Drew Petrie has lifted the lid on what happens in a North Melbourne huddle at a typical quarter time break.

Speaking on the AFL Exchange podcast, the vice-captain explained the importance of the five minute period.

PRESS PLAY above to listen to the audio segment.

“The first thing a player wants to do when a siren goes is just to switch off for a minute. It’s just a mental release given you have to concentrate so much throughout a game of football.

“The first minute the players just do their own thing, whether it be grabbing a drink, speaking to someone in particular, you can do that.

“After that we get in our groups. So I get in my forward line group and we go for a little walk to about centre half forward or centre half back. We stand there and our forward line coach, Shane Watson, will come over to talk to us about some of the KPI’s and how we’re going.

“We discuss the general flow of the game, some of our areas of focus and how they’re going.

“We rehydrate during this time. We have sports drinks, we have electrolyte drinks. There’s those goos and gels as well. Hydration’s certainly very important during that time.

“Injuries are attended to. The docs and the physios will come around to every single player and tap you on the backside to see how you’re going.

“You get a handful of grippo off the trainers and wipe some grip on your jumper or your shorts to make sure you’re ready to catch the football when the quarter starts again.

“The coach has us for about one minute right at the end (of the quarter break). The reason he has us right at the end is because the players are only going to take in what’s said in the last 30 seconds to a minute of a quarter time break. There’s been some research done on concentration levels and that’s why the coach leaves it up to the last 30 seconds to a minute to address the group. If he says stuff at the start the players have usually forgotten it by the end of the five minute period.

“Brad’s normally pretty measured because he wants the message to get through. If he yelled, players would switch off.”