The Selection Dilemma

Spring is upon us.  It’s selection time across the AMMNA landscape.

With selections comes plenty of opinion, advice, rumor and manipulation.  In every state it is the same thing, individuals are striving for an individual outcome, whilst coaches and selectors are forming teams, with administrators behind them attempting to achieve squad targets in order to help deliver on tournament goals.

There is much to ponder when selecting teams.

So what are the goals when selecting a team?  Many would argue the goal is to simply win, but the organization has other responsibilities.  There is not just this year to consider, what about the future?  Who is going to make up the nucleus of the team for the next five years?  How many players do we take, and what flow on effect will selections at the top end have on the development teams?

The how many players question is always debatable.  The coach always wants as many options as possible, but taking a squad of 12 imposes man management issues – 5 on the bench is a big number, especially when everyone has paid the same costs. What does selecting 12 in the open men’s team do to the remainder of the squad? Does it reduce the quality of the reserves or the even the mixed team, or even mean the state can’t field a development team?  Does player number 12 end up sitting on the bench most of the week, thinking to himself – ‘I should have opted for mixed, or I would have gotten value for money if I’d played reserves or 23’s’.

So too the players should think about a number of factors:

• What team do I want to play in?
• Where will I get value for my effort?
• How many players will be selected? (YES – you can ask)
• Do I have individual goals and can I achieve them in the men’s, mixed, 23’s or reserves?