He’s a self-professed learner for life and former North Launceston dual premiership coach Zane Littlejohn is enjoying learning about life as a development coach with AFL club Brisbane.
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Littlejohn said he is loving the experience and could not be happier six months into his dream job.
“It’s all going well and I’ve loved it – obviously it is something I have been pretty passionate about trying to achieve over the last few years and I’ve worked with some really good people which makes life easier,” he said.
“I’m really enjoying it – my match-day role is working with the forwards for our NEAFL team but just working with all the players on the list and trying to make them better.
“[There are] some good characters in our NEAFL group with draftees and such – good young men who are listening and learning.”
Littlejohn went into the appointment with an open mind as far as expectations were concerned but said the reality of the job and all it entails had exceeded his initial hopes.
The 30-year-old former teacher praised Lions senior coach Chris Fagan with helping to enhance his experience since stepping up to the AFL coaching ranks.
”He’s been fantastic with the coaches and players and giving us a lot of responsibility and with his backing within the footy club it’s been really exciting,” Littlejohn said.
“I was lucky enough to do some Hawthorn opposition stuff before their game against us in Launceston.
“Other than match-day stuff I’ve worked closely with Ben Hudson who is the coach of the AFL forwards – him and I work closely together with the forwards watching the tapes and doing their class stuff during the week and having line meetings.
“Ben has been great for me, teaching me what he knows and letting me learn and make mistakes and helping me get better – Huddo obviously goes with the AFL guys and I go with the NEAFL group but we try to run the same program so the message is all the same regardless of the level.
“Our match committee stuff and all that has been really enjoyable and it is about developing and growing to become the best coaching person I can and Fages has given me every opportunity to do that so far which is great.”
Fagan has an open door policy and Littlejohn said he caught up with the Lions coach regularly with his fellow Tasmanian always open and honest in answering questions, dealing with suggestions or offering advice.
“We [coaches] meet three or four times a week to discuss things and it is a team job. With Fages coming from a teaching background too has been really prevalent and at the forefront of his coaching and with our group it is about education and helping the players grow and become the best footy side they can.
“I have just tried to be that sponge. I’ve mentioned before that I am a life-long learner and I hate to become stale and not be learning and not feeling as though I am getting better.
“You have to challenge yourself and keep that alive in this job. Although these guys are AFL footballers and are good at playing the game they still are only human and part of this role is being able to deal with the human individual and the person they are and not just the footballer.
“I like to pride myself on that type of thing and it is part of who I am and what I stand for as a coach. There are a lot of statistics stuff with the AFL but learning also the importance of what you need to give back to the players and drip-feeding because they are only human and they’re not mathematicians.
“I was a bit worried pre-season not having had that AFL experience as a player but the feedback I got from the players was that they don’t care what you know as long as they know that you care.
“So I just try to bring my passion to the job and it is about continually following and learning about your players and your team and making sure you can provide the best outcome and learning for them going forward.”
Littlejohn said he had been struck by how strong the tactical side of the game was at AFL level and the amount of recovery time players put in.
He keeps tabs on the Tasmanian State League and has regular contact with some of his former charges at North Launceston.
“I still talk to quite a few of the players on a regular basis. I speak with Taylor [Whitford] each week and stir him up – I think he might have got a kick last week which is about time.
“I keep in touch with the boys and have built some pretty strong relationships there. They hold a spot close to my heart as does the footy club itself and a few of the coaches down there.
“I definitely keep a little eye on it and it is good to see them going well on the field. I wanted to make sure that the club could sustain its success and it looks like that is happening at the moment.
“I speak to Simon Black who is at the club a bit and he says Tom Couch is going well down there which is really good.”
Having settled into life in the Brisbane suburb of Wakerley with wife Kat and children Boyd, 2, and Alba, six months, Littlejohn takes a cruisey 16-kilometre drive into the Gabba every day.
On a three-year contract with the Lions, he has not considered his future beyond 2019 preferring to make the most of the opportunity he has been given.
“I was looking forward to sinking my teeth in and there has been a lot of good support around me. There was a lot of other new staff at the start of the year so we are all trying to work together. I want to make sure I’m having a really good influence on the footy club while I’m here and leaving it a better place whenever I leave.
“We’re doing extremely well and we just have to celebrate the little wins at the moment – we’ve debuted players and this group is learning to play together and there are positive signs under Fages.
“But we don’t want honourable losses, we want to win football games and create a culture around winning – that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”