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THERE were only two weeks between Aaron Greaves' appointment as Port Adelaide's new ruck coach and the start of preseason.
But when Matthew Lobbe first met the man who would guide his progression to the elite ranks of AFL ruckmen it was clear Greaves had done his homework.
"We caught up outside the club," Lobbe said.
"He'd already prepared a lot of stuff and watched a lot of vision. He came to me with some stuff to work on straight away and it's been like that since."
The pair immediately went to work on breaking down the technical aspects of Lobbe's role at balls ups and throw ins, expanding his knowledge of the unique traits of all the other ruckmen in the competition and how best to combat them.
"I'm really big with being planned and organised and having attention to detail," Greaves said.
"It's really important in footy because you're so time poor."
Matthew Lobbe, right, training with Aaron Greaves. Picture: Sarah Reed.
This level of preparation wouldn't surprise anyone that's worked with the 36 year old during his coaching career - from Nathan Buckley in the Victorian under-age system to Mark Neeld and Neil Craig at Melbourne.
But it wasn't always the case for Greaves, who by his own description was a lazy footballer in his late teens at St Joseph's College in Geelong.
The 197cm key forward was a late developer but says he missed the chance to play AFL because his work ethic wasn't where it needed to be.
"I didn't work hard enough early enough and didn't understand what it took," Greaves said.
"And that's one thing that has made me a better coach, I now appreciate how hard you have to work and hopefully it comes across with the guys I work with."
Greaves had a successful playing career in the VFL with North Ballarat and Geelong and had three AFL clubs interested in picking him up as a rookie when he was 24.
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But that was when the age limit for the rookie list was 23 years and nine months. Despite asking the AFL for special dispensation, his dream went unfulfilled.
Greaves stepped back to the Geelong Football League, playing under Neeld at St Joseph's.
He finished a teaching degree and when Neeld was appointed coach of the Western Jets in the TAC Cup was ushered into the senior coaching position.
Still only 25, Greaves turned back the clock as a playing-coach and after a steep learning curve led St Joey's to a Grand Final in his second season.
He ended up spending six years coaching in the GFL before taking the reins of the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup.
Now intent on pursuing a career in the caper, Greaves took a position in development at the Victorian Institute of Sport where he worked with top level athletes including Paralympic gold medal winning long jumper Kelly Cartwright.
"Combining the two was tough going for a few years, but you've got to do the hard yards," Greaves said.
"That, with my teaching background, gave me a really good grounding to get started.
"Not being a 200 game AFL player with a name, I needed a point of difference."
Greaves got his opportunity in the big league when Neeld was appointed senior coach at Melbourne.
He started as a ruck coach before moving into the midfield in his second season.
The two year stint - which saw the Demons lose club great Jim Stynes to cancer, indigenous talent Liam Jurrah to the bush and 38 of the 44 games they played - was certainly a baptism of fire.
"There were so many things that happened," Greaves said.
"No coaching course could give you the skills to deal with that. It was a great learn as we go type thing for me."
Neeld's sacking and the signing of Paul Roos left Greaves looking for another opportunity - one he received when Ken Hinkley came calling at the end of last year.
Hinkley needed a replacement for outgoing development coach Daniel Healy and ruck coach Shaun Rehn and headhunted Greaves, who he knew from his time coaching Bell Park in the GFL.
Greaves had a young family to consider, but with the support of wife Rebecca decided to head to South Australia.
"After a pretty tough first two years at Melbourne, where there wasn't a lot of reward for effort and enjoyment in what you did ... to come here and really believe in the direction we're going and to learn from really experienced coaches and quality people, I've been happy everyday," Greaves said.
It's a signing which is proving fruitful for the Power.
Lobbe is fulfilling the promise he showed at the end of last season and has entered the All-Australian discussion as the midpoint of the season approaches.
"It's been great to be able to challenge him on some of the outside perceptions of his game which he probably hadn't heard," said Greaves, who has found a willing partner in Lobbe.
"He's a leader, he wants to be good and he's a real competitor, so for me it's about facilitating the program rather than actually having to drive it."
THE MENTORS
The five biggest influences on Aaron Greaves' coaching career
GERALD FITZGERALD (North Ballarat, VFL)
"From 18 to 22 I was immature and a bit of a lost soul and unsure where I was heading. Gerard is an ex-teacher and pushed really hard for me to get into university and start a teaching degree."
RON WATT (Geelong, VFL)
"The big thing I learnt from him was the relationship he had with players. How forging trust allows you to educate."
MARK NEELD (St Joey's/Melbourne)
"He really helped guide me during my first few years as a coach and then obviously gave me my first opportunity at AFL level."
NATHAN BUCKLEY (Victorian Country under-16s)
"I was his assistant and had a really strong relationship with him during that time. He really encouraged me to pursue coaching and gave me strong feedback on areas where I needed to get better."
NEIL CRAIG (Melbourne)
"I don't know if Port people will like hearing about Neil Craig having a big influence, but he's got such a wealth of knowledge and a great understanding of the game and where it's going."
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