Adam Cooney: I'm too left-field to be skipper

[mighty_west]

There are a number of candidates but I don't rank Boyd as one.

Good player but fair dinkum he has had a charisma bypass. Never seen him laugh or smile. There is more than leadership on the field in the Captain's role. He has to represent the club and present the right picture.

Image is important in order to attract Members and Sponsors. Boyd looks like he has just stepped out of a horror movie

I like Boyd as a leader around the club, and i definatly rank him right up there, i agree about his lack of charisma, but he ticks all other boxes, to me, he seems the type that players would stand alongside, i don't think anyone could knock his work rate on & off the field, probably very similar i guess to Steve Waugh, very professional, you'd walk alongside him in War, but a zero charisma.

I guess these days with interviews etc, obviously Rocket is the main man, but it's not just up to Johnno, alot of other players do get out there with regards to the media work and help selling the club, and i couldn't see why that wouldn't work if Boyd was given the top job.

[Mantis]

I guess these days with interviews etc, obviously Rocket is the main man, but it's not just up to Johnno, alot of other players do get out there with regards to the media work and help selling the club, and i couldn't see why that wouldn't work if Boyd was given the top job.

Agree with that.

Johnno is hardly the face of the club these days and is well behind the likes of Cooney, Aker & Murphy in terms of the amount of media work that he does.

[The Adelaide Connection]

I'm obviously an outsider looking in and I don't see all the behind the scenes inter reactions that occur but I think there are better candidates at the club to be in the leadership group than Cooney and I certainly don't see him as a potential captain of the club. He's an undeniable talent but he just doesn't exhibit the right qualities that good leaders do.
To me, he would rather be one of the boys than one of the leaders.

Would the fact that he is out of contract at the end of the year helped to make their decision?

[GVGjr]

Would the fact that he is out of contract at the end of the year helped to make their decision?

You would hope not.

[Swoop]

The article alludes to the leadership issue being raised in 2008 after his Brownlow medal year so it would appear he has been in consideration for some time pending his willingness to commit. I think it shows good maturity on Cooney's behalf to have declined the offer as he didn't believe he was ready at the time.

With regards to leadership perhaps he doesn't realise it and no doubt he doesn't have same intensity and voice as other such as Boyd & Giansiracusa but within the group there is no doubt he is a leader and players look up to him. With a list of 40 players naturally team mates will form groups within that based on characteristics and personalities and my understanding is that Cooney can be and is fairly influential within his group and is admired throughout. His comments are realistic and fairly true in that he won't be considered for captaincy but he needs to change his own perception of himself as I think he undersells what he can bring to the group.

[Mantis]

With regards to leadership perhaps he doesn't realise it and no doubt he doesn't have same intensity and voice as other such as Boyd & Giansiracusa but within the group there is no doubt he is a leader and players look up to him. With a list of 40 players naturally team mates will form groups within that based on characteristics and personalities and my understanding is that Cooney can be and is fairly influential within his group and is admired throughout. His comments are realistic and fairly true in that he won't be considered for captaincy but he needs to change his own perception of himself as I think he undersells what he can bring to the group.

Agree with that Swoop.

A huge factor in discussion on leadership is ones ability to lift his side when required. I think we saw on Sunday (abit only in a 'NAB' Cup game) that Cooney certainly has the ability to lift the team as evidenced by his 3rd qtr.

With leadership groups ever exapnding I think it's a good policy to have different personality types involved. From the outside it seems that Johnson, Boyd, Cross, Gia and Morris would be very 'intense' types and perhaps at times a young player might not feel comfortable opening up to them with their concerns. However with Cooney and Murf appearing to be far more 'laidback' characters it may mean the young guys feel more at ease with them and are more than happy to share their thoughts or queries.

[LostDoggy]

Sure would and by a fair margin. At the recent intra club game Will was watching from the boundary line and every time a media person or former club player entered that area Will talked to them and made them feel welcome. I've seen Cooney at a couple of club functions and he isn't that accommodating.

Me too.

To me the value of a leader is more evident off the field than on the field. I would trust what you two know about the players off field over what i know.

[bornadog]

Eade mentioned today that Adam has many leadership qualities and the club is confident he will fill do justice to the role

[GVGjr]

With leadership groups ever exapnding I think it's a good policy to have different personality types involved. From the outside it seems that Johnson, Boyd, Cross, Gia and Morris would be very 'intense' types and perhaps at times a young player might not feel comfortable opening up to them with their concerns. However with Cooney and Murf appearing to be far more 'laidback' characters it may mean the young guys feel more at ease with them and are more than happy to share their thoughts or queries.

Cooney is the sort of guy his team mates would want on the party planning committee or organising the end of season footy trip but I don't think he has the right temperament for making big decisions.
You don't need both Murphy and Cooney as leaders and for mine Bobby is a far better fit for the club.

[comrade]

Cooney is the sort of guy his team mates would want on the party planning committee or organising the end of season footy trip but I don't think he has the right temperament for making big decisions.
You don't need both Murphy and Cooney as leaders and for mine Bobby is a far better fit for the club.

GVG, I'd be interested to know why your thoughts on the matter are in such stark contrast to the Club's (and coach).

Is it something that you've witnessed first hand?

[GVGjr]

GVG, I'd be interested to know why your thoughts on the matter are in such stark contrast to the Club's (and coach).

Is it something that you've witnessed first hand?

Not really. I mentioned in my first response I'm obviously not privy to the day to day workings of the club and in particular how Cooney goes about things but from the few times I have been to functions he strikes me as more of an individual than necessarily being a club first man. For some reason he reminds me a bit of Nathan Brown who I admired as a footballer but never thought he should be a leader at the club.

The clubs obviously in a far better position to gauge his value but I would be surprised if he clearly better than some of the guys I have already mentioned. By his own admissions he's very left of field and I'd probably prefer some of the other guys to be in the leadership group.

If the club thinks he will respond in a positive way by promoting him then that would be great for him and the club.

[AndrewP6]

For some reason he reminds me a bit of Nathan Brown who I admired as a footballer but never thought he should be a leader at the club.

If the club thinks he will respond in a positive way then that would be great for him and the club.

God, I hope he doesn't end up like Brown...


FWIW, I agree that Cooney isn't necessarily the best fit for a captain's role. Love him powering away from the pack with the pill under his arm though.

[mjp]

If he is a centre of influence in the playing group then he is a leader, whether he likes it or not. Whether or not he best embodies the core values agreed too by the side and is officially recognised is kind of irrelevant. If the players continually look to you for an example/direction/whatever, you are one of the leaders.

This is what amazes me about the whole 'I just want to concentrate on my footy' song played by aging skippers who try to step down from the leadership group...they DONT get to choose whether or not they are leaders in the club - the rest of the group do. Step down as skipper, leave the leadership group, do whatever you want - but if everyone still looks to you and your opinion/actions carry weight...well, guess what? You had better stay part of the official structure in some way so that there is a unified player leadership group - because when things go wrong (and they will at some stage) that is what you need.

[LostDoggy]

I think Robert Murphy should be our next captain.

[Rocket Science]

To what extent might the club be using the prospect of captaincy to strengthen Cooney's sense of commitment to the place and help dissuade him from the temptations of the Gold Coast?