What do you think is the most important part of a successful sporting team? Is it the playing roster? Is it the quality of players in key positions? Is it the perfect balance of experience and youth? Is it the coaching staff and leadership?
The reason I ask this question is this. Whenever a team is struggling at the bottom of the ladder all you ever hear is that they need several marquee signings to get them winning more games. When a team (like the eels) is not able to take the next step and win a premiership they are 1 or 2 big-name players away from doing so. Yet somehow, a team like the Melbourne Storm has managed to remain so successful for such a long time, and I can't recall them making a marquee or big-name signing for many years, if ever. The Melbourne Storm could be the best-run sporting organization, not only in the NRL or the country but also throughout the world. The only thing I can see that makes the Storm so successful is the coaching staff and management of the club. When you think about it, the Storm don't have a junior base at all. They select young players and develop them. They very rarely have players getting into trouble off the field. They very rarely (if ever) lose a player without having a ready-made replacement and as I said above, I can't recall a marquee or high-profile player they have signed.
So do you think the key for our Eels to go to the next level and finally deliver us fans a title is an improvement to the playing roster or is it the coaching and leadership?
Replies
The hierarchy. Need a solid coaching system and whoever operates the club. Just look at storm
Nick politis money bags?
There was a study done on this from successful sporting teams across all sports around the world. I think an ex wallaby did it but spent years researching around the world
Consistency and stability in the core base of players was the most common factor. These attributes build confidence and intimidate opposition which are other factors. Look at the great sides of the past and they all kept the core group together. Yes some of those have to be outright stars but knowing the games of teammates and confidence that comes with it can help breed that star quality. Parra have that opportunity with our young group which we haven't had for years. It is why teams who change coaches every couple years never climb the ladder, as the coach inevitably totally overhauls the roster. The smarter play is to keep the core group and slowly change but coaches get sacked before the benefits are seen so try to get the roster they want to quickly and starting from scratch. It may win some games but cohesion is needed for tight or stressful situations and long term success over the full season.
As for Brissy comment on Melb, they had a spine of champions who stayed together for years and many other long term players. They built the team illegally through salary cap rorts but once they built it sustaining it became easier. The game plan revolves around the core group and average players can step in, do a simple role and appear to be a quality player, but put them in another team and their flaws become apparent. It was the basis of Qld origin dominance as well. Qld never really flogged NSW but the moments that mattered their combinations came up with the right play where NSW who chopped and changed never had that cohesion.
That is why after cap rorts the team has to be totally dismantled. Letting Melbourne keep their superstar spine gave an unfair advantage that other teams still haven't been able to reign in.
Melbourne have the best recruitment and retention in the business. That's a big part of it.
Once they had their big 4, they just needed to fill spots around them. As the big 4 were closing in on leaving, the club went out and hand picked potential replacements. When Slater was nearing the end, the club had 3 genuine young options in Hughes, Drinkwater and Papenhuyzen all handpicked and playing within the Storm system. They never contemplated trying to buy Tedesco or Latrell. They weren't crossing their fingers hoping the young local junior from the Yarra Valley Rhinos becomes a great. Instead They scoured the country and hunted the best young fullbacks in the available. That's how you do it!!
When it comes to recruitment, I realise the Eels are a development club but that doesn't mean we should be exclusively staying with local juniors. We should have the best in the positions we need.
The captain. The captain needs to be leading by example. If you have a captain that makes rookie errors your younger generation coming through see this player as the benchmark and silly errors become accepted as part of the game. Your whole culture is set by the benchmark the onfeild leader sets.
Look at Melbourne and Smith , how many errors did that bloke make ? Young blokes coming through see that dumb shit forward passes , offsides and shit passes is not acceptable. The captain is virtually the on feild coach. I've said it for years now we need to throw the coin at a true leader and the rest will come .
I agree that your captain plays a huge role in a club's success. Actually, the leadership provided by the captain is probably more important throughout the week at training and during the pre-season. Leading by example and not cutting corners. This is the reason that the most gifted players don't always make the best captains.
As for what type of player I believe makes the best coach. In my opinion, the best coaches are the players that don't have the natural ability to be good footballers and only succeed because of their work ethic and football smarts. I have no doubt that someone like Cooper Cronk could one day become a great coach. Personally, I believe Cronk would be 10 times the coach someone like Andrew Johns is. The majority of today's better coaches and past great coaches were not superstar players (bob fulton) is one exception.
I understand it is easy for people to say things like, the Storm got lucky early on with the players that become the big 4. But correct me if I'm wrong, but those players didn't exactly dominate in junior rep sides did they. Those players we speak of didn't get rated or noticed by the Broncos and they played juniors up there. Nor did they get noticed by any of the other 15 sides. Somehow the Storm could see something that no other club could see and developed those players with their systems. Cronk wasn't even a halfback and he became arguably the best #7 of the modern era. His results are unbelievable. 16 years, 2 clubs 9 grand finals. He also had a great record at rep level. Personally, in my opinion, Cronk doesn't get the recognition he deserves. The question is, would Cronk have become anywhere the player he became if he started with another club? My answer to that is I highly doubt it. And goes for Smith and Slater also. I was at Billy Slaters first ever game of 1st grade. At shark park and no one had really heard much about him. He played on the wing that day and plenty of people were talking about him at that early stage of his career.
It's leadership, both on and off the field and the eels have lacked it since the Gibson and Price era of the 80's.
It's no coincidence the club played in 7 grand finals, winning 4 premierships in the 11 years Price was at the club and has only played in 2 grand finals winning no premierships in the 35 years since he retired.
The club needs to recognise this and act on it, O'Neil, it's time for you to take control.
Two things have become obviously clear for this club to go to the next level, BA is not the coach and Gutho is not the leader to take that step.
When you look at all the premiership winning teams over the years they have all had THAT uncompromising, determined, competitive leader, the storm had smith. The roosters cordner, the sharks gallen, the cowboys Thurston and souths burgess.
We need to firstly hire the right coach and find THAT leader and do whatever it takes to get him to our club even if it means losing a couple of our better players.
We need a serious review again. Gould would be good to do it. Too late now he is busy doing one at the Doggies