Coach Craig Bellamy. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
The explosion of violence at the end of the first half at Brookvale last week was the inevitable result of the methodology of Des Hasler and Craig Bellamy, two of the cleverest and most effective coaches in the game.
A rugby league coach has a number of basic tasks to achieve: developing tactics, teaching moves, selecting teams and so forth, but their most critical task is motivating a group of large fit skillful men to overpower and defeat similar group.
There are any number of ways to accomplish this, few as consistently successful as the one used by Bellamy and Hasler, known in the industry as ‘the Major Payne strategy’.
It comes from a scene in the 1995 classic, when Payne explains his plan to win the Virginia Military Games to school counsellor Emily Walburn. By uniting the boys in their hatred for him, he plans to draw them closer together and make them a team. When she questioned his cynicism, he replied that at least it wouldn’t backfire.
Hasler has shown himself to be a genius with young halves and in developing forwards who play as hard and ruthlessly as he did, only larger, faster and stronger. But his magic has been in convincing his team, and indeed most of his fans, that for some reason the NRL is conspiring against them.
Back in 2009, the NRL prepared their promotional campaign with a great ad showcasing a young boy in the park growing into brilliant young Manly fullback Brett Stewart. A few week later, they were forced to junk the very expensive ads and watch him on the front page of the newspaper every day facing serious police charges from a drunken incident.
At the time, rugby league rabble were screaming at the NRL to kick him out of the game and make an example of him.
Instead NRL CEO David Gallop stood strong, punishing him for being drunk as a skunk at the official function earlier that day and waiting for the justice process to be complete before any other measures be taken. Ultimately, it was exactly the right decision as Stewart was found innocent.
Hasler has used this incident to unite his squad in the belief that NRL is against them. He has his players honestly believing that the people who run the game are trying to undermine them.
When they get penalised, cautioned, suspended, it is not because they did something wrong, it is because a sports administrator has a grudge against them.
Similarly, there is Bellamy, who last year had the enormous misfortune to find out his team was run by a crook.
Through no fault of his own, he had the triple whammy of having all his titles stripped, a nearly full season to play for with no chance of finals and then, when his team finally could start playing for points, it would be without their star player and a host of others.
Many supporters, this writer included, thought that there was no way the players would continue to turn up each week and put their body through punishment. You only need to watch teams out of the finals race going through the motions to see the effect.
Instead Bellamy’s men were competitive in every game they played, and would have hosted a final had they been scoring points. This year, with the team pulled apart to get under the salary cap, they have been the dominant force in the game all season.
It is one of the most remarkable coaching feats you will ever see.
He achieved this with the Major Payne strategy of convincing his players that the NRL had robbed them of their titles and was biased against them because they weren’t from Sydney.
Like Hasler, he managed to convince his team that every time they ran on the ground, they weren’t just playing the other team, but they were sticking it to the man.
They employ a simple but extremely effective strategy that unites the players against the enemy. Not the team on the other side of the field, but life itself, as they are driven to prove wrong those that are conspiring against them. Regardless of the amount of bunkum involved in convincing them of the fact.
The ladder shows how effectiveness this strategy is. Indeed, the only drawback of this plan is that it leaves the players in a weak position in terms of personal responsibility.
Why should you work on your discipline in tackles if you are being penalised because the referees have been told to, as opposed to being penalised because you keep hitting people in the face.
Similarly, the smiling Brett Stewart from five years ago has been replaced with an angry jilted man who thinks the world hates him.
He could have dealt with 2009 like an adult, a brutal lesson which cost him some time on the sideline but taught him a lot and left him able to play at the highest level.
Instead, encouraged by his coach, he can’t move past it, and lives convinced that the NRL chief who treated him with great fairness should have predicted the future and known he would be found innocent. He lives waiting for an apology which will never come.
But, of course, this is a small price to pay for a win.
fortuitousbounce
Guest
B Stewart was found NOT GUILTY... He is far from innocent.
Meesta Cool
Guest
It seems that not only do many Rugby League fans "Hate Manly".. most of them don't recognise that success needs good coaching and Club management. Manly have both, that's why they are the next best team in the league!!!!. If they get the Stewarts, Foran and Luckychick back on the field for the grand final, they will be champions again... most teams are 'too soft' to play 80 minutes against their aggression (and niggle).
Jeff
Guest
Hey mad one.. I don't really care who decided on the worth of the penalties, Waqa was only protecting a team mate, Stewart was trying to injure an opponent.. Stewar gets 1 game, Waqa geets 2. bloody crazy. regardless of who fixes the penalties, many of the articles are complimenting HIM on the actions taken against Manly and Melbourne.. So, this Pelican asks, is he driving the bus, running behind telling the driver what to do.. or running behind letting the conductor drive.. You may be mad chatter mate... but I MADDER and mostly at the NRL WHOEVER 'THEY' are!. Sorry other posters.. I promised that was last... but 'Pelican' not acceptable, just same as comparison on Waqa's / Stewart's penalties should not be acceptable! enjoy the finals everybody..
Jimbo
Guest
I'm just curious as to how Hasler is a has - been? He is currently coaching the side sitting second on the ladder, and has made the finals every season since 2005, 2 grand final appearances and 1 win. I would have thought that was a pretty commendable coaching effort by most standards.
The Mad Chatter
Roar Rookie
Yawn - Another Manly lover not living in a fantasy world and believing everyone world Des Has-Been Hasler says!!
The Mad Chatter
Roar Rookie
@ Jeff - You're a pelican mate. David Gallop administers the sport but he doesn't dish out the punishment. I agree with you that Brett Stewart should be looking at a strong penalty but blame the Match Review Committee and not David Gallop.
Mals
Guest
This line was fictional rubbish written by print media journos. That is why Brett Stewart sued for damages & got compensation that ran well into 6 figures.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Hi Chris There is nothing at all wrong with them showing people that they have a terrific team and great coach. Indeed I believe that his feat last year of keeping his team up for every game even though they couldn't score points was the most remarkable coaching feat I had ever seen. My comment is that he has used the NRL punishments as a spur for his team, as opposed to putting up his hands and saying "Yeah we cheated and accept the punishment". Ruthless and cynical but highly effective. And you have me all wrong, nothing righteous and virtuous going on over here I can tell you!
NickF
Guest
Brett Stewart WAS guilty of getting pissed at a team function, so much that in March 2009 when arrested he was quotes as saying "I was too drunk to remember anything". Gallop did nothing wrong, and will the Manly admistrators and spin doctors stop rewriting history.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Hi Midfielder Regardless of if I hate Manly or not (indifference more like it),what do you think of Des's decision to use Brett Stewart's nightmare 2009 as a mechanism to unifying his team, instead of helping him to move on? I would say it is Cynical but very effective. What about yourself?
Midfielder
Guest
Yawn ... another Manly hater... writes his story ...
oikee
Guest
I read Joey Johns would love to drag the game back to the biff era. Wonder if he is going to pay for the sponsers who leave and the tv deal that will fall apart because boxing UFC late night is only when it can be shown. Muppets, thank goodness Gallop can see past the knuckle draggers and neandethrals. Slay those last remaining relics, the dinosaurs that just wont let go, extinction missed you lot. Be gone You have to laugh at big Del, i dont want to see players miss the final, hey Big Del, where were you when Smithy sat out, eating cubcakes. And Alexander, i am in this for myself, last night on Fox, David, David, what about more money for the clubs, goody, and what about more for juniors, goody, and what about helping the west out, goody. What you been doing Brandi, sitting around making pies. These guys are so see-trhough it becomes embarressing to listen to them.
Chris
Guest
In regards to the Melbourne Storm.. what is wrong with them wanting to show people the salary cap had nothing to do with them having a great coach and being a great team? Are they supposed to have a bad year as some sort of penance so righteous people of virtue like you can forgive them over a period of time that you deem appropriate?
Jeff
Guest
And still Sisa Waqa gets two games for pulling someone's shirt (trying to get him off the pile) whilst Brett Stewart gets one match for trying to knock a blokes head off whilst he wasn't watching... is this Mr Gallops idea of justice??..if so it varies a lot from mine!! and most fair minded Sports fans!!. it is a DISGRACE Mr Gallop... last word on this farce from Jeff. PROMISE!
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Not yet Mals, I'll let you know when it arrives! My main drive in writing this is to point out, that rather then encourage Brett to put the incident behind him and be thankful that he stil has a great career in front of him, he is still stuck on it, thinking he was hard done by. My personal opinion, is that when the RL media and fans were baying for his blood, Gallop punished him for the proven (and much much lesser) offense of getting leggless at the team launch and being kicked out of a licensed premise. It was harsh enough to get everyonen off his back, but not severe enough to effect his career. I think that Des has been incredibly cycnical but very succesful in dragging up the incident again and again to draw his team closer together and make them a team, at the expense of helping a young man move on from a terrible incident.
Chris
Guest
Agree completely. I would also presume that Lussick would be fined for bringing the game into disrepute for saying the brawl was "the best day of my life"? Don't know how you could possibly argue against a $5,000 fine for that statement...
mushi
Guest
Manly brought it on themselves with their arrogant belief that the NRL wouldn’t intervene for the behaviour at the launch. At least they take responsibility for team discipline now…oh wait that’s right it is now okay to get in a fight if you were unfairly penalised and king hit a guys from behind if your brother starts a fight oh and then come in a smash a guy when he’s on the ground under several players. Oh and the crowd just a epachy group of fun loving sports fans. You’ve got to just love Manly’s ability to blame everything on someone else.
The Mad Chatter
Roar Rookie
David Gallop has shown time and time again to be the best sports administrator in Australia. He handled the Brett Stewart saga with dignity in 2009 and was tough but fair during the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal. This week again David Gallop has acted perfectly by condemning the actions of the all the players involved and apologised to parents, kids, supporters and sponsors. He also has left the judiciary to run its course. What have the Manly boofheads done this week? They've come out saying it was the best day of their lives..... You tell me who is more professional??
lifeofTy
Guest
B.Stewart innocent on all charges. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Mals
Guest
"NRL Chief who treated him the great fairness" - that is hilarious Mark! I hope Gallop slips you a pineapple for penning this line.