Brian Smith’s big mop heads for Bondi
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 20 Jul 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Brad Fittler, Brian Smith, NRL, Rugby League, Sydney Roosters
Roosters coach Brad Fittler. AAP Images
Brian Smith’s reputation as a man who rebuilds clubs is clearly one the Roosters are banking on as they bring him to Bondi.
The results of Brian Smith’s rebuild at Newcastle have by now been well documented and the Roosters must be praying he is as effective in turning them around, whether some of the players on juicy contracts are as keen remains to be seen.
A friend of mine commented that maybe Smith will work his way around all the clubs featured on Four Corners.
The experiment with Brad Fittler is over. Sadly for Brad it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, it is perhaps not all Freddie’s fault but it is clear that the Roosters need a major personnel change given this season’s performance on and off the field.
As Fittler has said “the buck must stop with the coach” and so it has.
The Roosters have publicly said that they have no form of ‘problem’ culture in the club, but privately they must know it is the case and the appointment of Smith must be the closest thing to an admission of guilt.
The board of the club though should be applauded for making such a strong decision especially given the fact that Smith has been offered a four year deal.
It is clear that they are taking the matter seriously and there is no doubt that Smith will be given full control to make the changes he deems necessary.
There may be some painful moments for Roosters fans in the short term, as there were for the Knights when favourite sons Clint Newton and Josh Perry were shown the door, but they must have optimism in the long term.
Interestingly, Roosters CEO Steve Noyce has already said that the roster for next year is all but decided so it will be during his first year in charge that Smith will get the chance to mould his team rather than from right from the start.
The fireworks may well be delayed.
How Smith works with Peter O’Sullivan will also be worth watching. The well paid recruitment manager has already been charged with replicating his success in Melbourne and how the two men’s vision for the future mesh may well decide how quickly the revolution occurs.
Of course, the Roosters will start their clean up without their leading statesman Craig Fitzgibbon, who is off to Hull. I’d imagine he would have been exactly the sort of player Smith would have liked to see at the club, so how this impacts on recruitment will be interesting.
I can’t help but imagine the arrival of Brian Smith at Bondi as being similar to that of Harvey Keitel’s arrival in Pulp Fiction.
Watch this video, and imagine if you will Smith as Keitel and Steve Noyce being played by Quentin Tarantino.
Brian Smith solves problems.
But has he created a bigger problem in Newcastle? The Knights seem to have been easy to convince to let him ride off into the sunset, maybe they felt they simply couldn’t, or didn’t want to, match the Roosters’ offer or perhaps they are confident they have their own suitable back up ready.
Time will tell, but headline writers will be at the ready.
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Mushi said | July 20th 2009 @ 7:52am | Report comment
A move well beyond my best hopes. A “system” coach that looks to build the club from the weakest of the 17 not the strongest.
As I’ve said earlier we’ll have a small truckload of salary to spend over this year and the next, so hopefully he’s got enough leeway to go after the players he thinks are best suited.
Big question will be is he going to be the only cook in the kitchen?
Willo said | July 20th 2009 @ 11:50am | Report comment
A huge step back in the right direction, good stuff Roosters management. Might even renew my membership if we can keep all the players out of jail until next year….
kevin from glebe said | July 20th 2009 @ 11:55am | Report comment
smith will give all the big name players one last roll of the dice before a newcastle style cleanout happens.
if he’s going to be the only cook in thee kitchen, who knows. i dont think smith would have just gone there for the money otherwise. im pretty sure if he doesnt get to do things his own way he wouldnt have gone.
Alan nicolea said | July 20th 2009 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
He will certainly have his hands full both on and off the field. Not only will he have to help repair the club’s image off the field, he will also have to teach the chooks how to finish off games when they are leading by 12 or so points aka yesterday’s failure against the Warriors. Good luck to him.
Mushi said | July 20th 2009 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
Kevin, I’m sure he’s been told that he’ll have the first and last say but there’s often a big gap between recruitment and the actual role
Rusty said | July 20th 2009 @ 4:49pm | Report comment
Good call Mushi,
That’s one big, bloody kitchen at the Roosters. Smith should beware of one prominent cook in particular, he’s a bloke who won’t leave the joint despite not having an official position there and is believed to have stabbed at least two head-chefs in the back and is capable of doing it again despite being friendly with the new kid on the block.
The man said | July 20th 2009 @ 7:55pm | Report comment
Oh how the roosters must rue missing out on the signature of st. Wayne. Smith I am afraid is not the answer, Sheens surely would have left the Tigers for the right kind of offer.
Gerry Faehrmann said | July 20th 2009 @ 8:05pm | Report comment
Smith just looks like a man on a mission.
I know who will be the last man standing!
For what it’s worth. Go the Bulldogs!
Tom Alexander. said | July 20th 2009 @ 10:04pm | Report comment
Big Willie Mason has found some form all of a sudden. Could it be he now knows that his time is probably up at the Roosters, and he needs to be able to justify his asking price for where-ever he is going next, which is probably Union.
The Answer said | July 21st 2009 @ 6:07am | Report comment
The man,
Sheens’ CV is a problem at present with not a single finals appearance since 2005. Smith is clearly in their to rebuild.
I agree Tom and am awaiting a whole new raft of Willie interviews talking about his enthusiasm for his new coach and his commitment to perform under him. Maybe he and Myles will be sold as a package deal.