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FoxSports.com.au wrote:
Saints' saviour
By Peter Frilingos
April 16, 2004
MEET Ray McLean, the performance guru the St George Illawarra Dragons claim has had a dramatic influence on transforming the club from serial under-achievers to premiership contenders.
McLean's company Athletes Development Australia was hired by the Dragons after they crashed out of finals contention last year.
After a chequered start to the season the Dragons have become the talk of the league after racking up 88 points to only 12 against in successive wins over Newcastle and Wests Tigers.
On Sunday at WIN Stadium their new-found status as title contenders will be put to the test by premiers Penrith and the following week against the Roosters.
McLean is a former schoolteacher and airman who came to the club with impeccable credentials last November.
In his 10 years of operation McLean and his staff have had spectacular success.
Among their clients in the AFL are Collingwood, St Kilda and the Sydney Swans.
Since linking with McLean's outfit Collingwood have made two grand finals, the Swans last year were transformed from everyone's wooden spoon favourites into one of the season's success stories and St Kilda this year are rated a serious title contender.
Throw in the current national NBL champions the Sydney Kings, the former premiers the Wollongong Hawks the Australian Boomers and the McLean touch becomes obvious.
Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and coach Nathan Brown made the decision to hire McLean and he started at the club in November following their post-season review.
"Our review identified the fact that the players were not taking enough responsibility for the outcomes of our games," Doust said.
"We felt we had to do something to heighten their understanding of their responsibility and accountability for results.
"We looked around at what was being done in those areas by other sports and Brendan Joyce, who coaches the Hawks and is the assistant Boomers coach, pointed us in Ray McLean's direction.
"Ray not only works on the players' activities while they're playing as a team but also how they manage the demands of life in the community."
McLean says his methods start with setting up a team framework then identifying a leadership group.
"Many players individually want to sit down and talk about what type of player they want to be and what they want to achieve," McLean says.
"The first question I asked the Dragons players was to give an honest appraisal of how their opponents and the rest of the competition saw them.
"Coach Nathan Brown was at that session and everyone was honest with his answers.
"For example the players identified a teammate who cut corners at training which they believed affected team performance.
"The player in question was happy to have that issue out in the open and the problem was solved."
Before the premiership kicked off McLean's procedures were put to the acid test when former captain Lance Thompson turned up at training drunk after birthday celebrations.
"That's when the leadership group needed to perform," McLean says.
"Lance and that group sat down and discussed openly what had happened.
"I think they got a really good commitment from him on what he was going to do to move forward."
According to McLean all Dragons players have responded positively to the program.
"I guess the areas we offer are team and leadership development," McLean said. "First and foremost I think Trent Barrett has become a different player.
"I think it's given him a framework that he can work in."
Thanks to:
http://forums.dragonarmy.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2242
Saints' saviour
By Peter Frilingos
April 16, 2004
MEET Ray McLean, the performance guru the St George Illawarra Dragons claim has had a dramatic influence on transforming the club from serial under-achievers to premiership contenders.
McLean's company Athletes Development Australia was hired by the Dragons after they crashed out of finals contention last year.
After a chequered start to the season the Dragons have become the talk of the league after racking up 88 points to only 12 against in successive wins over Newcastle and Wests Tigers.
On Sunday at WIN Stadium their new-found status as title contenders will be put to the test by premiers Penrith and the following week against the Roosters.
McLean is a former schoolteacher and airman who came to the club with impeccable credentials last November.
In his 10 years of operation McLean and his staff have had spectacular success.
Among their clients in the AFL are Collingwood, St Kilda and the Sydney Swans.
Since linking with McLean's outfit Collingwood have made two grand finals, the Swans last year were transformed from everyone's wooden spoon favourites into one of the season's success stories and St Kilda this year are rated a serious title contender.
Throw in the current national NBL champions the Sydney Kings, the former premiers the Wollongong Hawks the Australian Boomers and the McLean touch becomes obvious.
Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and coach Nathan Brown made the decision to hire McLean and he started at the club in November following their post-season review.
"Our review identified the fact that the players were not taking enough responsibility for the outcomes of our games," Doust said.
"We felt we had to do something to heighten their understanding of their responsibility and accountability for results.
"We looked around at what was being done in those areas by other sports and Brendan Joyce, who coaches the Hawks and is the assistant Boomers coach, pointed us in Ray McLean's direction.
"Ray not only works on the players' activities while they're playing as a team but also how they manage the demands of life in the community."
McLean says his methods start with setting up a team framework then identifying a leadership group.
"Many players individually want to sit down and talk about what type of player they want to be and what they want to achieve," McLean says.
"The first question I asked the Dragons players was to give an honest appraisal of how their opponents and the rest of the competition saw them.
"Coach Nathan Brown was at that session and everyone was honest with his answers.
"For example the players identified a teammate who cut corners at training which they believed affected team performance.
"The player in question was happy to have that issue out in the open and the problem was solved."
Before the premiership kicked off McLean's procedures were put to the acid test when former captain Lance Thompson turned up at training drunk after birthday celebrations.
"That's when the leadership group needed to perform," McLean says.
"Lance and that group sat down and discussed openly what had happened.
"I think they got a really good commitment from him on what he was going to do to move forward."
According to McLean all Dragons players have responded positively to the program.
"I guess the areas we offer are team and leadership development," McLean said. "First and foremost I think Trent Barrett has become a different player.
"I think it's given him a framework that he can work in."
Thanks to:
http://forums.dragonarmy.com.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2242
