenes Melmedinger,
So yeah, I'm sort of hoping to have that sealed
away next week. So it's sort of but yeah, that's
(41:29):
sort of probably the plan there, mate. You know, the
conversations I've been having would be probably once that Melmninger
seasons finished, i'd sort of try and amalgamate over into
into the cup squad and whether that's running water, whatever
it may be, just around that and continue to learn
and go be a part of some elite systems. So
(41:52):
I'm not sort of looking at the bigger picture, but yeah,
I'll still when I can float around rivers. I'm very
out of what I've been a part of there to
help build it to where it is. And I've got
a lot of close friends there and a lot of
players there that you know, and only players to me
now will be you know, lifelong friends. So still still
(42:13):
try and pape me eyes in there and help you
out wherever I can. You're a Broncos fan, you're happy
with out there going this year. I don't know they're
they're frustrating football side. Yeah, I think they've got the
talent made of complete honesty of him is. I think
they've got a bit of a soft and a belly.
(42:33):
I don't think they like to half games of football.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
To send them some players if you want, If you
want to be like Ethan and be featured on Rugby
League Coach Stories, do I say Rugby League Coach Coach
Stories or Rugby League Coach Stories stories, Rugbiley Coach Stories podcast.
(42:56):
Contact me Lee Addison, admin at Rugby League Coach dot com.
Say you is the email at Rugby League Coach on
Facebook and Instagram if you want to message me altho
on a few other things TikTok. I don't look at
TikTok because I get distracted. All I'll say is I'd
get distracted too much Ethan on TikTok. I get distracted
enough on Instagram as it is. That's all I'm saying.
(43:19):
So yes, please get in touch and visit Rugby League
Coach dot com dot au when you can. Ethan Cindric
thank you so much for being one of our Coach Stories, not.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
A drama make thanks for having me on and I'm
all the best and I'll talk to you mine. I
do appreciate your taking Tom to have a little interview
for me there to die, and hope everyone gets a
bit of an insight in myself and enjoys listening a
little bit about me
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