Hi Jim, thanks very much for your kind words, I feel a great honour in being able to assist fellow coaches in their development, Gary Egger was my mentor in Australia, along with the late Bruce Walsh, the true Grandfather of strength and conditioning in Australia, and the legendary Lyn Jones, Harry Wardell and Luke Borreginne, all these guys gave of their knowledge openly and freely, and I repay them by trying to reach their lofty heights and to pass on what I have learned as well.
As to squats I like my guys to squat to a depth that they feel comfortable with depending on their level of flexibility, prior injury status and fatigue levels from day to day, we do a lot of box squatting and the box is a 47 cms plyometric box, with extra mats if needed, so the player will sit to around parallel, also later in the week say a Thursday for a Saturday game our focus is power so we only do jump squats or quarter explosive squats from the pins in the power rack or band box squats. We have also been doing a lot of belt squats for our older players and also those players that have a prior injury history related to axial loading, they have been very well received.
I agree fully with your comments on the front squat a much under used movement, I believe players actually get to a deeper squat position, and it is also a great confidence builder for the clean, as if you can front squat 140kg for a triple then you have the confidence to get under a 120kg clean and know you have a strength reserve to stand up with the weight once you have locked it in.
All the very best, ashley