When your sole coaching responsibility is State of Origin, it’s a very, very, very long off season. Especially if you lose.
However, that’s exactly where Ricky Stuart finds himself after his second year back as New South Wales head coach.
Blues players call for Stuart to stay
His predecessor, Craig Bellamy, also tasted the sourness of defeat, but at least he was able to immediately throw himself back into coaching club football’s most consistent side in recent times, the Melbourne Storm.
Stuart has no such luck, and after coming so close to victory, one feels this loss may burn even more than every other before it.
For all the progress that many feel the Blues have made, at the end of the day, Stuart has still presided over two series losses, and questions will be asked about his position, either by NSW hierachy or by the media. It’s the nature of the job, unfortunately.
So, should Stuart remain at the helm?
In Sydney’s Sun Herald, Phil Gould, New South Wales’ most successful coach, called for Ricky Stuart to be retained by the Blues for the next ten years.
Upon reading the headline, I was absolutely shocked. No coach, regardless of how successful they’ve been, should be given a guarantee of ten years, let alone one whose record is far from perfect.
However, further reading of the article highlighted that Gould was only suggesting that Stuart should be involved in the Blues set-up, rather than necessarily the head coach. Such has been Stuart’s importance in building the culture of the Blues, that Gould feels he needs to stay close to the set-up of the Blues camp for the next decade.
Even Wayne Bennett has recognised the impact Stuart has had upon the Blues, and has stated that it’s imperative he keeps the coaching role.
Gus Gould and Wayne Bennett have forgotten more about rugby league than I know, and if two of the most astute minds in the game believe Ricky Stuart is the right man for the job, I would be arrogant and foolish to disagree with them.
However, some issues with NSW’s performance do need to be addressed.
Poor kicking and terrible spacing/bunching, along with no shape, in attack. Consistent early kicking in the tackle count. A lack of creativity and options on the fifth tackle.
All these problems were not necessarily Stuart’s fault. However, the buck needs to stop somewhere.
Were these issues a result of poor coaching by Stuart? Or was he simply let down by his players, who failed to execute his plans?
Having done a little coaching in my life, albeit in a different sport, I know all too well that you are at the mercy of your players, in terms of being judged a good coach or not. The best tactics in the world are useless if your players don’t execute them.
It’s therefore difficult to say that Stuart should take a lot of blame for the poor performance of the Blues last Wednesday night, without knowing exactly what the game plans were.
The issue is that, at times, the Blues looked like they didn’t have much strategy in their plans.
Take the early kicking as an example. Numerous times, the Blues kicked early in the tackle count, yet it appeared to be without much thought. On a few occasions, the Queensland wingers were already in good position to receive the kick, so any notion of attempting to surprise them can be ruled out.
Likewise, on one attacking raid in the first half, the Blues had the ball on halfway on tackle three, but kicked the ball. Another two hit ups could have easily seen them in great attacking position well inside Queensland’s half, but instead the Maroons ran the ball back to near halfway.
The amount of early kicking indicates it must have definitely been a tactic, but what purpose it served, or what was the desired outcome, remains a mystery.
There is no doubt that the passion and spirit of the Blues has improved, and that Stuart deserves a large proportion of the credit for it. The players love him, and want to play for him. Even Queensland fans have been effusive in their praise of this NSW team, and the toughness, commitment and the pride in their jersey that they’ve displayed.
Yet as Blues skipper Paul Gallen stated after the third game: “It doesn’t say ‘pride and effort’ on the trophy. It says 2-1.”
An optimist will say passion is a big part of Origin, and the Blues have regained that, and only lost by one point to an all-time great Queensland team.
A pessimist will say that tactics are an equally big part of Origin, and NSW were severely lacking in that department, and that the Blues have lost seven series in a row.
As ever, the truth lies somewhere in between those two polarising opinions.
I think Stuart should be retained, regardless of whether he has an NRL coaching commitment or not. Having failed to win the Origin trophy back, he has unfinished business. I also don’t think the Blues have the luxury of adjusting to a new coach and new coaching philosophy.
However, if Stuart is retained, the Blues tactics and execution in attack need to be analysed.
Personally, I think you’ll find that Stuart’s tactics are sound, but the players need to execute them much better, especially from the all important position of halfback.
Having said that, it’s important to remember that selecting the right players, and then preparing them to execute under pressure, remains one of the key responsibilities of the coach.
Which suggests Stuart really does have unfinished business.
Jesse
Guest
The NSWRL bought in a rule from an independent commissioned report saying that a NRL club coach can't coach origin. Now suddenly when it doesn't suit their golden boy any more, they will change the rules. That is the reason why NSW have had such a bad run, because they change the players (Pearce) and the rules to suit their mates (Ricky).NSWRL keeps putting jobs for mates before the NSW origin side and anyone with half a brain can see it. Wasn't the 100k Ricky gets for coaching the origin side enough, does he just want two bites of the apple with money from Origin and Parra. If he was that dedicated to NSW as he makes out, he should of stayed on as NSW full time head coach for another year before going back to the NRL. Honestly this whole drama with Ricky being NSW and Parra coach, and their willingness to overturn rules just to suit individuals has shown how dysfunctional NSWRL really is, also coming out and trying to get the games moved to NSW next year so you can win is really pathetic, while their at it why don't they just say NSW won't play unless they get a 10 point lead.
Charles
Guest
Let’s get real here and stop the pretence! If you analyse the overall performance of Ricky Stuart as NSW Coach in State of Origin you can honestly come to only one conclusion, he is not up to the task. NSW could have done a lot better, as we do have the players, we do have the passion. What has let us down is poor selection criteria with players selected that is not up to the task, players selected out of position, a poor game plan and simply poor coaching. After being forced to change his selections and mostly through injuries he has finally come up with a team that is closer to the mark to be competitive! However, he has failed to address the issues which are resulting to our losses with the biggest being Mitchell Pearce in the half back position. In other words Ricky Stuart has not done his job despite doing it full time. As I have stated time and time again in these forums you need experience and blend your youth in which QLD do so well. Mitchell Pearce needs more time and like everyone I am excited with players like Uate but they all need more time to learn their craft, especially their defence. The best thing NSW can do is have a expert selection panel of three and allow the coach to put forward the team he wants for approval. The best person for that role would be Andrew Johns who really knows the game inside out!
Bearfax
Guest
I'm a Sea Eagle supporter for life. But I can live with a couple more teams in the QLD heartland. I could also live with another NZ and a PNG side. But there needs to be some thinking in League head quarters regarding if they are serious about holding onto league support on the central coast of NSW. I know there has been resistance, not the least because of the 'where do ya get it' man holding the purse strings and rights up there...hate to see him having too much influence in League again. But Central Coast NSW needs a team too.
Ra
Guest
ok so who are the genuine tru blu born in the state, grew up in the state, would rip off an arm to play for the state whether Qld or NSW, not some ring in kiwi, samoan, fijian, tongan, PNG or kuki airani, where are they?????? I as a Kiwi want to see Ozis smashing Ozis in State of Origin the way it was, but i don't think that will happen, sad, but tru.It's about the "browning" of rugby league and rugby union in australia, the same way it happened in NZ throughout the '90s. But i want to know who are the genuine articles out there to push mitchell pierce for his spot apart for Foran or Benjy. And I want to know that that kid grew up in Orange and biked down to the local creek to catch yabbies as a kid or something like that. Not some kid from south Auckland (Te'o) smashing some kid from Levin (Tamou) - in state of origin - how un-Australian is that ???? Pick the likes of James Maloney - he'd die for the Blues, as he should. What do you guys reckon???
Bunny Boy Marty
Guest
James, spent some time in QLD last month and could not agree more. The fans there are mad for RL. While we're at it, let's not forget Central Coast. Once money builds, then go for Perth too. Expansion means we can get away from the Mickey Mouse draw we have now. If we can't play home and away against everybody, then play everybody once, (home and away alternate years) with SOO stand alone weekends so as not to stuff the regular comp. Also have emerging Origin, under 20s rep comp, maybe NZ all-star game to add content for SOO weekends. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
James Demmi
Guest
JUST PUT A SECOND NRL TEAM IN BRISBANE ALREADY!! Sydney - 180 NRL games. Brisbane - 12 NRL Games per season. Massive t.v audience in Brisbane and QLD every Friday night game the Broncos play. An NRL game needs to be in Brisbane every weekend. Stuff WA and NZ who cares if the NRL isn't theoretically national. Its still Australian. There is a massive market readily available in QLD. No start up costs, good and abundant readily juniors available. The NRL needs to put a nail QLD sporting landscape and take full control and ownership of it. Make more money without having to gamble with what we already have. A team in Brisbane and a team in Central Queensland would be the best way to go. There is a lot of money already available in the QLD market too. I reckon its safe to say any new Queensland based side would do a lot better financially and possibly a lot better performance wise than most NSW based teams. The sooner they enter, the better.
Fetus
Guest
The blues were horrible in patches but the heart is what has been missing. There is an excellent core now for the blues. If anything it shows players like Farah should have been persisted with. Add gallen, bird and Lewis you have four forwards who will work for you all day. Throw in the Morris brothers and a carney on song you are almost there. The fact of the matter is origin should be about selection and bench tactics and passion that's all the coach should need to do. Ricky is the best man for the job I'm almost adamant that he never meant to select Buderus it was a rocket up the arse of ennis and Farah. Maybe he should do the same with Pearce. Put in a phone call to Wallace and Mullen and publicise it that Mitchell is ahead of them. See how much they want it -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
A1
Guest
NSW played out of their skin? What series were you watching? Some highlights from the 90's? The Blues played with plenty of ticker, but otherwise they were pretty bad.
eagleJack
Guest
"You guys played out of your skin" Really? I saw a side with very little idea in attack. Carney was a nervous wreck throughout. Players were still feeling each other out. The combinations weren't there. That is the first series that we have kept the same spine (1,6,7,9) in over a decade. These combinations take time to gel. You talk about chemistry. We will gain that in time. What we brought was passion. That can't be denied. But we hardly played to our potential. Only the naive would suggest that.
WoobliesFan
Guest
Bear, all those points seem to be valid when supporting the blues. But most qlders will tell you how far below our potential we played. You guys played out of your skin and we didnt. Yet we still won. Theres a mighty strong argument that the gap has far from closed. Dont get me wrong, We qlders are under no illusion that NSW is not a formidable opponent, but we knowthat based on talent and chemistry, we will keep the shield for a few more yrs to come. U cant match us over 3 games....u just dont have the cattle. U will only win when we are old and slower......only and only then.
League_coach101
Roar Pro
I think Stuart should definitely stay on as the 'mentor coach' and father figure that was spoken about earlier. What we need to look at is the way Origin is coached - there is simply not the time there is at club level to finess the tactics and get five or six attacking plays memorised and rehearsed. Origin is more about finding the players, instilling them with the passion and then unleashing them on the opposition. That's what Mal does tremendously well and that is what Ricky has bought to NSW as well. The difference between the two? Well quite simply the players that Mal unleashes are the best in the world. The players Ricky unleashes are (with apologies to Paul Gallen and Todd Carney when he hits Dally M form) simply not. For this reason the NSW bosses would be incredibly stupid to sack the coach. But then as they have proved numerous times in the past - stupidity is their forte. So we can hope. With regard to what Ricky does now? I would love to see the full time Origin Coach running development camps in the 2nd half of the season and the off season. Not development camps for emerging Origin players in the NRL - development camps for emerging NSW players in county towns and cities all over the State. Have the coach as the face of the NSW Blues full time and watch as the NSW Blues stop being a punchline and start becoming a team the whole state is behind. With regard to players like Matty Johns having a role - i think that's a fantastic idea. Bringing in specialists to work with particular players can only help. Mitchell Pearce for example is crying out for a decent halfback coach. Andrew Johns are you listening?
Gremlin
Guest
Mal is a self confesed bad coach, he leaves that to the huge support staff, as Ricky does and has. I'm looking at a "God father" figure. Someone who has walked the walk so speak, also a little mistique if you like. With his bussines cred' well establidhed I'm sure he's capable of that overseer role. Not beating up on Dymock mate, thought he was great once he got rid the white out of his playing stip and replaced it with gold. Yes there plenty of smart footballers that dont come from the halves, hoping Lewis next comes to Parra' next year. Just trying to get one of the best in our camp, Cronk raves about him in terms of influencing his game. Damn Straight, Mal wishs he didnt have a club coaching record. It was pretty horendous from memory, even he looks back on it with a grain of salt.
DingoBob
Guest
I agree Steve. As a QLDer I hope Ricky is in the job for at least a couple of years. He is very entertaining.
Bearfax
Guest
I'm not diinishing Queensland's fine effort in winning yet another series and congrats to them. But quite frankly NSW were the better side in the first two games even though it came out one each. I'm not saying they were greatly superior, because I dont think there's more than a struck match between the teams and the closeness of the scores in all three games testifies to that. All I am saying is that in game one and three the bounce of the ball favoured QLD more than NSW. Certainly Jennings knocking out the ball from QLD ensured NSW the win in game two. But Uate's failure to catch the ball just before half time in game one swung the game in Qld's favour when NSW had been totally dominant. And in the last game, a field goal attempt by NSW misses, one by Qld succeeds...therein lies how close the series was.
Mango Jack
Guest
Thanks wooblies. Now back to your banjo, mate!
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
Not as head coach, Christo, but as a specialist assistant to help the attack. Don't forget he held that role with the Melbourne Storm, who raved about his influence.
Damn Straight
Guest
Fell down is right Scott. How in hell he could pick Ben Creagh again is beyond me. Just because Ricky is mates with Wayne Pearce, doesn't mean Mitchell should be there either. Players need to be picked on merit. Not because they are the incumbent..not because their daddy was a blues legend.
Damn Straight
Guest
How true is that. You could say that Ricky won an origin series because of Johns as much as you could say that Mal has won 7 series because of Lockyer, Thurston, Slater or Cronk. I'd like to see the coaching record of Mal at club level. I'm thinking it would be way more average than his origin coaching form.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
You've got to be joking Ryan. Please show me John's coaching record...
Damn Straight
Guest
Haha, i love how Ricky borrows quotes off famous people and then passes them off as his own. Gus, it was actually Einstein who said that.