‘‘Six bullets a year’: Premiership coaches lift lid on dressing room sprays as Clarko reality laid bare

Is there still room for the good old fashioned coaching spray in modern footy?

It’s the question that coaches across the landscape are mulling in this new world.

Finding ways to get the best out of a player is one of the keys to coaching success.

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For some players, brutal honesty might be their preferred mode of feedback, but for others, a coach needs to be supportive and encouraging.

As North Melbourne slump to a 1-5 win-loss record in 2025, there has been plenty of chatter surrounding four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson and how he can get the Roos back to the promised land.

Speaking on AFL360 on Wednesday night, former Sydney coach John Longmire said the criticism of Clarkson was unwarranted and that if anyone can lift the Roos out of their slump, it’s Clarko.

“I just think he handles it the best way he knows, which is just head down, backside up and get to work… there’s no more experienced person in the coaching ranks than Alastair Clarkson and I think the fact that he has got runs on the board counts for something,” Longmire said.

“I’ve heard some criticism about him, maybe he needs to return to punching the walls, I’m not sure whether the fear factor is what’s required these days.

“I think he’s just evolved as a coach and I think that should be commended, not discredited. The fact he’s being able to connect with his players now, that takes time, it doesn’t always happen overnight.”

Longmire said coaches have had to adapt as parenting has evolved.

“I guess I sort of relate it to parenting. I look at the way I was brought up, or how our generation was brought up, compared to how we bring our children up and it’s a lot different these days,” he said.

“Parenting styles have evolved and therefore we’re seeing that as coaches now, the younger kids coming into our football clubs at 18 years of age are different than what they were when we were coming through.

“You need to evolve with them, you need to make sure you connect with them, the fear factor alone doesn’t stand up anymore.”

Former West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson said there was definitely still room for a spray or two, but it had to be done in a different manner.

“There’s a few bullets you can fire, I always thought you got six bullets in a year,” he told AFL360.

“I did this a couple of years ago; you go hard at one particular player who wants the honesty – they all tell you they want the honesty – and you do it in front of the whole group. Within an hour, I got a phone call from the manager through the footy manager about what’s going on here.

“So, there’s some sensitivity around the players.”

Does Simpson now perceive that player any differently?

“No, I look at the way I handled the situation, because you want to get the best out of them, the reaction piece is not their fault, it’s just the way they’re built. It’s the same as your kids, disappointed dad, it’s sometimes just a look and they know and I think that works better in the modern game,” he said.

“But every now and then… it’s probably less individualized as it used to be and it’s more collective. If it’s more collective, then the leaders can get involved and everyone can put their hand up and move on, but I reckon you got six before it goes, ‘okay, we’ve heard this before’.”

Longmire said building strong, respectful relationships, which Clarkson should be commended for, was the key to being able to utilise some more brutal feedback throughout the season.

“It’s interesting, at the time when you talk about it, you forget it pretty quickly, but the player doesn’t forget about it. What we classify as maybe a bit of feedback on performance, they at times classify it as a cook, so you’ve got to make sure that you don’t second guess yourself,” he began.

“All you can do is be honest and aim for respect and that’s respect from both sides of the player and the coach. If you have a respectful relationship, then it can be an honest relationship and then if you don’t get things perfectly, then you can move through that and move on.”

North Melbourne will look to return to the winner’s list on Saturday when they head to the Adelaide Oval to take on Port Adelaide.