Give the coaches and players time to mature

stillmissit - Nicely put. However I do wonder if the selection process for the NSW coaching position is 'faulty'. It's pretty hard for me to imagine that we don't have a club coach somewhere in Australia who doesn't have both the brains and the balls, if handed the Tahs team, to make it more than it is now.

MikeN - yours is a serious note from a dedicated NSW supporter and warrants being taken seriously. The premise that Todd wrote this article is to give Chris Hickey time to change the ship around. I am sure NSWRU will give him another season and not terminate his contract this year. He deserves that but no more, if he can't get this ship running well next season it is all over. The great experiment with a successful Sydney club coach will be all over as well and the guys who have been arguing that the grade coaches were not being given a chance will be shut up for a while. The correct route for a good coach is to be successful in Australia, then go overseas and ply your trade for a couple of years successfully. Then apply for an Australian position providing you want to come home and that the money is enough to satisfy you. We simply don't have sufficient knowledge, opportunities and mentors here to develop top coaches locally. NZ and SA do have those resources.

I do not accept that I shoulkd go and pay good money to watch a coach learn to coach. Let the coaches go overseas and learn and get experience over there, like they are doing at the moment, then bring them back when they can make a positive difference. I keep saying, NSW backline hads gone backwards in initiative, skill and confidence and the forwards have at least been as good as last year despite losing two key standout players. What's the difference, the forwards have the experienced Foley and the backs a have relatively inexperienced attack coach and a novice, at this level, head coach. The fact that we are three games from the end of the season and the coaches still cannot figure out why the team cannot get over the advantage line is, in my mind, damming. The hope that getting away from the 'pressure' at home will also help is excuse. This is a professional sport and if the professional coaches, and players, want to earn the money they get, they need to give something back to the public. The Waratah administrators should have advised us that we needed to give their new coach some leaway in the first year and that the standard of attack was likely to go backwards, so we could have taken that into account when we were making decisions on committing money to paying for tickets. I have been supporting NSW rugby since I was old enough to remember, in the sixties, and will not stop supporting them. I was living in Brisbane in the early eighties and went to Ballymore to watch Qld thrash the NSW by over fifty points. I was threatened by the rabid Queensland supporters around me when I seemed to be the only one clapping the sole NSW try. The point is that NSW does not have to win to keep my support, they do not have to be good to keep my support but I get the shits when poor coaching means the do not play as well as they could play. I believe even the current team can play much better than they are.

Kid Again the point is its not a kindergarten - fair point on hickey's background - so why was he recruited - why recruit someone who didnt have the right make up to hit the ground running A year off to learn is a long time in footy Knives - i believe Deans did change things straight away - just read the comments from him and the players about the way things changed

I think the best thing about this article is the honesty, Louden in my minds eye is looking at bagging anybody.. Nor is he trying to gain favour.. You would have to think that if he wanted to do that he would have last year, but he declined the invitation to coach the Tahs as the head coach. What I can say is the blow up about this is outrageous... With experience coaches like experienced coaches goes knowlegde, experience, player familiarity with systems etc. What Louden is saying is quite true, Chris Hickey had not been part of the S14 set up at the Tahs so his job has been even harder because he has no experience in the "system" and as such would nearly have to re learn things that suit his players or instill a whole new culture!! A very difficult task that only a select few can do successfully. This is my last point... If all you arm chair experts are more than willing to have a crack at this bloke... Get out from behind your computers, put your hand up for a team, work the hours that this bloke works and do the job that this bloke can do. If not then listen to an astute coach with a very good rugby brain... I am sure a coach doesn't come into your so called place of buisness and tell you what you do and don't know. Well done Louden again why is this bloke not in the Aussie rugby system.. Its complete madness!! The view from Kierra Beach is magnificant!! Love QLD

ruckingsfun I see that Mitchell has signed but that wasn't really a secret though was it. The sad thing about all this is that every year one of the Australian teams is stripped to its core of notable players be it through signing with other Aus franchises. injuries or heading offshore. Until some sort of balance is established within the franchises it is always going to be a upward struggle for the likes of the reds and force. ACT are by far the most successful Australian team in Super History, The Tahs are like the canes all the stars but never deliver. How long will fans sponsers have to wait before these teams deliver. Both have been in the competition since its inception yet neither has anything to show for it except a few bridesmaid tags. My question is how long should we have to give them to get up to scratch because if 13 years isn't enough time to get the feel of the competition and establish a title winning environment I don't think you'll ever do it. Now heres the big What If question, how do you think these teams the Tahs and the Hurricanes would have gone or will go with Robbie at the helm?

Ruckingisfun, no he didn't.

Well pointed out Still Another possible example could be ARU appointing Deans - who changed things straightaway

Ballboy - well argued points BUT :- When Australian Soccer under John O'Neil wanted to change the culture they brought in the best they could afford in Hiddink and the results were there almost from the start. If NSW wanted to change the culture they needed a coach with a plan and the strength to push through those changes through regardless of personalities and player power. Nobody likes changes and certainly not high profile sports people who have been successful under another structure. The risks of failure are high for that coach that is why they needed to bring in someone capable of making those changes. The new coach must also have a plan and a clear idea of how the team would look and perform afterwards. Another example is Rod McQueen when he presented his plans to the ARU most of the board didnt understand them and few believed them. It was purely luck that McQueen got the job. He then went about implementing his plan and although the results were not as immediate as Hiddink they were soon performing. In other words the job of rebuilding a team is a job for a true professional and people who dont have the ability will most times fail or like E. Jones never get the best out of them.

Hemjay - who is he recruiting for next year - i havent seen much on that front - would appreciate an update 9looking forward to good news)

Todd I can make sense of what you say about South Africa and their kicking, However I have to agree with many other posters in here that we cannot hire coaches on the proviso of winning the title in two or threes years time once the lads have learnt a little and the coached found his feet. It is professional sport and there is no place for allowing one time to grow, the majority of growing needs to be done at provincial / club level and once they're at Super level only fine tuning is needed. I do however think Hickey is recruiting well for next years competition and as it stands it looks like the Warratahs will be a formiddable team. In saying that the Tahs and the Canes my team have always had the big names but failed to deliver. Maybe we need to have a development competition like the NRL hell why not align some of the Australian clubs with the ANZC provinces eg: Randwick and Taranaki have them come across and play ANZC for the Province they are aligned with. Sort of like a sister city scenario. At least this way it will help develop talent in both countries and a t level below super 14 and help provide that step up for the Australian Franchises who are struggling the most. This competition is getting boring because the same team(s) win it year in year out,

Boards dont pick teams My frustrations is that from the time the board sacked mcKenzie - NSWRU have beenntrumpeting the dawn of a an exciting new age - but now with a few setbacks - the excuse factory is opening up and everyone saying you need to give them time I think people need to be consistent and stand by their declarations - flipping and flopping week by week helps no one - in particular the coach

Not at all Ruckingisfun - Man U will appoint the best money can buy. Will the players respond to a new style / formula? I, nore should anyone else tolerate mediocrity. But the Tahs aren't running stone motherless last. Let's take a step back and have a look at their run this season. They have lost 3 Wallabies in thier forwards for the whole season. Is it Hickey keeping Lote on the wing or is it the board who paid millions for him? they suffer the same as the Brumbies by having a 5/8 at least a season away from matching it with the better play makers from NZ / SA and Force.. I can't believe I am actually defending them but does this not account for something?

Ballboy - low profile coach recruitment is something more specific to Australia - if you look at NZ, SA and Europe, they do recruit establish well credentialled coaches with the necessary profile - either through $ or experience Australia doesnt have much of either unfortunately As per rabbitz - we are going to broadcasters and fans asking for top money for the a top competition - but understand that our coaches may take time to come up to speed You wouldn't tolerate it in business - you should tolerate it in top professional sport Will Manchester United recruit an apprentice coach when Alex ferguson leaves?

Rabbitz - point taken but my point is when any new coach comes into a side he's generally not coming with a higher profile than a lot of the senior players. I know on good authority that some of these senior players resent a new approach and it does take time to teach old dogs new tricks. You can't sack your senior players. their egos and approach to training / playing need to be modified over time. If you don't do that and get them off side you find yourself in the same position as Nucifora.

Ballboy, I disagree, if it was a junior position, maybe, but a senior leadership role you must hit the ground running. Time is money and at the rates the senior players and coaches are on, I believe it is not appropriate to learn on the job. I admit that the lack of intermediate structures complicates the issue but it doesn't change the fact that leaders must be just that, from day one. If the coach is learning the ropes then he has no hope as the senior contracted players will use that to their advantage - think back to the Brumbies. As for the difficulties of the job, remember the phrase about kitchens and heat...

Ballboy Nice thoughts - but the game is professional now - and unless you hit the ground running and maintain success you are goig to be in trouble - you are gooing to lose game, fans and money - which will have knock on affects for the future. The question remains - what was done last year when they sacked mcKenzie mid season to ensure that they would be successful going forward If its not the coach - then who is accountable?

Thank Todd, I agree that I make a good point ;) And apologies for the other media outlets, may have been me - I alerted Rupert G to the blog post via twitter - a few hours later the Rugby Heaven version appeared...

Fair point Rabbitz and you are sadly going to be one of many who take their money and run. However, anyone who has ever emplyed someone before knows that it will take time for that person to work themselves into a new position. I employ people but don't expect the to get results from day one. It's an investment in the future. I am a supporter for Hickey simply because I think he has walked into the toughest job in Aussie rugby. He may have his own style but he is dealing with a culture that he may or may not want to change. Let's say for argument that he does want to make changes. His job is to convince a bunch of professional players (and I'm aiming this more at the senior players than the juniors) that have been conditioned a certain way. These guys are gods, having been pumped up with accoladdes from a previous reigime saying this is the way it has to be played...and it almost worked. To come in as a new coach with no experience at the 2nd top level and ask these guys to change is going to be a tough ask. Hickey is restricted by a number of things. Players on the books that are still on 2 -3 years contract that he has to accomodate.. A Board that flexes a lot of muscle and has their own interests in mind. A press and public that scrutinises every move they make. Regardless of where they end up this year they ahve won 6 from 9 and are still in the running for the finals although their SA tour is going to be a big climb. I'm not a Tahs supporter but I do empathise with Hickey and would ask, for the sake of the game, that we all give him a little more time to wipe away the old and bring some changes.

The coaches need time to mature and grow into the role - because as many have said before - there are no proper structures for Coaches to develop through (unlike NZ & SA domestic competitions) You can get away with it for players because of the squad structure - but you cant have a squad of coaches Australia has had 14 years of professional Rugby - and has still not got anything in place