Force no strangers to controversy, says Sharpe
By Justin Chadwick, 14 Jan 2009
- Tagged:
- Australia, Cameron Shepherd, Matt Henjak, Nathan Sharp, Nathan Sharpe, Rugby Union, wallabies, Western Force
Western Force skipper Nathan Sharpe is adamant the Super 14 club will not be affected by the drama surrounding coach John Mitchell, saying the players have had plenty of practice dealing with off-field controversies.
The Force have been littered with unpleasant distractions throughout their three-year existence, including the ‘Quokkagate’ affair and a pub fight between Matt Henjak and Haig Sare.
The latest controversy to hit the Perth-based franchise concerns the behaviour of Mitchell towards players and staff, with numerous reports suggesting a player-coach rift.
Mitchell was temporarily barred from having any contact with his players as the club went to the extraordinary length of hiring a retired Supreme Court judge to launch an independent inquiry.
Those findings are expected to be handed down later this month but Sharpe said the players had already brushed the controversy aside and were focusing solely on their job — playing rugby.
“We’ve had quite a few controversies over time and we’ve dealt with them very well,” Sharpe said on Tuesday.
“The playing group as a whole is one of the tightest that I’ve been involved with and I’ve got all the confidence in the world that it’s not going to be a problem.
“The timing’s not great . . . but you’ve got to make the most of what you are given, and that’s what we’ve been presented with.
“The players are doing as much as they can on the field to make sure we’re ready to play.
“The thing that’s happening here is we want to put processes in place to make us a better team and that’s what’s happening at the moment.”
Sharpe said a special effort had gone into protecting some of the club’s younger players from the drama.
“We’ve spoken about that and I guess everything that’s happening off the field is only going to be as big a distraction as we allow it to become,” Sharpe said.
“We’ve worked very hard over the last week to make sure that it impacts very little on what happens on the field.
“The process that’s going on at the moment is kept well away from the players and that’s working well for us.”
Sharpe’s pre-season has been affected by a fractured thumb sustained in the Wallabies’ 18-13 win over France last November.
The 30-year-old soldiered on through the pain to play in Australia’s test loss to Wales but will miss the Force’s pre-season clash with the Crusaders on January 23.
Sharpe said he was a definite starter for the Super 14 season opener against the Blues on February 13 and could even line up for the club’s practice game against the Reds on February 5.
And fullback Cameron Shepherd, who took part in the Force’s pre-season session on Tuesday, is also expected to be fit for the season opener after recovering from a broken leg suffered last July.
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January 14th 2009 @ 10:52am
Westy said | January 14th 2009 @ 10:52am | Report comment
I just love it. A coach on restricted duties and not able to have contact with all members of their squad. What makes it even better is they have hired a former Supreme Court judge and current QC to do an independent report. Poor old Mitchell. A CEO and Board who take such measures to so distance themselves from outright support for the incumbent coach spells trouble for his long term future. Then again the Force must have so much money. To the credit of both Cronulla and St Kilda in similar circumstances the respective CEOs presented their own report to their respective Boards who then made their own formal enquiries including seeking independent legal advice and direct oral and written submissions from the protagonists.
Be under no illusion one involves management the other an abdication of responsibility. The quality of management both at coaching and Board level of the Force leaves much to be desired.
January 14th 2009 @ 11:53am
LeftArmSpinner said | January 14th 2009 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Yea, yea, yea…………….. sure it doesnt affect the team morale. Of course Sharpe is going to say that.
Are you kidding? the coach cant coach the way he wants to and he knows that the vast majority of players dont like him. Mitchell will either back off and go soft or keep up the previous approach. Both will roger the team.
If there is one thing about team sports, it is that to get the maximum performance, you need to have a fundamentally happy crew. When the chips are down in a big game, they will play for eachother.
The Force have to play at maximum impact just to stay in touch with the better S14 teams.
Having said that, the CEO/Chairman has done the best in tough circumstances and they do have some senior players lke Staniforth, Sharpe and Giteau. Mulvihill is a good reserve to have in such a situation.
Of course, there is also the slingshot effect. The players and coaches, in a crisis, rally behind Mulvihill and Mitchell remains the figurehead. That is a win win for everyone. I wonder how Mulvihill “voted” in the club survey for the Judge.
January 14th 2009 @ 9:53pm
Gerry said | January 14th 2009 @ 9:53pm | Report comment
Think back to this time last year when the Force were in “turmoil” over the Henjak and Quokkagate and how did they go?
It was only in the 2nd half of the season when they took the foot off the pedal and fell back.
So maybe they thrive on controvesy and will be looking to be tipping cows during the mid year break
On a serious note look not to the Judge who took the survey, but a mob of consultants who just tore the NZ Cricket team apart with their “peer assessments”
January 14th 2009 @ 10:59pm
Westy said | January 14th 2009 @ 10:59pm | Report comment
Sorry I cannot resist the judge did a survey of player attitudes to the coach.I remember Warren Ryan saying in his entire coaching career he would never have won a popularity contest. Macqueen said he needed to be able to communicate effectively but popularity was the least of his concerns.Bennett made it a point not to socialise although he said he would counsel some young men in their private lives if they requested such advice.
What questions did they ask ?
January 14th 2009 @ 11:11pm
Westy said | January 14th 2009 @ 11:11pm | Report comment
Do you like MR Mitchell?Is he a good backs coach? Is he a good Forwards coach? Has he ever sworn at you? Does he drinkAlcohol? Has He had a drink with you? Has he refused to have a drink with you? Do you think he is a good man manager?Has he engaged in inappropriate behaviour in the dressing room ? on tour? anywhere? Has he dropped you? Was he to blame for the Quokkas? Did Henjak deserve another chance? How many more Queenslanders do you think he needs? How many more Kiwis? Has he talked about other players to you?? Do you think he is good for the team? Can you go forward with him as Coach?Just the type of stuff you need for a successful franchise.
January 15th 2009 @ 12:35pm
Giteau said | January 15th 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Sometimes he yells at me.
*sniff*