In 2021, it is has become more apparent than ever before that the NRL is a BUSINESS. The top tier clubs like the Storm, Roosters , Rabbitohs and possibly Manly are managed top down very very well. Coaches like Brad ARTHUR I believe are caught in the coaching style of bottom up. Meaning, they are loyal to the players and reward them accordingly. Often this loyalty is what we refer to as Blind Loyalty. Keeping someone in the team becuase they are loyal to the coach, they are ' putting in ' and they dont challenge the status quo. In between this is Sponsors, Fans and key stakeholders. By manging top down, your relying on decisions being made promptly, supported by evidence not emotion and having the best people in the key positions regardless of whether the head coach is threatened or insecure by this. I
If your an autocratic coach type of coach - your decisions , style, selections are a reflection of one persons beliefs, skill set and experience. WE have all said it multiple times - to be successful you surround yourself with the best people. BA unfortunately has surrounded himself in my opinion with men that are loyal , honest and agree with whatever the head coach is saying or perhaps doing. They know their own job security relies on this loyalty being rewarded. It is why, Coaches generallly bring in their own people. When this status quo is challenged a danngerous environment can develop - seige mentality.
Seige Mentality in the NRL never ends well. Think of Barrett - Hasler, Cleary, Brown, Furner, Cartwight, Maguire etc. You can, as a coach get your players to do something that clearly isnt working a short time before leaks appear and words are exchanged, something gets taken to to the top level and the whole thing breaks down. Player managers leak things to the media and pressure builds. The harder you try to fix it, the deeper you go into that hole. I dont know - but I feel that the players are now at that stage realising what they are being asked to do each week is clearly not working and wont work in the future. Players watch other players, they see other coaches operate, they are updated by their peers. This bubble would magnify how our clubs operate so much more easily now. People like Dylan Brown are playing like a guy that doesnt want to make a mistake so wont try something becuase it results in a deviation from the coaches mantra - get into the grind, effort on effort, field position, etc. You starve any creativity out of a young player by exposing him to risk and reward at 21.
I have argued for 2 years about the need to rotate the assistants. We need new eyes, new skills, new beliefs. We need to learn that there other ways to defend , other ways to set up your sweep plays without using your most damaging players as links to greatly telegraphed backline sweeps. Players need to learn how to disrupt the momentum changes in a game, not assist it. If a team is rolling through you, you need to change it up. Kick to the other side, do a few scoots rather than running U/10 style off a halfback or coming back in under plays. Target an opposition player and go at him for a set. make him vulnerable and others uneasy as they start to protect him.
I know at 4pm tommorrow , the team will be announced and there will be one change only. Lussick in for Reed. We are now playing scared, watching scoreboards, jumping at shadows and reverting back to our one out plays because 10 metres is 10 metres and we get to our kick. All we do is recharge the other team who strangle us to death with our ties. BA is being paid very very well. It is a results driven organisation apparently. Coming 4-8 each year is a demonstration of consistancy but the premiership window is closing so quickly now. To make things even worse, BA has almost resigned this years squad barring FERGO for 2022. Blind loyalty is rewarded.
Sorry for the negativity but I am deeply concerned for the rest of the season. HOPE I am totally wrong and have completelly misread the script and body languge on display. We are Parramatta. Still love you but I am not getting any younger or clearly smarter.
Take care
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Like I said, Paul Taylor for coach. So many comments on point!
Love it mate.
(Except the Manly part. That place is a zoo, they got lucky with Bozo holding the joint together on a shoe string, Des being a former player and also a great coach and the Turbo bros living down the street)
I agree with everything else you've written and the worrying part about players no longer believing, getting distracted by close proximity of other clubs in QLD, wondering if the grass is greener. Instability, particularly of the Head Coach is a recipe for disaster.
Absolutely we need new voices and ideas. It's human nature to want progress. Listening to the same voices for years whilst results get farther away would be disheartening to say the least.
There are many moving parts here and the first one is most definitely the Head Coach and his assistants. Then we need to decide which players we truly believe are worth betting the house on to get us where we need to be. Contracts are coming up and is Gutho the man to take us all the way or should we be looking to a Joey Manu instead? We need to know who our Head Coach is going to be before we can answer that
Well expressed and its evident that in all professions and obviously in the Eels as a professional Rugby League team that changes need to be made as things are clearly not working and haven't been for some time and frustration is clearly evident.
Great blog.
You're a switched on man Paul Taylor .
Good blog Paul.I did read somewhere saying that the trend in European soccer is not to dump coaches for inadequate performances but instead to look at other aspects around what you mentioned. That is questioning the supports head coaches have who cant deliver the results or enhances to the coaching system. Accountability being on the assistant coaches who can,t deliver.That is a tricky scenario as it puts the head coach in a difficult situation with sacking subordinates where maybe strong relationships have been made..
I also came across an article where a local Regional council has a policy where councilors should remain in their position for a fixed term to avoid things like entrenched power dynasties where temptations for things like corruption maybe come inevitable.
Where do I stand on this? I think a lot of management systems tend to look after each other to avoid conflicts which can also ruin management systems. The unicorn in me falls back to a cultural system that lacks guidance around strong ethical principles of doing what is right for the common good. People throughout the organsational power system should put a high value on sticking to and understanding of ethics. All egos try and protect the self. Ego is good as it pushes people to do their best. Where ego fails is when it can,t recognize when the time is up when the boundaries change from what is best for the job performance outcome to self-preservation--self-interest. I think having the right power base to make judgments around. having the vision to make judgments around where Ethics calls should be made over personal relationships and where ego boundaries clash with the common good. It requires a special talent or structure to make these calls
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I think the club will wait to see what eventuates in the finals before pulling the trigger, and based how far the team is away from consistently matching the top teams, the board really should be planning their next move now.
There are many advantages in bringing in a new coach for 2022 if things expectedly go pear shaped in the finals. *We get our roster sorted earlier with whom the incoming coach would like to plan the future around.
* we don't waste another season with the premiership window still open
* new signings know there will be stability.
* the overall perception of the club is more settled in the direction they are headed.
Like I said it could depend on the final series, but keeping Brad for the sake of letting his contract run to its end, could be detrimental for the near future, especially when it could mean the coach you are chasing, may not be available in 12 months.
Good blog PT, we are cooked mate, totally cooked for the season and next years gone too.
Id sign flanno for 3 years because hes the best available imo.
Keeping BA is holding us back and is a total kick in the face for long suffering fans.
We cannot continue to reward mediocrity, our club needs to be better, our fans deserve more.
Settling for anything less is not doing out club justice.
Agreed Snake. The club should be at least discussing future options right now undoubtedly.
Great read PT.
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