Is Craig Bellamy our best coach, league or union?
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By Spiro Zavos, 2 Oct 2009 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
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- ARU, Craig Bellamy, Melbourne Storm, NRL, NRL grand final, Parramatta Eels, Rugby League, wallabies
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NSW Blues State of Origin coach Craig Bellamy speaks to the media during a press conference to announce the NSW Rugby League team of the century in Sydney, Monday, May 19, 2008. The NSW Blues take on Queensland this Wednesday in game 1 of the State of Origin series. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
With his fourth NRL Grand Final in a row coming up on Sunday, and another championship ring likely, the question has to be asked: Is Craig Bellamy our best coach in any Australian rugby code right now? The answer, in my opinion, is not yet.
He is undoubtedly the finest rugby league coach of his generation.
In time, when his career has the sort of length that Wayne Bennett has achieved, with the successes as well at every level of the rugby league code – club, State of Origin and International - Bellamy could be ranked in the trinity of the greatest rugby league coaches with Jack Gibson and Bennett.
Right now, Bellamy is the dominant coach at the NRL premiership level.
He has the knack of winning premierships (not an easy knack to acquire) and the ability to create an environment where players play above their seeming capacity.
The play of Brett Finch, a Parramatta Eels discard, and now a key part of the Melbourne Storm’s game plan, is a case in point.
Like all great coaches, too, Bellamy is innovative and thoughtful with his new tactics and his selections.
Personally, I abhorred the grapple tackle and argued in The Roar that if it was not legislated against the NRL would, in time, face a horrendously expensive compensation case.
But the tactic of slowing down play in the tackled ball situation with the grapple tackle gave the Storm an edge for a couple of seasons.
It has forced a change in the way rugby league is refereed, too, with two referees used now to ensure quicker re-starts.
Bellamy’s use of wrestling experts to teach his players how to dominate in the tackle/grapple has led to the concept of the ‘dominant’ tackle and the right of the player (invariably Storm players when they are involved) making this tackle to dictate the speed of the play-the-ball.
Bellamy, too, like all the other great coaches, can get into the heads of his best players and bring out their greatness. Billy Slater has developed a total game under Bellamy’s coaching and when, for instance, the Storm desperately need some go-forward, you will find Slater playing long stretches at dummy half.
Greg Inglis, who came into rugby league as a devastating winger, has been turned into an even more devastating centre. At centre, he gets the ball more often than he did on the wing.
And with great players like Inglis, the name of the coaching game is to get the ball as often as you can to your best players.
Great coaches have this gift of finding the best position for their best players (even if the position is a new one) and then are able to give them the coaching to make the most of the positional change.
The blot on Bellamy’s copybook is a lack of success at State of Origin level. He really needs success at this level to truly emulate Bennett.
There is arguably a defence for Bellamy here in that he does not select the NSW side that he has to coach. If he were given a free hand, as he clearly has at the Storm, it would be easier to judge whether he has been a failure at the Stare of Origin level.
In a sense, Bellamy’s career so far is following the trajectory of Robbie Deans, with great success at the club level (Deans won seven Super Rugby titles with the Canterbury Crusaders) and little (Deans) or no (Bellamy) success at the next highest level.
Years ago, I made the suggestion that the ARU should perhaps look at Wayne Bennett as a coach for the Wallabies. This was prompted by the fact that Tim Sheens spent a year or so advising the All Blacks (in a successful era for the team) while he was between stints with a NRL club.
There is also the fact that the two Wallaby triumphs in the Rugby World Cup tournament featured significant inputs from rugby league people, Rod Reddy with tackling in 1991, and Steve Nance (fitness) and John Muggleton (defence strategy and techniques) in 1999.
Perhaps Deans could pick Bellamy’s brains for the Wallabies, and Bellamy could get some pointers from Deans.
But coming back to the question posed at the beginning of this article, I think the case is clear that Bellamy is the best coach right now in rugby league; that in time, he might get close to the greatness of Bennett; and that his record right now has a long way to go to emulate that of Deans, in the other rugby code.
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Billo said | October 2nd 2009 @ 2:13am | Report comment
Spiro, the thing about Deans is that, in Australia, he is coaching the wrong team.
I thought his appointment was a smart move by the ARU, but events since then have proved me wrong, because I don’t think a New Zealander can inspire the Wallabies to success, particularly against New Zealand. I would like to think I’m wrong, but recent evidence suggests that I am probably right.
sheek said | October 2nd 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Billo,
I don’t think anyone could do a better job than Deans with the Wallabies. It’s a weak team, & probably not greatly motivated.
The Wallabies lack technical skills & tactical know-how, which is indicative of a desertion in quality coaching at all levels of the game.
The Australian professional rugby player, few in number, are making too much easy money to worry about having to earn it. While at all levels below professional rugby, it appears people are disconnected, especially that wonderful army of volunteer, quality coaches who used to do so much good.
Hammer said | October 2nd 2009 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Billo – I agree – l’m not saying anyone else would be able to improve the Wallabies overall .. but I certainly think that Deans is like a possum in the headlights when playing NZ … he’s got a massive historical connection with them and he obviously had his heart set on coaching them – and he seems to be a spectator – watching NZ play rather than trying to think up ways of beating them
I think he needed to do what other NZ coaches have done when entering the international stage … go North first – learn to be disengaged Gatland and Henry have benefited greatly from doing just that … I reckon the ARU missed the boat by appointing the wrong kiwi – Gatland would have been a better bet
Wally James said | October 3rd 2009 @ 8:08pm | Report comment
Billo, old chap
I agree with you completely. See my article at http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/09/24/the-kiwi-influence/. No-one can give the Wallabies the passion to beat NZ other than an Australian. That’s not to say Deans can’t give other assets to the Wallabies. But he was an All Black. Deep down he might think the ABs are beatable but I don’t see how he could possibly crave it as a Wallaby supporter/player could.
Cheers
Wal
Knives Out said | October 4th 2009 @ 1:10am | Report comment
What does nationality have to do with inspiring players? I have never understood the sentiment that a national coach has to have domestic links to the country they are coaching. Players respond to professional and intelligent coaches who ooze the desire to win. Look at Warren Gatland’s various successes, and currently Fabio Capello’s work with the English football team. If the Welsh and English could be so galvanised by non-domestic coaches then why can’t Deans have a similar effect?
Paul J said | October 2nd 2009 @ 7:33am | Report comment
It’s hard to compare a NRL coach to a Super 14 or Wallabies coach as the NRL has the salary cap which allows for a fairer distribution of player talent whereas the Aussie Rugby teams do not have the same player depth as the Kiwis and Saffas.
Chris said | October 2nd 2009 @ 7:42am | Report comment
This is a man who has had Folau, Inglis, Slater, Cronk, Smith, Turner, King (among others) in his team. That he has only managed one premiership with, frankly, a State of Origin standard team makes him a pretty average coach in my mind. A well coached team would not have simply turned off the way Melbourne did to Manly in last years final. Manly scored the opening two tries after which Melbourne just gave up.
Lets not forget that he has only won 2 of 6 Origin matches (although against a very, very good Queensland team).
LK said | October 2nd 2009 @ 8:22am | Report comment
No! I agree with Chris, he has the players to get the job done. There will be questions over his big match record. Even if the Storm win on Sunday it will be 2 from 4 in Grand Finals and 2 from 6 in SOO, and one of those Origins was a dead rubber. He has pioneered a dangerous and repugnant playing style with grapple tackles, and chicken wings. He has a history of squealing loud and long when things don’t go his way – remember last years blast at the judicary, and several Origins where he has blamed the refs. He is on course to become RL’s biggest unhinged boofhead. Not an easy feat.
mushi said | October 2nd 2009 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Over the tenure of his career he has been the winningest coach in the regular season and the finals. You want to throw that out because of two games in October?
The “a well coached team wouldn’t have switched off…” then there has never been a good coach in the history of sport every coach has had a team switch off at least once on them.
You look at the storm’s winning margins versus the game stats and they have a much stronger tendency than other clubs over the past four years of keeping the game close when they played poorly. In other words he keeps them from switching off more often than not.
They were the best team three years running, sure they only got one premiership doesn’t mean that they weren’t that over the course of the year they weren’t the best team for those three years. This is all a coach can do.
A premiership system is designed so that the best team doesn’t necessarily win to keep the competition alive in the late stages kind of like school oval football where “last try wins” even if the score is something like 24 tries to 1 leading up to that.
Hammer said | October 2nd 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
“Over the tenure of his career he has been the winningest coach in the regular season and the finals. You want to throw that out because of two games in October” … he’s a good coach for sure – but how much of that winning % is down to playing at the post stamp sized Olympic Park ? … would be an interesting stat to see what Anderson’s % was when he took them to the title …
Bennett for me is still the yardstick by which all league coaches should be measured – the bloke’s done the lot .. and pushed himself further up the pedestal by helping guide what is always a hit and miss kiwis outfit to the W/cup and steeling up the Dargons in his 1st season there …
“Billy Slater has developed a total game under Bellamy’s coaching” .. really ? – the bloke can attack no doubt – but is defence is average to shithouse …
Tom said | October 2nd 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
I would have agreed with you on Slater before; but some of his try savers the last couple of weeks have been sensational; getting under the player to hold the ball up over the line. However, Brett Stewart’s copybook cover tackles on Inglis in Origin II last year remain the standard to which all fullbacks should be judged.
Hoy said | October 2nd 2009 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
I sort of agree. Slater has come a long way in defense, but I still can’t help but cringe every time he runs it back. This stems from the start of his career when he was known for loose carries.
What I will say is that Slater had no right to hold up Tony Carroll, more so from Carroll’s fault than Billy’s good tackle.
All Carroll had to do to score was fall over. What was he thinking driving straight into Billy Slater, over the line?
Brett McKay said | October 2nd 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Spiro, this question strikes me as being as easy to answer as Phil Gould musing that Jarryd Hayne was/is the best footballer in Australia IN ANY CODE. I mean, for starters, how do you really measure it?? If it’s winning percetnage, then sure, he’d be up there. If it’s number of GF appearances, then again, he’d be up there. But then he’s “only” won one of those three GFs, so his titles/GF appearances is “only” 33%, which is the same as David Nucifora, for eg. But then I’d hardly consider Nucifora as some kind of supercoach. Is someone like Ewen Mackenzie the rugby equivalent of Brian Smith??
It’s an interesting poser, that’s for sure..
MattRusty said | October 2nd 2009 @ 10:00am | Report comment
Well done Spiro, stirred up things with another let’s compare apples with bananas scenario which results in disrespectful comments. Clear evidence that all of us need to pull our heads in a bit.
A few commentators above clearly have no idea how much effort, dedication, passion, commitment and skill it takes to coach an NRL team in the first place, let alone get them into the finals, into a grand final, into four of them and actually to win one.
To suggest that an “average” coach wins a premiership and coaches State of Origin is foolish. What does an above average coach do? Win 3 premierships out of every four grand finals they make and win 2 SOO series? Most of the NRL coaches in the last decade have achieved that ‘on average’ haven’t they? To suggest that this coach is on his way to be the biggest unhinged boofhead and that this isn’t an easy feat with the events of the past 12 months in rugby league? And that the size of the field was why the team has made the GF four times in a row. Spiro, wouldn’t you prefer to socialise in more educated circles?
By all means suggest that someone else is a better coach than Bellamy and give a reason. But these cheap shots are pathetic. Pull your head in. Show some respect to people who are giving it a go at a level of pressure and competition many of us will never get a chance to experience. If you ever did, you’d change your view pretty quick.
The Link said | October 2nd 2009 @ 12:25pm | Report comment
His failure at SOO level leaves him behind Bennett of the current generation of NRL coaches
JimC said | October 2nd 2009 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
One of the interesting thing about the Storm’s play this season has been the playing from depth in the backline. Against an aggressive rush defence the Storm create space by passing deep and accepting some lost ground if the player gets tackled. It worked against the Broncos and it is something teams from either code could look at. Obviously it helps if you have players who are good one on one like Inglis and Slater.