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I have an issue with the discussions around the machinations at the Brumbies. There is a lot of talk at the moment about the Brumbies new-found player power bringing about the sacking of Andy Friend. Most of this appears to come from NSW who have little to no idea about the Brumbies structure or why it has had so much success.
Perhaps this is pure jealousy for what the Brumbies have achieved or perhaps ignorance.
The Waratahs, with all their talent, are yet to achieve these results (a Super Championship). Over the past 10 years they should have won a number of titles with the talent they have pooled. The hatred between the two sides, and their supporters, is enormous.
Rod McQueen set the Brumbies system up back in 1996. Part of that setup was to give the players a lot of input into decisions including game plans.
It’s the culture there and is what distinguishes the Brumbies from other state rugby teams. Besides, if you want happy players you not only need results but some ownership.
There is nothing new about that player power at the Brumbies. That culture is what won them titles in 2001 (under Eddie Jones) and 2004 (while Nucifora was the head coach).
I clarify the coach’s role in brackets because, while Nucifora was the coach and is credited with the title, myth and legend has it his game plans in 2004 were never used.
You only had to watch the team warmup, with Nucifora standing 100-200m from the team, to see he was not an integral part of it.
The legend goes that he would enter the team room, put his game plan on the whiteboard, communicate that to the players present and then leave.
After he departed, one of the senior players would stand up, rub off the Nucifora game plan, write up the one the senior players had devised and that is how the game would be played. The talent there at the time made this possible. Perhaps today it would most likely fail dismally.
Fortunately or unfortunately, many of the senior players at the time of Nucifora’s ugly exit – Larkham, Young, Googy egg, Finnegan – are still there but now as coaches.
You have to think that to pick a fight with Larkham back when he was a senior player, and probably now as a coach, was to pick a fight with the board as his father is/was on it and a major force at the Brumbies. Larkham wasn’t Friend’s choice for backs coach. Friend was overruled.
As for the lunatics running the asylum, depends on who are considered lunatics. Often management are lunatics to attempt it. Plenty of lunatics in NSW Rugby have short changed the die hard fans of the Waratahs through their antics.
Perhaps everyone can get something different out of what goes on in Brumbyland.
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