For Lions AFLW Backline Coach and former teacher Paul Henriksen, teaching and coaching go hand-in-hand.
“I’m still teaching, it’s just the material that’s different,” Henriksen said.
“Coaches are just teaching their players, instead of students in a classroom. You still use all the same skills, you’re still trying to get people where they want to go in their lives and careers, you’re just on a football field instead of the classroom.”
Henriksen, or ‘Henry’ as the AFLW team call him, first arrived at the Club at the end of 2016, making the move from his hometown of Terang and his 18-year-long career as a teacher in Western Victoria to follow his passion for football.
Since his arrival at the Lions, the former teacher has been involved in nearly every aspect of the Club’s football program, from Academy to AFL, everything except AFLW.
But nine games into his first AFLW season, it’s been an experience that the former teacher says he has found ‘refreshing’.
“It’s been a little bit different for me coming out of the [AFL] Men’s program and being in that for the last five or six years, and then coming on to coach in the AFL Women’s team,” Henriksen said.
“There are some similarities but plenty of differences too, and it’s been refreshing from a personal point of view and from a coaching perspective, it’s probably focused me up a little bit more.
“The AFLW players are really engaged in what you’ve got to say. They want to know idiosyncrasies and not just the general picture, which isn’t always the case in AFL programs.
“I’ve really enjoyed that because you get into specifics, and I know with the defensive group we’ve started to look at different aspects of the game and where we can grow them as a defensive unit not just this season but over future seasons as well, which is important too.”
Coming on board as Backline Coach ahead of Season Seven, Henriksen has slotted seamlessly into the AFLW program, with Head Coach Craig Starcevich citing Henry’s background as a teacher as a key reason.
“It’s been an easy transition for him because of his experience as a development coach and a school teacher,” Starcevich explained.
“His experience with teenage boys and girls, the lesson plans, his demeanour; all the things that go along with being a teacher has made [the transition to AFLW] seamless.
“He’s always very vibrant and brings a bit of humour too. The other good thing from my perspective has been his connection with the men’s program too, that’s been fantastic for us.”
With a number of key defenders posting some of their strongest seasons to date, including Season 6 All-Australian Nat Grider, Captain Bre Koenen and foundation Lion Shannon Campbell - Henriksen said there has been a big focus on the individual strengths and the parts of each player’s game that strengthen the backline as a whole.
“When you’re a defender, you might think that it’s just about stopping your opponent but there’s also other aspects of the game. ‘Where are you challenging your forward that you’re playing on in how you play?’,” Henriksen said.
“I think most people look at defenders and say ‘just stop your opponent’ and that’s great, but the challenge of you also challenging your opposition player with what you can bring and what your strengths are has been a focus for us as well; having players work to their strengths, not just stopping their opposition.
“Their ability to get to contests and assist each other, that’s been really important this season too.
“We talk a lot about the unit, you’re not defending on your own. You’ve got others around them and that’s been a really important aspect to their success this season.”
