Last year Stephen Kearney came up against his former mentor Craig Bellamy for the first time, and was annihilated. Without shame he admitted he had been “taught a good lesson by the master”.
Now it’s the Rabbitohs new coach and former Storm assistant Michael Maguire’s turn to face his master.
Watching the 2009 Grand Final, if you didn’t know better, you would have thought Maguire was Craig Bellamy’s waterboy. He can be seen five minutes into the game handing a bottle to try scorer Ryan Hoffman.
Following Adam Blair’s try in the 24th minute, however, he has the players in a circle, he’s intense, he’s making a point loudly, driving it home with thrusts of the finger. It is now apparent he’s no drinks waiter – he’s Bellamy’s protegé, an imposing enough title, but also a man with some ideas of his own.
Three days later he was coach of Wigan, the former English powerhouse looking for a return to the glory days. They had seen enough of this ‘assistant’ to know he could deliver something special.
He was there almost from the beginning when Bellamy was working on his recipe for a dynasty. He had coached the Storm to impressive wins when Bellamy and most of its stars were away on Origin duty; and the Broncos had wanted him after losing the greatest coach of modern times so what better recommendation was there?
Unsurprisingly he delivered immediately, with the club winning the Super League title in his first year. In his second he claimed the Challenge Cup.
It could have been suggested that his success was purely a result of replicating the techniques – ones guaranteed to bring instant results in the lesser English competition – of Bellamy.
But that would be underestimating Maguire’s achievements. Taking over from the esteemed premiership and former Great Britain coach Brian Noble he guided a virtually unchanged squad that had finished sixth the previous year to the minor premiership.
Yes, Noble had managed to get the team to three consecutive preliminary finals but team management had realised a special presence was needed to take the huge next step.
It’s no secret that the first requirement for success is hard work. Matty Johns, noting that Bellamy, Bennett and Hasler trained their teams the hardest concluded: “Now if you look at the results of those blokes over the last five years, why the hell has anyone tried to do anthing differently?”
Bennett commenting last year on Bellamy’s resurrection of the Storm admitted his former assistant put him in the shade when it came to sheer workload.
Like Walter White from Breaking Bad in his crystal meth lab, Bellamy oversees absolutely every facet from match strategy and player development, to sports science.
In that regard Maguire is no different. He works his charges literally into the ground – there was a newspaper photo of giant prop Sam Burgess struggling to leapfrog his even bigger teammate, a prostrate Dave Taylor.
The sound of the coach screaming “I can’t teach you talent but I will teach you toughness!” will be drowning out the late arrival announcements at Redfern station.
But there may be something different about Maguire, this Bellamy MkIII. At Wigan he showed a propensity for experimentation, notably the switching of champion five eighth Sam Tomkins to fullback.
He also often showed a preference for youth over experience in big matches: a risky venture but when it works it can give players the self confidence to become superstars.
Maguire doesn’t appear too worried by gun halfback Chris Sandow’s departure but then again he’s had that happen to him before when Matt Orford belatedly skipped Melbourne town. Orford’s no-option replacement, a young and unheralded chap called Cooper Cronk, has done all right so why can’t Adam Reynolds do something similar?
To make things a lot easier Maguire inherits a forward pack to kill for and has benefitted from Russell Crowe’s other attempts to purchase some of Storm’s winning culture ie the presence of Michael Crocker, Greg Inglis and Matt King.
As a Storm assistant Maguire would have been well aware of the tendency of South Sydney to get ahead of themselves. So just in case the players have any energy left to do so, a ban has been placed on all talk of finals. Wanting to use the club’s proud history as a positive force he will seek out self exiled legend George Piggins.
Inglis, on hearing of Maguire’s signing, advised his teammates to get ready for the toughest pre-season of their lives. He also inadvertently attested to the greatness of Bellamy: “If you put him (Maguire) and Steve Kearney together, you get ‘Bellyache’”.
If Maguire is only half as good as his ex boss he’ll still be a very good coach. But he’ll bring something else to the table I’m sure.
In Round 2 he gets his chance to serve it up.
Robbo
Guest
Jeff, There is a huge difference between nurture and dumping loads of money upon the laps of the new AFL clubs. Where does the purchasing of Hunt, Folau etc. fit into your nurturing/developing program of these new arrivals, I personally believe it is one of the most stupid means of attempting to gather local support as I've ever seen....obviously money has no boundries in order to achieve this. The AFL did a great job in bringing the Sydney Swans to where they are today with 25,000 season ticket holders, in saying that Sydney had plenty of room for another sport in our region and it has been adopted very well. But I can't see this second franchise out west of Sydney being accepted in the same manner, they will need loads of Victorian money in order to prevent it going under. This move to have a second Sydney team is obviously not being done as a means of generating money as much as it is the AFL flexing it's muscle which has loads of money to throw away in order to beat it's own chest. If the AFL were serious about nurturing the game of Aussie Rules in outer Sydney & Gold-Coast it could of forked out 10% of what they have spent and helped the local junior game with-in these districts for 5-6 years before moving in because we are struggling for numbers and money to just field a few teams each week-end hitting it's head against a brick wall with chicken raffles and match day BBQ's keeping the clubs afloat......
Jeff McGinn
Guest
In the land of the blind - the ONE EYED man is King.... long live King Robbo -- I am over 65 so I have earned the right to 'not grow up' if this is my choice!. I am smart enough to know that today's Rugby league 'drawcards' do not play for minimum wages. If you are unable to grasp this fact through Naivety or other factors then my points are lost on you. If all you can do is retort to insults on my misguided opinions, so be it! If you want to learn about 'breast feeding, check out how the AFL nurture their new clubs!. Melbourne got Fined after their first season for small salary cap breaches... this is not how a mother breast feeds her children.. OMG why am I trying to convince the King Robbo... enjoy this season mate and don't be so condemning of us poor Mexicans!
Robbo
Guest
Just because your mob Melbourne got busted for cheating doesn't give you the right to point blame at anyone but yourselves and as for accusing other clubs (South's) for cheating the cap.....how the hell do you know what Burgess, Luke, Merritt are on......you wouldn't have a clue. Sour grapes because Melbourne got busted cheating, so you want to believe every club is doing it......grow-up. At least those Storm supporters that set fire to their jersies or left them at the clubs gates got rid of their frustration....you still carry yours, so stop thinking the world is against you and Melbourne, after-all your mob have been breast fed since you entered the league...
Jeff McGinn
Guest
I am awake Robbo.. yesterday I read that Bunnies could be interested in offering Cronk $850,000 per season... with their list please tell me that the salaty cap is not being RORTED openly. as I said -- Storm got caught and the fans hurt as much as anyone.. next your gonna tell me that they should have known as well!!. Maybe a change of codes would do me good. at least whilst the present administration is killing our game!. I dislike Aussie Rules, but I can't help admiring how they promote their sport and it has paid dividends. Meanwhile we sit on our bums and wait three years for a commission.. If it takes them so long to agree to the change, how can they possibly be competent enough to 'rulee' our sport!
crip
Roar Pro
Good call Andrew. After the last two years especially, I've been really bumed out about souths. But because of Michael Maguire i'm pumped again.
Robbo
Guest
Wake up to yourself Jeff, the sooner you recognise the fact the Storm are salary cap cheats the better it will be for you. The Storm have had an easy entry into the ARL/NRL being looked after and supported because they were entering into AFL territory and in return all they have done is bitch and cry ever since. The NRL did a fantastic job in laying down the stiff penalties to the Storm by stripping the competitions off them with a severe fine, what disappoints me is how they didn't chase down all parties concerned from the head office down to the team coaching staff. Still pending are the grubs of player managers but as it looks they to will end up with no penalty either. Bellyache had to have known of this salary cap cheating rort and should of copped sacking and expulsion from our great game for both cheating and bringing the game of rugby league into disrepute. Get over it and move on or you may as well find another sport.
Jeff NcGinn
Guest
Yet another Dinosaur call --- Salary Cap rort. ----- Bellamy , Kearney and Maguire built a team of young hopefuls into a very good unit. Admin destroyed their achievements by cheating -- Only doing so after they repeatedly asked NRL to 'change a debilitating system, not just for Storm, -- For Bulldogs, Warriors, Brisbane , Canberra -- all the clubs that were producing great young players only to lose them to cashed up clubs that acted like Leeches, sitting in the mud and sucking the life out of the 'tryers'.. Yes Storm cheated, but DO NOT ridicule the effort that went into nurturing that team.. Ridicule the Muppets that could not see that the Salary cap was only good for teams that wanted to 'poach' young players rather than put in the effort to 'BUILD a team!. I feel sick any time you guys comment and say the team was all cheats. Once again I say. Storm got caught out. others burnt the evidence. Yeah mate, your team may have been just as guilty, so give the credit to the coaches that built champions from players that others didn't want!. and thank God that your team got away with it!!!.. ( I will try to make this the last time that I defend against these accusations, as a fan it burns!!. Roll on March!
Robbo
Guest
It's all well and good singing Maguires achievements at Wigan...but that's pommy footy not NRL.. As for what he did as an assitant at Melbourne....Steve Folkes or Jonny Lang could of done something similar with the manner of how the salary cap was ignored... All the best Maggie, I hope you can get yourself out of the shadows of Bellyache..South's 2012.