Eagles dare to dream of decider

Updated September 22, 2011 16:47:01

West Coast's Andrew Embley thought his chances of appearing in another grand final were all but over after last year's wooden spoon campaign.

But just 12 months on, Embley and his Eagles team-mates are daring to dream about securing a spot in the 2011 decider.

Regardless of whether it wins or lose against Geelong at the MCG on Saturday, West Coast's season will still be safely regarded as a runaway success.

But the Eagles remain hungry for more glory, with Embley urging his team-mates to make the most of the opportunity that awaits them.

"Obviously it'd be fair to say we've exceeded a lot of people's expectations," he said.

"But our mentality at the moment is that the job's still not done.

"We're rapt to give ourselves a chance to play in a preliminary final.

"I've been playing footy for a long time and this is only my third preliminary final, so you don't get these chances all the time and, when you are there, you've just got to make the most of it.

"I must admit [I thought] my chances of playing in another grand final were quite slim [after what happened last year].

"In saying that, I was pretty optimistic and pretty confident that we were going to improve, but maybe not as quickly as we have."

Geelong will be keen to keep a tight check on Embley after the 230-match veteran tallied 32 possessions and one goal in the Eagles' eight-point victory over the Cats in July.

Embley says West Coast will take great confidence from that victory even though Geelong enters the re-match as raging favourite.

"I thought our ball movement that night was really good and we learnt a lot from how we played," he said.

"So I think at the moment, the guys are certainly very confident and we understand it's going to be a real tough match.

"But we feel like we're in pretty good condition, we're well prepared for it and we'll have a fair dinkum crack, that's for sure."

West Coast captain Darren Glass says he and fellow tall defenders Eric MacKenzie and Will Schofield would have to be on their game to quell Geelong spearheads Tom Hawkins, James Podsiadly and ruckman Brad Ottens.

"I watched the Hawthorn game. Their talls had a big influence over the game so myself and Eric Mackenzie and Schoey are going to work at it pretty hard," Glass told Perth radio station 6PR.

"I'll imagine I'll end up on all three at different stages."

Glass earned his third All Australian jersey earlier this week, adding to the ones he snared in 2006 and 2007.

"My three-year form slump's over," he joked.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, perth-6000

First posted September 22, 2011 16:47:01

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The Sports Industry - How to Find Your Dream Job

Though jobs in the sports industry might seem to be plentiful, it is a very competitive field. Divided into ten sections, this industry contains thousands of jobs in, sporting events, trade shows and meetings, sport sponsors, sport related media, sport facilities, sport retailers and manufactures, and professional sport services.

This industry in particular has a large turnover, a complex infrastructure, and an influence on many people's lives via the media and participation. To completely understand the nature of the sports industry, one must know that it is composed of different components:

Different Components in the Sports Industry

o Sporting goods - equipment manufacturers, high street sports retailers

o Facility management, provision and maintenance - motor sport facilities, stadiums, sports and leisure centers

o Sports coaching

o Sports tourism - packages for fans attending the world cup matches, or Olympics

o Sports development - sports development initiatives, governing bodies for various sports, local authority sports development officers

o Sports-related gambling/betting

o Professional sport

o Health and fitness - health clubs, GP referral schemes, personal fitness

o Trainers

o Sports medicine -sports injury clinics, physiotherapists

o Outdoors and adventure activities - mountain biking, climbing, canoeing

To know every section of the sports industry, you must understand the type of activities that take place and the respective organizations that provide them. For instance, if you are planning to get involved with sporting goods, you should know the different types of goods that are available through specialist equipment manufacturers and high end retailers, plus names of the various companies involved.

Likewise, to seek a job in sports development, you should be aware of what 'sports development' is and the various jobs available for sports development officers, as well as the organizations that employ them, like the local authorities and charities governing bodies of different sports.

In general, people take it for granted that jobs are restricted within the sports industry. However, there are many other opportunities available. A job in the sports industry could range from that as a professional athlete, to a ball girl/ boy, to a general manager of a professional sports team. You don't have to work for a professional sports team to get into the industry. You could start working as a trainer or coach for a high school team, a journalist, or a sports agent, or even work as a television broadcaster.

Salary Range in the Sports Industry

The sport, the team and the type of job, are some of the aspects that influence salaries in the sports industry. Following are examples of salary ranges of some jobs in the sports industry:

Coach: $20,000-$400,000+ (College) and $20,000-$70,000 (high school)

Sportscaster: $18,000-$1 million

Sportswriter: $15,000-$1 million

Sports Event Coordinator: $24,000-$90,000+

Education largely depends on the type of job one is planning to pursue. A college degree may not assure a job in the industry but may provide numerous opportunities for employment. Besides, it is almost impossible to get into the sports industry without experience. The best way to prepare for a job in the sports industry is to get maximum exposure.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.