As an NRL head coach, Justin Holbrook, sits at 38% over 3.5 years. That's better than Barrett's 32% (five years) and Hannay's 37% (interim over two years).
However, Holbrook proved to be a prudent assistant coach appointment for the Roosters as their attacking coach, after getting sacked as Titans' head coach mid-2023.
The Roosters attack has gone from third-last last year to the best this year (19.7pg to 29.7pg as of the end of R14, 2024).
He has formed in alchemic-like “amalgamation” of Roosters' traditional power-based attack under Robinson with Hoolbrook’s philosophy of maximising the attacking strengths of the team - alchemic merging of the way “they like to play” with the way they “can play”. No doubt Holbrook is a "team player".
He also got the Titan's attack humming - no one's matched his 5th-6th best attack since his sacking mid-2022. Carrying over a similar theme, he's got the Roosters attack humming.
He did some good things at the struggling Titans.
In three years, Holbrook took them from the spoon team in 2019 (under Brennan-Burt-Hodges) to the finals in 2021. Their fourth in history.
The other positive with Holbrook is he seems to have a good rapport with players and brought big Origing-level guns such Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita (2021) which helped the Titans reach the finals in 2021. He also brought talents such as Beau Fermour and brought back journeyman Jamal Fogarty to the Titans (for a while).
Additionally, he has won a grand final in a top-tier grade, winning the 2019 Super League Title with St Helens.
At St Helens (2017-19) for three years he had an overall impressive 80.5% win rate. That's better than Cleary's 80.2% with the record-breaking triple-peat title winners the Panthers from 2020-2024 three-peat titles.
But for all of Holbrook's dominance, including two minor premierships over three years, achieved just one title - at a 50% finals record.
At the Titans, he has 0% finals record - booted out after one loss.
When Kristian Woolfe took over St Helens, right after Holbrook, he won 3 titles in 3 years; winning 6/6 in finals at 100% record in the Super League. He did considerably better than Holbrook despite having a lower overall win rate than Holbrook's (76% v 80.5%).
It should not surprise anyone why the Dolphins went for Woolfe.
Or why the Roosters wanted him as an assistant for their attack.
That is the start of another theme: resilience and defence.
This is where Holbrook has faltered.
Defensively, at the Titans the longer he stayed the more they regressed, despite the influx of Orgin level recruits such as Fifita and Tino at their peak.
During 2020-mid-level 2023 (R15) the Titans' defence progressively declined: 10th, 12th, 13th, 17th.
Once he was sacked, there was a slight improvement from 17th (last) to 13th in the same year under interim coach Jim Lenihan (Burleigh head coach).
In a nutshell, considering the Eels poor defensive record, currently third-worst in the competition with fifty (50) blowout losses in Arthur's decade coupled with the Eels poor finals record of 33% (3/12) Holbrook does not appear to be the man to fix the Eels' glaring issues around resilience and defence for whatever reasons.
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I think coaching makes up one part of it, but the roster also has to be up to scratch. The goal is to win a premiership and not just make the 8 ect. Imo the roster is the bigger issue as most coaches can do a good/solid job. If other teams just far more talented then you no real chance anyway.
One thing has been omitted here , He lost his star halfback to Ricky Stuart , which was Meningas doing. He dragged Fogerty out of the bush and made him a player. Then he got lobbed with Sexton and was told to make it work.
Wiz,
We can blame Meninga for a "lost star" half but under Holbrook they declined defensively from 10th to last (when sacked R15, 22') over 3.5 yrs.
Ash Taylor (if only they had Nathan Cleary) was predominantly the established Titan's half 2016-2021. Wonder kid from the Broncos. They reached the finals with Ash in 16' (before Holbrook) & 21' (with Holbrook). They also got a spoon with Ash.
Honestly we really should throw the sink at Slater his connection with QLD team will bring players and he is a winner and an intellect....but no we have Holbrook whose defense coaching is pathetic and a threeway with Barrett leading ...WHAT A CLUB ............wow
Parra_Greg, I'm a huge fan of Slater as well. Of all the apprentices, I feel he has the most potential. I don't think he wants a HC job at Parra though. Do you know otherwise? He seems to be content with where he's at. But who knows? He may be an NRL head coach one day.
Slater has done well with a representative squad and a load of top notch assistant coaches around him.
Meninga was the same but was a terrible first grade coach.
I'm not sold on Slater as a head coach.
BEM, good point mate. It's hard to tell with Slater (or any rookie). Origin is different beast to the weekly grind of NRL.
IMO he presents better than Hannay or Ryles. He appears to be more of a "leader", more coherent, decisive, and clearer about what he's doing. I don't get the same vibes off the other two if that makes any sense.
100% HOE.
He definitely presents better than Ryles or Hannay but I'm just not convinced that a Rookie coach is what we need right now.
Well said, Coryn. It's aligning with what Frankie, NOS, and BEM's thoughts.
Slater is the only rookie I'd risk as head coach, even though a rookie is what we least need least.
As a long term investment, he has long term potential for far more than a Head Coaching role down the track. And the man who could change the club like no one else after Jack.
The problem is reality and pragmatic issues.
It's almost certainly a beautiful fantasy. I'd keep trying though. Month after month, lol. Wouldn't stop until he said, yes, lol. I wouldn't give up after a few dozen rejections.
It's not that I don't think he can coach, it's more that I don't think Parra as a club and the position we are in would benefit from a coach with zero 1st grade experience as a head coach.
He could end up being a reverse Bellamy.
Bellamy is a great NRL coach but was dogshit at origin level.
Meninga was a great origin coach but was shit at NRL level.
I'm all for Slater becoming a 1st grade coach but I don't want him cutting his teeth here when we need an experienced 1st grade coach who is use to the weekly grind of NRL and not just 3 games a year.
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