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In the last week Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter has been reduced to the status of a lame duck.
Unfortunately, it seems any successful NRL coach must not only get results on the field and survive club politics, he must also pander to the star players.
It is a tightrope that few manage to tread for too long. Since the 2000 NRL season the average time a first grade coach has stayed in their position is 3.5 years – a number inflated by the records of coaches at successful clubs.
The Broncos, Bulldogs, Manly and Melbourne all have an average coach tenure of five years.
At the other end of the spectrum, coaches last 2.5 years at the Dragons, Roosters, Cowboys and Raiders. At the Sharks and the Rabbitohs you’ve got around two years in the job and at the Warriors and Eels it isn’t even two full seasons.
Steve Price, Anthony Griffin, Peter Sharp and Matt Elliott have all departed this season. Ricky Stuart, John Cartwright and now Mick Potter are all under pressure to hold their spots. That is seven out of sixteen spots either turned over or under threat.
Four coaches – 25 per cent of them – also turned over in 2013.
However, you can bet that there will be willing candidates for any position that opens up, in spite of how daunting the jobs might be.
Stuart went willingly to a basket case at the Raiders. Paul Green took over perennial underachievers in the Cowboys. Michael Maguire came to a big challenge at Redfern, as did Ivan Cleary at Penrith, Brad Arthur at the Eels, and Andrew McFadden at the Warriors.
The only real protection a coach has is success on the field, and they can’t all be successful. Being a nice guy seems to give no protection for a coach.
Two of the nicest coaches I’ve dealt with are Anthony Griffin and David Furner. Both are well-intentioned, good men from my experience and by reputation. Furner was in the unenviable position of having to deal with poor results because of star players who thought they were bigger than the club, and injuries to key players. Griffin’s results were better but not good enough for the business that is the Brisbane Broncos Ltd. Their shareholders demand the profits that come with regular premierships.
Being a coach is brutal. Furner was informed of his sacking by his own brother and Griffin’s fate was played out in the press before the axe fell.
To be successful, a coach needs good tactics, good assistants, a good roster, a good leadership group, good junior development, to win matches, and lots of luck.
But most importantly, they need time to put all of the above together, which is in turn reliant on the unwavering support and backing of an effective and patient board.
The chances of getting these last two are slim. Of the teams who have not won a title since the beginning of this millennium, the coaches have had on average only 2.7 years in the job. Take out John Cartwright’s eight years at the Titans and that number drops to 1.8 years. That’s just about how long Mick Potter has been the coach at the Wests Tigers now.
However, it took Craig Bellamy and Des Hasler five years at Melbourne and Manly respectively to win their first premierships.
Many clubs expect their coaches will build Rome in a day, despite the chances of that happening being minuscule – especially if you have to deal with player dissent and white-anting.
A successful army is one in which the ranks carry out orders instantly and without question. Legendary tank commander General George Patton may have been hated by his men, but they did what they were told, when they were told, and how they were told. Patton got results and the Germans feared him like no other allied general.
To get those sort of results you must not only be a good tactician, you must also quell resentment in the ranks as it raises its head. To be successful the rugby league coach must also be unquestioned.
Given what has been said in the last week, it is hard to believe that Potter has been the lone voice of authority at the club.
Reports say that Potter not communicating well with the younger players is behind his lack of support. That is bizarre. Are we now determining a coach’s fate based on what a bunch of Gen Y football players think? Really? Or is an older, influential player seeding poor opinions about the coach among them?
A Matthew Johns article early this season revealed that Ivan Cleary had to deal with dissent from one of his only real star players just minutes into his tenure at Penrith. “This drill is dog shit,” was said straight to his face.
For most new coaches that sort of mutinous action could have been disastrous. Cleary, however, had the full backing of General Manager Phil Gould and a player clear out soon ensued. Although injuries are cruelling their 2014 season, it is clear that Ivan is totally in charge and it is getting results. Perhaps Grant Mayer could learn from that.
Star players seem to wield tremendous power in today’s game. What can Paul Green do if Johnathan Thurston isn’t happy with his tactics? What can Andrew McFadden do if Shaun Johnson won’t carry out his plans? What can John Cartwright do if Nate Myles jacks up? What can Mick Potter do if Robbie Farah wants him gone?
Players get away with strings of indiscretions simply because their clubs want them on the field. I bet that there are a lot of Sharks fans and players who couldn’t care less what Todd Carney wants to drink, they just want him to play.
The cruelest thing for Mick Potter is that the turnaround in the results at the Wests Tigers has been marked. They are still in contention for a spot in the finals and – if things go their way – they could even finish in the top four. To do that you’d think what they’d want is unity, focus and stability, but all of that was thrown to the wind when whoever it was leaked to Dean Ritchie that the board was going to sack Potter directly following last Sunday’s match, regardless of the result.
Whatever the leaker’s agenda, there was very little concern for the Wests Tigers success this season.
The very worst thing I’ve heard in this whole matter was this line from Dean Ritchie’s story:
“Privately, the board want the matter resolved before the possibility of Potter embarrassing the club by making the semi-finals.”
When a board is allegedly concerned that making the semi-finals would be an embarrassment, there is something putrid about rugby league.
That the Wests Tigers fans could have their club vandalised in such a cynical manner for the self interest of a few is shocking. The devoted punters who front up each week to support their beloved club deserve so much better.