When Collingwood coach Craig McRae called out his own players for slumping to the ground in despair after their agonising qualifying final loss to Geelong, something resonated with Melbourne Rebels coach Kevin Foote.
Acting like winners has become a strong thread in the Rebels’ Super Rugby season to date, and their results on and off the field have led to the club’s board re-signing Foote on Thursday for an additional two seasons as head coach beyond 2023.
Melbourne Rebels coach Kevin Foote was inspired by how Craig McRae and Collingwood acted during last year’s AFL finals.Credit: Getty Images
Foote reached out to Collingwood in the pre-season and was able to get an insight into how McRae was setting his Magpies up for another tilt at the AFL premiership, after they made a stunning rise from 17th to preliminary finalists within 12 months.
“He had a really cool thing about steps; I’m not sure if I can share or not, but he went around, and he had cool pictures of all the steps in Melbourne and the steps they have to take to make the finals,” Foote told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday.
“They know exactly what it takes for them to make finals and how many games they have to win.
“For them, it was all about climbing each step.”
Many say coaching Collingwood is the toughest job in Victoria, but Foote argues coaching a rugby union team in the state is perhaps even more difficult.
Keeping Australia’s best home-grown talent in Australia is the most important task, but Foote is turning the Rebels into a destination club, having already convinced Wallabies star Taniela Tupou to join in 2024 in the biggest signing of the club’s history.
Tupou wanted to know that he was coming to a club that had lofty aspirations. He was quickly convinced that Foote was setting the club up for success.
“The big idea is we want to play finals,” Foote said.
Kevin Foote has drawn inspiration from Collingwood coach Craig McRae.Credit: Getty Images
“The table swings last year, we just missed out by a point. Once you’re in the finals, then it’s week by week, so we’re definitely still focused on making the finals this year.
“Rugby in Victoria, I’ll be honest, it’s a challenging job. You’re not littered with a whole lot of depth. But doing this job with people you admire and love is something very special to me, and we’ve got a great coaching staff and a really good leadership group also.
“My feeling is of course we can win it, I’m a very optimistic person, but I’ve also learned we’ve got to get into that position first and by playing a good brand of rugby the belief will come.”
Sound familiar?
“I loved what Craig [McRae] did around the values and acting like winners, 100 per cent that had an impact on me,” said the South African-born Foote, who once acted as a double for Matt Damon in the movie Invictus.
But while the Magpies created an insatiable belief about winning from any position, even if it meant being four goals down at the final change, Foote has taken a slightly different philosophy given rugby union is completely different.
“In the past we’ve probably been a bit conservative,” he said.
“If you ever had to chase a game down, I’m not sure if guys believe they can do that, whereas if you start with an attacking brand of rugby, and you’re scoring a lot of points, I think it’s easier to dial up the defence than the other way round.
“I’ve definitely given guys licence to attack and express themselves and be fearless, but now I’ve got to get the balance right about them being resolute and being hard-edged.”
Collingwood is not the only cross-code connection Foote has made. He has created a healthy relationship with Melbourne Storm, the state’s only National Rugby League side, and also hired Hawthorn’s performance psychologist who splits his time between clubs.
While externally many are surprised the Rebels have won two of their seven games this season, Foote isn’t resting on his laurels, not afraid to dream of an unlikely premiership – one that would warrant another movie starring Damon.
“We’re probably more disappointed in some of our other results, not getting them, but we weren’t surprised about beating the Reds and the Waratahs,” Foote said.
“We had a good feeling about our game and where it’s getting to. We just want to mirror that against some of the Kiwi teams now.”
The Rebels host the Crusaders at AAMI Park on Friday night.
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