Dive4Cover

50yr+ EFC member. Centre left leaning. Love life & most people. Seeking justice for the 34 & adequate proof for ALL Australia athletes..

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

@lesstenny Yes

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

Rightwing operatives have registered fake progressive parties to steal votes and funnel preferences to One Nation in Victoria. But there’s a fix already on the table – and Victorians have a chance to get it passed before November. Add your name ✍️ https://t.co/IzWr0io2qX

[neyi kaybettiğini hatırla @neyikaybettik]

Hussam Ebu Safieh, "İsrail'in rehineler için ölüm cezası" ile öldürülecek olan Filistinli doktorlardan biridir (diğer 95 doktor arasında).

Onu öldürmelerine izin verme.
Bunu yeniden yayınlayın.

[Jonny Bakks @Shadowwork6969]

Over the past week, discussion surrounding Essendon's coaching vacancy has largely centred around one question: who should coach the Essendon Football Club? As someone who has spent more than twenty-five years coaching athletes, building teams, leading organisations and operating within high-performance environments across multiple countries and sports, I believe the discussion is missing a far more important question. Not who should coach Essendon, but what does Essendon actually need right now? These are not the same thing.

One of the mistakes organisations make during periods of instability is assuming that leadership appointments are primarily about technical expertise. They begin comparing résumés, analysing tactical systems, counting premierships and debating who possesses the strongest technical credentials. While those factors matter, leadership appointments are rarely won or lost on technical competence alone, particularly in organisations experiencing prolonged underperformance.

The reality is that every organisation moves through different phases of development. What is required from leadership during a period of growth is often very different from what is required during a period of crisis, renewal or reconstruction. In my experience, there are times when an organisation needs a strategist, times when it needs an innovator, times when it needs an operational expert, and times when it needs a unifier. From the outside looking in, Essendon appears to fall firmly into the latter category.

The club has spent two decades searching for sustained success. Coaches have come and gone. Administrators have come and gone. Players have come and gone. Yet the underlying challenges remain remarkably consistent. When performance problems persist across multiple leadership groups over extended periods, it is often evidence that the issue is no longer purely tactical. It becomes cultural, relational and organisational. These problems are rarely solved through game plans alone.

This brings me to the debate surrounding James Hird. The most common criticism I hear is that Hird has not coached at @AFL level for a decade. I understand the argument. I simply don't find it persuasive.

The assumption underpinning this criticism appears to be that stepping away from a formal coaching role somehow results in a significant loss of leadership capability, football IQ or performance expertise. My experience suggests otherwise. Throughout my own career, I have stepped away from specific sports and environments for extended periods before returning with success. What I discovered was that the fundamental principles of leadership, coaching and performance remain constant. People still require trust. Teams still require alignment. Cultures still require standards. Performance still requires accountability. The tools may evolve, tech may advance and methodologies may improve, but the core principles remain largely unchanged.

The suggestion that a 250-game champion, Brownlow Medallist, former captain, former senior coach, and lifelong student of football has somehow become disconnected from the game simply because he has not occupied an AFL coaching position for ten years strikes me as a simplistic interpretation of expertise. Guys like Hird do not suddenly become novices, particularly those who have spent their entire lives immersed in a particular industry.

That does not mean Hird is automatically the best candidate, nor does it guarantee success. No leadership appointment comes with such guarantees. However, I believe it is reasonable to argue that his candidacy should be evaluated through a broader lens than simply asking how many AFL games he has coached recently. The more interesting question is whether he possesses the specific leadership qualities Essendon currently requires.

My view is that he does. Not because he is a former champion player, not because of nostalgia, and not because supporters may feel emotionally connected to him. Rather, there appears to be a strong alignment between his profile and the club's current needs. It just happens to be that he's an Essendon legend.

Leadership is contextual. The best leader for one organisation may be entirely wrong for another. The best leader for an organisation today may not be the best leader for the same organisation five years from now. The challenge facing Essendon is not simply winning more games. The challenge is rebuilding belief, rebuilding trust, rebuilding alignment, and rebuilding identity. Those are fundamentally leadership challenges before they become performance challenges.

This brings me to another interesting aspect of the discussion. Recent commentary has suggested that some experienced coaches may be reluctant to enter the process because the outcome is effectively predetermined. If that is true, I find the observation fascinating.

One characteristic I have consistently observed among elite performers is an unwavering belief in their ability to compete. The best coaches I have encountered throughout my career have never feared selection processes, scrutiny or competition. They back their capability. This is not a criticism of any individual coach. I do not know Adam Simpson or Ken Hinkley personally, nor do I pretend to understand their circumstances. Both have earned enormous respect through their achievements within the game.

However, speaking generally, leadership requires conviction. If an individual genuinely believes they are the right person for a role, then entering a competitive process should not be viewed as a threat. It should be viewed as an opportunity. More broadly, if a club is searching for a leader capable of driving significant organisational change, confidence and conviction are hardly undesirable traits.

Ultimately, the decision facing Essendon is less complicated than many make it out to be. The board must first decide what problem it is attempting to solve. If the problem is purely tactical, there are numerous qualified candidates. If the problem is organisational, cultural and relational, then the field narrows considerably.

From my perspective, James Hird deserves serious consideration because he may represent more than a coaching appointment. He may represent an opportunity to reconnect a fractured organisation with its identity. Whether Essendon ultimately appoints him remains to be seen. Whether he would succeed remains unknown. What I do know is that leadership appointments should never be assessed solely through the lens of recent job titles.

The role of leadership is not merely to direct performance. The role of leadership is to create the conditions in which performance becomes possible. That, more than tactics or résumés, is the question Essendon should be asking itself right now.

@Thomo_Grant @MrJohnnyRainman @Andrew12Welsh @gregpeartpolish @essendonfc @davidking34 @GerardWhateley @SENBreakfast #Essendon #BombersFC #jameshird #afl

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

I just donated to this important cause! Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? https://t.co/gtGosddNpn

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

I just donated to help power GetUp and a more progressive Australia! Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? https://t.co/rVwCQ6Ojvw

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

Jim Chalmers: Make Gas Giants Pay! via @GetUp https://t.co/QqqXdjbzHG

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

This is close to the worst Essendon effort I’ve seen in my nearly 70 years of support. There is something very broken at Essendon. Has the coach lost the players? If not what is it?

[Jason Hickel @jasonhickel]

Bombing Iran in the middle of negotiations, while starving Cuba, while genociding Palestinians, while threatening to invade Greenland… the US and Israel are the single greatest threat to humanity and it’s not even close. We are all forced to live in the nightmare they create.

[Denise C. @SpudBenBean]

I never thought I'd see the day that an Australian PM stood shoulder to shoulder with an incoherent imbecile, convicted rapist and alleged pedophile on one side, and an alleged war criminal wanted by the ICC on the other.

What a shameful day for our nation.

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

@JonathanJWalsh Sucks also for those of us who had moved their schedules around to make sure they could buy tickets today at 10am. Tomorrow I have other commitments 😠

[Sherele Moody (Femicide Researcher) 🌈 @ShereleMoody]

Grace Tame has spent years standing up to abusers and those who enable them while supporting victims and survivors.
She exchanged a safe, quiet and comfortable existence for one of consequence and impact.
Right now she is being vilified across the country by journalists, politicians, organisations and everyday Australians.
We cannot control their attacks but we can give Grace our support.
I stand with Grace - I hope you'll stand with her too!

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

@SamsungAU I think Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 #Unpacked #GalaxySummer #GalaxyAI

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

As Israel’s President visits Australia, genocide continues in Gaza and serious legal concerns remain unanswered. We’re calling on the government to uphold Australian and international law: Detain and investigate Isaac Herzog. ✍️ Add your name https://t.co/x92CXEQ1Id

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

When politicians claim to speak for battlers while flying private with billionaires, Australians deserve to see the truth. Together, let's call out the gap between Pauline Hanson’s “battler” image and billionaire reality. https://t.co/wldMLEANVp

[Dr Tracy Westerman AM @TracyWesterman]

I’m tired of the lazy argument that wanting to change the date of “Australia Day” somehow makes you anti-Australian — or means you “hate Australia”.

Right now, a significant number of Australians don’t feel they can celebrate on that date. Aboriginal people have made profound contributions to this country — contributions that are largely invisible on January 26 as a result.

Changing the date isn’t about taking anything away from anyone, or telling you that you can’t love your country. It’s about creating a day we can all celebrate together — not one that excludes.

The other frustrating argument is this insistence that we can’t change the date until an alternative is chosen -that’s just a procedural smokescreen and backwards logic.

You don’t demand the destination before agreeing to leave the wrong road.

First: agree the current date excludes people-it does.
Then: consult and choose a better one.
That’s how mature leadership would unite our country.

Loving Australia does not mean denying its history. You don’t get to cherry-pick only the comfortable parts and call it progress.

Loving Australia means wanting a national day that includes everyone, not demanding silence from those it excludes.

[Dive4Cover @Dive4Cover]

@Sec_Noem Bullshit!

[jansant @Jansant]

Imagine being a Australian Palestinian, whose family members were murdered in the ongoing #GazaGenocide, and seeking help from their Israeli flag pin wearing Member of Parliament.
That'd make them feel far more unsafe than a Zionist seeing a watermelon.

[💧Mary Kostakidis @MaryKostakidis]

** Excellent article by Judith Treanor in @MichaelWestBiz
' I would hazard a guess that most Australians are sick of hearing about Jewish feelings ad infinitum. I sure am. Not that that means we shouldn’t be shocked and horrified by what happened at Bondi. That’s a given. But please indulge me for a short while, because anti-Zionist Jews are rarely heard from in the media. We’re either ignored or attacked.'

'Zionism is not Judaism, but you are supposed to think it is. 
The “How Jewish are you?” tweet reflects an entire political and media climate that insists there is one Jewish community and one Jewish view, and that view is unwavering support for Israel.We hear it from almost every politician, besides the Greens and a couple of independents...'

'The wrong kind of Jew
If I oppose Israel’s atrocities, I’m not Jewish enough.
If I march against apartheid, genocide and torture, I’m a kapo.
If I refuse to treat a foreign state as sacred, I’m a self-hating Jew.
We are ignored by politicians in their decision-making. Ignored by the mainstream media. We have been erased, while being told we are being protected.'

'Hate laws and lists
Yesterday, the Albanese government did a backroom deal with the Liberals to ram through the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 as part of the political response to Bondi.
The laws expand hate-related offences, create a framework to ban “hate groups”, and hand the Home Affairs Minister expanded border and visa powers over anyone deemed to “promote hatred” or extremism.They sold it as “Jewish safety” but we know which Jews they are referring to. It’s absolutely not for the safety of Muslims, First Nations people or the safety of any other minority who cop it in Australia. They sold this as cracking down on extremists. But history tells us that once governments build these systems, the net easily widens. Anti-Zionist groups are already conflated with ‘extremism’ from the simple fact we attend pro-Palestine marches for peace.We’re a threat to politicians’ beloved “social cohesion”.
Under this new regime, it is not hard to imagine Tony Burke deciding to go after groups like ours.This is the same Tony Burke who led the Walk for Respect in Lakemba in 2017, a march against racism and hate speech towards Muslims. I was there and I remember it well. Ironically, my friend Laurie said to me today: “The Nazis put us on lists.” Now these new hate laws have passed in Australia, “we’ll be back to being on lists” for raising our voices for Palestine.'

'The destruction the two terrorists wreaked at Bondi on 14 December has reached way beyond the victims. In the weeks since, the massacre has torn at a country that has historically responded to tragedy with unity rather than blame and politicisation. While the country was still reeling from initial shock, the pro-Palestine protest movement was blamed. Five weeks on, the finger-pointing and vilification is getting worse. The public space including social media platforms and legacy media is openly toxic. Those who cannot distinguish Judaism from Zionism, Muslims from terrorism, or protest from violence have been emboldened by political and media rhetoric to spew bile online. Decent people are called terrorists and people like myself are told we’re not Jewish enough.
So much for eliminating hate, Albo. Oh wait, here comes Herzog…’

https://t.co/utK9sYhQw0

[jansant @Jansant]

The Greenland resistance