“Our emerging leaders are really important to us, because they are the core group of players that are going to be the next generation of leaders on the Gold Coast,” he said.
Since Day One of the 2XU High Performance Camp, the boys have been separated into six groups, with each team representing one of the team’s core values.
Leading Team Honest is midfielder Danny Stanley, steering the ship for Team Attitude is Dion Prestia and Seb Tape in all his fearless glory heads Team Relentless.
Rory Thompson was to lead Team Dependable before having to withdraw from the camp,while David Swallow and Tom Lynch lead Team Respect and Elite respectively,
All capable of succeeding Ablett as captain in the future, Kennedy said the six Gold Coasters were closing the leadership gap on their senior mentors in Flagstaff.
“The coaches and conditioning staff can drive the guys as much as we like, but the real power comes from the players, and they are the six that are driving the group,” he said.
Whilst challenging experienced campaigners can deter younger players from treading the path towards leadership opportunities , Kennedy says it is all part of a footballer’s growth and development.
“One of the challenges that these emerging leaders face is when they need to challenge a senior player, but that is what will make the team better,” he said.
“For some, it is going to be a challenge to get in front of a Campbell Brown, Nathan Bock or a Gary Ablett and say that effort wasn’t good enough, or we need to be better than that.”
“But that is why they are so highly respected amongst the playing group and in the position they are in.
“As I said, they are the ones that are going to drive our group forward.”
