SportsWizard® Performance coach Mark Edmondson has been recognised for his work with elite sportspeople once again.
Edmondson has been credited by St Kilda AFL footballer Maverick Weller for his role in helping the former Gold Coast Sun revive his career with the Saints.
Weller spent time with Edmondson after being delisted by the Suns, helping him to quickly move on from the incident and get back on track to bring his AFL career to life.
“I did some work with Mark Edmondson two years ago and we put some things in place that changed my thought patterns a little bit,” he told told SEN’s Morning Glory.
Since then, Weller has found himself in the Club’s top 10 in the 2014 Best and Fairest count and has been elevated to its Leadership Group.
For the full story, see below.
[divider scroll_text=””]
ELITE sport is often said to be 90 per cent above the shoulders with mental preparation seen to be just as valuable as the physical aspects of top level competition.
While some may think mental preparation can be overplayed, especially for a sport like Australian Football that requires a diversity of skills and attributes, for Maverick Weller it rings true.
Delisted by the Gold Coast Suns at the end of the 2013 season after 32 games across the club’s first three seasons, Weller didn’t spend any time wallowing. Rather, he immediately re-focussed, was granted permission to train with St Kilda, and did enough to warrant being selected at pick 20 in the 2014 Rookie Draft.
“When I got dropped by Gold Coast, yes it was sad to leave my ex-teammates, but in my mind I was always going to get picked up by St Kilda and forge a career down here,” Weller told SEN’s Morning Glory on Thursday.
“It’s that law of attraction way of thinking and I adapted it. It’s just how I live my life now.”
The law of attraction principle may be hard to measure, but it has undoubtedly aided Weller in his pursuit of a second chance at AFL football.
Put simply, the theory behind the law of attraction is that by focussing on positive thoughts, one can bring about positive results. Weller, already being an inherent optimist, simply had to find a vehicle in which to harness these thoughts.
“I did some work with Mark Edmondson two years ago and we put some things in place that changed my thought patterns a little bit,” he said.
The strong-bodied midfielder, who turns 23 on Friday, made his Saints debut in the club’s harrowing loss to Hawthorn in round seven last year, collecting 16 disposals.
He played every game from then on, even though his night against Collingwood in round 11 lasted no more than a few seconds after being concussed at the opening bounce.
As the season wore on, Weller became St Kilda’s primary run-with player, a role that brought him great success against the likes of Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood and earned him a 10th place finish in the Best and Fairest.
Throughout this time he became one of the few constants in the Saints injury-plagued midfield group, allowing his leadership skills to shine through in difficult circumstances.
Now officially a member of the club’s seven-man leadership group, Weller is looking forward to helping solidify a resilient and successful culture at Linen House Centre.
“We (the leadership group) meet once every week and talk about how the team is going, how individuals are going and try to get on top of little things that are happening around the club,” he said.
“If we do this well then the club will run smoothly and we get the most out of the playing group.
“We act as a pretty valuable tool for Richo to give him some feedback on how trainings and meetings are going. These days there are a lot of decisions to make at AFL clubs.”
He may have played fewer than 50 AFL games (48), but already Weller is experienced enough to appreciate a rapidly improving training environment when he sees one.
“There is a fair bit of optimism around the club and everyone is really excited here,” he said.
“There are so many fresh faces and some of these kids are just so talented. You should see Jack Lonie move around the ground. It’s obviously a building process… We’re definitely on the way up.”
This story first appeared on the St Kilda Football Club website, titled ‘Law of attraction sees Maverick take flight’, on 12 February, 2015.
