Harvey admits being 'a little OCD'

13th July 2012 12:33 PM

Whitsunday Miners coach Graham Harvey and his coaching style continue to evolve.

FOOTBALL, it seems, has always been in the fabric of Whitsunday Miners coach Graham Harvey.

It's no surprise then that the unsociable hours he has to work in the role are not a problem for him.

Or, maybe more importantly, for his wife Kelli.

Forty-eight hours ago, when most 9-5 workers were sleeping, Harvey got home at 11pm, after conducting an open review coaching session at Virgin Australia Stadium for interested coaches.

"The coaching game by its very nature is unsociable," he said.

On top of that, the road travel is also something he said he wife understood was part and parcel of the job.

"The travel demands mean, as a club, we are away pretty much every second weekend, which can be difficult from a personal point of view," he said.

"I'm lucky my wife Kelli is getting used to it. When I do get time off I make sure we both get away for a short break so I can really spend time with her."

To prepare himself for game-day coaching, Harvey will take a morning run for an hour, without fail and regardless of whether he is home or away.

"It's just something I like to do," he said of his routine.

His other vice, he says, is being "a little OCD" regarding his preparation and planning of training and match-day strategies.

Harvey is not averse to looking at his own performances and late last year, following a self-evaluation, formed some interesting conclusions about himself.

"An area of my coaching I know I'm trying to improve are the aspects around winning and losing," he said.

"In the past I've probably gotten a little too emotionally attached at games. I like winning but I have felt at times I could have taken a step back and let the players enjoy their successes.

"For my professional development I do not like losing but I am trying to make sure I handle things the right way with my own players, the opposition and factors that might affect a loss."

Harvey would most like to meet English football star David Beckham and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2012/07/13/all-for-the-love-of-football/