You can’t just play for 40 minutes — and we can’t coach that way either
https://lnkd.in/gNRAQTWW
When Tate McDermott says, “You can’t just play for 40 minutes,” I don’t hear criticism. I hear clarity.
Not blame. Responsibility.
Because resilience, resolve, composure and consistency aren’t personality traits — they’re trained behaviours. And if they’re missing at the Test level, it tells us something about what’s happening earlier in the system.
When I strip the rose-coloured glasses off the Wallabies’ 2025 season, the numbers matter. Ten (10) Test losses in a calendar year — the most since 1958. That’s not bad luck. That’s not “nearly there”. That’s a signal.
As a coach, I recognise that feeling. You know the group is capable. You see good passages. You feel it’s close. But deep down, you also know the truth:
The behaviours aren’t holding when the game keeps asking questions. This isn’t a talent issue. It’s not even tactical.
It’s behavioural.
In Mastering High-Performance Leadership: Nine Steps to Success, I often return to this: ‘Performance doesn’t break down because players don’t know what to do—it breaks down because behaviours erode under stress.’
You see it late in games:
• detail drops
• communication fades
• discipline wobbles
• players chase moments instead of staying patient
You can’t coach that away in a Test week. You either have those habits — or you don’t.
And this is where coaching has to look in the mirror.
If players fade, coaches — and coaching systems — must take some responsibility. Not to blame. As a responsibility.
That’s why I’ve framed the Coaching Development Reform Matrix around five non-negotiables:
1. Coach self-awareness under pressure
2. Honest self-critique (without fear)
3. Behavioural analysis, not just stats
4. Real pressure exposure in pathways
5. Support for coaches to lead calmly under stress
Bottom line: Resilience isn’t motivational. Resolve isn’t accidental. Both are trained behaviours — first in coaches, then in players.
Performance lasts only as long as the behaviour holds. An 80-minute performance starts long before the gold jersey is pulled on.
