The door opens, in walks another potential draftee. We are situated inside a corporate suite on the second level of Etihad Stadium; nestled next to us on either side is Greater Western Sydney and Geelong. Inside the room, scattered in every corner are Gold Coast SUNS key decision makers. Senior coach Rodney Eade is in there, as is list manager Scott Clayton and recruiting boss Dom Ambrogio, amid another half a dozen members of the SUNS recruiting team – men from all over Australia who are easily identified at grounds around the country by the foldable camping chairs they sit in, usually on their own.
As the player sits down at the table, opposite club sports psychologist Sean Richardson – the man who will run most of this interview process – he anxiously looks around the room. More than ten pairs of eyes are monitoring him. It’s a daunting situation for any teenager to walk into, but it is simply a part of the process and something that is typically the by-product of a dazzling underage career.
“Yes I am nervous, there are so many of you in here.”
With that remark, all that can be heard is the sound of keyboards being punched and pens stroking across notepads. There are no right or wrong answers in these interviews, although a lot can be learned about a prospective recruit’s character. After all, in this climate, character is critical. No matter how much talent one possesses, if they don’t have the right traits to deal with hardship they won’t fulfil their full potential. And with the SUNS holding two first round picks at this year’s national draft, it is of vital importance to leave no stone unturned when it comes to recruiting.
“He was not great at all. That is one of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen.”
Clayton, Ambrogio and co aren’t searching for the next Prime Minister, nor are they looking for someone to run a Fortune 500 company. What they are trying to find out is whether or not this player has the mental fortitude and the desire to carve out a career at the highest level. Will they dig in when luck isn’t on their side? Will they spit the dummy and request a trade home? Its highly important to try and unearth this now, inside a room at a ground this player could soon run out on, rather than wait two years down the track and be sitting at a table with a rival club negotiating a trade for that player to return home.
“What person are you in a social setting? Are you the life of the party or simply one who makes up the numbers?”
“I’m one who is just there, not the ring leader, but just hanging with the boys,” one prospect remarked.
“I like to have fun and bring everyone together. I like having a laugh,” another said.
Once again, there is no right or wrong answer, particularly for this question. Obviously, no club wants a party boy, but a player who can galvanise a group and has strong leadership traits is advantageous. With each response from each interviewee, the sound of tapping on laptops is eerie. You can tell the player’s head is spinning, wondering whether or not his answer is what the club wanted to hear. But there is hardly suffice time to dwell, the next question comes quick, and then comes another and another. It’s important to get a strong indication of who the person is behind the player.
In every interview, the potential draftee is hit with an intriguing scenario presented by Richardson: “You have two options and you can only choose one. You only have the chance to play one game in your first season. That’s all. I can tell you now whether or not you will play this weekend, but it’s only a 50% chance. Or, you can find out in six weeks time and you are a 75% chance then. What would you take?”
It is no surprise that the answers are wide ranging and take some time to come to. Some can’t comprehend the question all together and need it repeated to piece together bit by bit. Others get their head around it quickly and come to a conclusion.
“Definitely I’d choose finding out now. I don’t like waiting at all – it makes me anxious.”
“I choose now. I just want to know.”
“I’d take the 75% chance. You would be better prepared in another six weeks and you have more of a chance of being selected.”
“It would be better to wait as you would still have hope of playing a game in your first year, rather than finding out now that you wouldn’t be playing this year.”
The question measures a handful of things, the most insightful being the player’s level of patience and how their minds tick. The ones who elected to be told immediately demonstrated a lack of patience and the manner in which they responded indicated how deeply they dealt with comprehension. Those who chose to wait another six weeks to determine when they would fulfil another part of their dream came across as deeper thinkers.
Clearly 75% compared to 50% is stronger, so this is a smarter decision if you go by mathematics. In a hypothetical situation like this one, the intrigue is in how they deal with the scenario. Those who thought it out and arrived at an answer in an articulate manner impressed, regardless of what option they chose. There was nothing wrong with admitting you wanted to find out now, rather than wait. But, how you came to that conclusion was were the test lay.
“Did you deserve to be captain? What made you stand out from others? What did you do to make your teammates better? Give us a specific example of when you have had to make a teammate accountable and pull someone in to line?"
For this player, the line of question was like something out of a courtroom. It was an interrogation. Although, that’s what these interviews are all about. Delving beneath the surface to take a look under the hood. These questions were confronting for the player, but revealing. The player explained that the captaincy had been voted by his peers, which indicated he deserved to lead his side. He also revealed that he had had to be the one driving the training standards and lifting the intensity when it was required.
As the captain, he hadn’t had to have difficult one-on-one discussions with teammates, rather the leadership group would raise any concerns with the coaching staff and they would deal with it. With these responses, the violent tapping of fingertips on keyboards reverberated around the room. Another insight provided, another topic covered. This was the life of a recruiter, at the draft combine.
