7am: Get up. Lisa has already gone for a run. I’m really proud of her fitness regime. Last year she ran a half-marathon (21.2 kilometres) in under five minutes a kilometre. No chance you would get me to do that. Begin treatment on my injured ankle looking to ready for the game against Rovers this weekend.

7.30am: Get the boys breakfast and dressed for school. Elijah is 9, Oliver, 7, and Austin nearly 4. The two eldest boys are at St Monica’s Primary School in Wodonga. They are champion boys and we are

really proud of their development.

8.20am: Drop the boys at school and head to work at Dutch Media and Marketing. We started our own advertising agency in Wodonga and provide media planning and booking advice as well a creative and production services for all marketing initiatives. We look after McRae Motors, SS?&?A Club, Gruen Energy and NB Sports. We also have several Adelaide-based clients including Travel Auctions, The Jackpot Club and Panasonic Air Conditioners among others.

8.35am: Plan the week. Every day is different which is the great part of this business. This week among a whole heap of other things, we have a couple of TV shoots, we enter pre-production phase on a major animation production job for one of our Adelaide clients and are close to going live on 12 websites we have built for a hotel group.

5pm: Head to footy training. Monday nights are split into two parts: a basic skill element and then a weights component. With our young list, we are looking to develop their skill level as well continue to work on strengthening their bodies.

7pm: Head home for dinner and catch up with the family. This week we have just moved into a new home we just bought, so there continues to be some unpacking. After about 10 house moves in 12 years, I am never moving again.

8.20pm: Help Lisa tuck the boys into bed and say their prayers. This happens every night, as we are very thankful for what we have in our lives.

8.30: Watch On the Couch. It’s the best footy show on TV. I love listening to Paul Roos and Gerard Healy in particular and getting an insight into their philosophy’s on footy. Each Monday night while watching some TV, I also work on our players’ individual match reports.

I watch the video of the

game and with team and

individual statistics on hand, players get a report on their own performance from the weekend. They are graded on some of our key performance indicators and provided with feedback about their performance.

11.00pm: Report’s done. Head to bed.

Tuesday

6.30am: Up early today as there is a lot to do. Start with some ultrasound treatment on the ankle.

7.30am: Head into the office. As well as the campaigns and jobs that were pre-planned, we have three clients looking to do short-term marketing campaigns, which will all start before the weekend. Madly pull scripts together, voice-over talent and work with the media in Adelaide and plan air time locally.

9am: Meet with clients.

1pm: Lunch with the Bulldogs match committee. We spend a lot of time at the footy club, so it’s important get away. We structure lunch together on a Tuesday to meet and discuss several points. I am fortunate to have a really experienced and knowledgeable team around me.

Dean Harding, Paul Hicks and Bert Hollands provide so much experience and direction, while Josh Walker and David Avery, bring younger, fresh perspectives that provide a really good balance.

From this meeting we finalise our best and fairest voting from the previous week, discuss the previous week’s performance, discuss our upcoming opposition and settle on a squad for the upcoming match. Usually there is a general business topic, such as recruiting, that is also discussed.

2.30pm: Meeting concludes and back to the office to keep working on the short-term ad campaigns planned for the weekend.

5pm: Head to training for the main session. I planned each training session at the start of the year, with a focus to work on certain elements of our game over a three-week period. Our sessions also allow for work on elements out of the previous weekend’s performance that also needs to be addressed. My ankle is still giving me some trouble so Josh Walker takes the first part of training while I join in some boxing and riding the bike. I take over for the rest of the session.

8.30pm: Head home with the boys going into bed, just in time to say goodnight. Eat dinner and more ultrasound treatment.

9pm: We finally have the internet on at the new house. I work though some emails and start a bit of the monthly invoicing process. Let’s just say that accounts are not my thing!

10.30pm: Bed time.

Wednesday

6.30am: Start the day with some ultrasound treatment on the ankle. At this stage I am battling to be ready to play on the weekend.

7.30am: Head into the office. There are several scripts to finalise and ads that need approval before starting on the weekend.

Deadlines are getting pretty close.

10am: Physio appointment for treatment on my ankle. Getting a little bit more movement but not confident it will come up.

11am: On Wednesdays I try to inform players who are in and out of the senior side. Apart from the odd fitness test on Thursday nights, we are normally in a position to do so. In my opinion this gives players plenty of time to prepare for the game on the weekend and to train well on Thursday night, regardless of their situation.

12pm: We have a couple of hiccups with ads for the weekend that need further approval and time is getting pretty precious.

We call in some favours to get our air time moved back

a little to allow further

changes.

We finalise all the media for next week.

6.30pm: Head home and spend a bit of time with the family.

7pm: Dinner and it is my

turn to help cook. Fresh

trout supplied by a couple of boys from the club is on the menu tonight. White wine, shallots, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, lemon pepper, sea

salt and some breadcrumbs make for a nice mix, with some fresh Greek salad to match.

8.30pm: Work through some work emails and finalise the pre-game planning sheet for the game against Rovers on the weekend. Every player gets a copy of the sheet, which includes the roles for the week, our focus points for the weekend and some information about the opposition, their strengths and approach to the game.

10pm: Bed.

Thursday

7am: Up and get organised for The Border Mail to arrive for a photo shoot for the week in the life of story.

8.30am: Drop the boys at school and off to work. Today is crunch day for the weekend with some of the changes needing approval by lunchtime. Fortunately able to get them all done.

9am: I’m off to a TV shoot at Quadrant Securities for their new website. Websites are becoming much more interactive and Quadrant are making it simpler for their clients to access information more easily.

1pm: Check in with clients at their appointments.

5.15pm: Head to training. I get some treatment and do a fitness test before main training starts, but I’m still not moving freely. I had the pleasure of telling 18-year-old BJ Garvey, son of club legend Mick Garvey, that he will play his first game of senior footy. BJ is 5ft 2in, popular around the club and has played great footy in the reserves.

7.30pm: Training is followed by our team meeting for the weekend and dinner together in the social club. There is a great atmosphere around the club at the moment and Thursday nights the footballers, netballers and supporters all come together in preparation for the weekend.

8.30pm: Head home and watch a bit of TV.

10.30pm: Bed

Friday

6.30am: Watch a bit of the USPGA tour golf. I love golf and during my time away from playing over the last 12 months I got my handicap down to 3. I don’t get to play much during footy season, but love watching the pros go at it on the US Tour, with my sporting dream to one day watch the US Masters live at Augusta.

8am: Head in to work to pro-cess the month’s invoices. Lisa plays a major role in our business in managing our accounts and working with our suppliers and sub-contractors. At the moment, only Lisa and I work at Dutch Media, but we have a strong partnership with a major Adelaide advertising agency and have access to their 25 staff, including graphic designers, media department, TV production facilities and creative staff.

It provides a great addition to our service and experience, but at the end of each month there is a fair bit of work, finalising all costs invoiced to our clients.

12pm: Gym Session. Each Friday I try to duck into the gym to do a session to maintain some strength and keep some weight on. I have always had trouble during the year with losing too much weight, so keeping up the gym sessions is important.

2pm: Client and media meetings.

5.30pm: Head home to put the feet up a bit.

7pm: This week we have Tom Heagney, Zac Jones, Tim Kendellan and his girlfriend Amy Groat coming over for tea. We have always had a bit of a tradition in getting boys over for tea on Friday nights.

Lisa does an amazing chicken risotto and while Tom is injured at the moment it was no surprise to see the other guys, including Amy, all play great games on the weekend.

8.30pm: Kick back and watch Friday night football on the television. During the second half, I pull together my notes for the game against Wangaratta Rovers.

11pm: Bed.

Saturday

7.30am: Up and watch a bit more golf over breaky.

8.30am: Tom Heagney comes over to help plaster a new wall we have put in our new home. We continue to tidy up and get things in place after the move into the new house.

10am: I finalise my notes for the game today. During the week, all our boys identified certain areas that they wanted to improve in. This week before the game I will remind each player of one of those things they said and then look to encourage them throughout the game as we see evidence of those things.

11am: Head to the game and watch the remainder of the thirds game and first half of the reserves.

I can relax a bit more pre-game because I am not playing. This week I get to spend some time with the 1960-61 premiership reunion players and the wives.

It’s great to see them all back at our club.

12.30pm: Report time for the seniors and pre-game meeting and reminder of things that we discussed during the week.

2pm: Game starts. Fair to say I am not as relaxed as I was about an hour ago.

6pm: We have a great win and there is a sense of relief after the players got some reward for showing great commitment and hard work over the past few weeks.

Post-match awards in a packed social club.

6.10pm: I get the terrible news that my grandfather Arthur Hollands, Bert’s dad, has passed away.

He has been ill with a heart condition for a while and we are fortunate that we were able to spend some time with him over the last few weeks. I leave the club straight away to catch up with mum and dad before they head to Cobram where my grandparents live. RIP Pop. After that we head

to my uncle Graeme Connelly’s 50th birthday, which is

certainly subdued after the news.

11.30pm. Head home to bed.

Sunday

7.30am: Up and getting organised for the kids football.

9am. Off to the Wodonga midgets. Ollie is in the under- 8s and Elijah the under-10s.

It is a fantastic time every Sunday morning. There are so many families and kids participating. It’s not that it’s footy, but participating in a team sport. Both the boys show a bit of talent, but they really enjoy the team aspect that football provides.

They have a ball playing with their mates.

11.30am: Home to a bit of Sunday lunch. We are fortunate to have my mum’s parents spend so time with us. My grandfather Martin Cross is an Ovens and Murray legend and provides me with an amazing sounding board as I develop as a coach, dad and businessman.

Martin always looked to develop men, not just footballers and he provides me with so much knowledge and guidance and I love our weekly chats. With my dad and grandfather, along with people like Richard Bence, our current board

and match committee, I

know I have some fantastic support.

2pm: We spend a bit of time playing with the boys as they ride their bikes around the bike tracks and parks that surround our new home.

We are living on the southeastern side of Wodonga, with walking tracks, parks and a lot of open space. Certainly we love being back home.

5pm: Head off to church at Faith City. With boys football being on Sunday mornings, we head off to church on Sunday nights.

Our Christian faith has always been an important to our family life, and while I made some mistakes as a younger fella, it has always kept me very grounded, with some really solid foundations to build a good life on. Providing a loving Christian home, similar to the one I grew up in is important to Lisa and I and sets a great example for our boys.

7pm: Home for some lamb shanks on garlic mash that have been cooking for about seven hours. Yum!

8.30pm: Start on the team match report from the game. Using statistics and notes made on the day, I will give the group feedback about our performance, where we did well, along with areas we can improve in. This week there are certainly more positives than negatives, but still room for improvement.

10.30pm: Bed and looking forward to doing it all again.