It’s not easy selecting teams. I’ve been doing it for a very long time and I can tell you it’s one of the things that I don’t have to do in 2013 that I am very pleased about.
Let me say that a little differently.
Picking a team is actually easy, but picking a team that you believe is THE best for this week’s match is much tougher.
Picking the best team for this week but also being aware of next week’s and next year’s best interest of the player team and club often becomes very very difficult.
Explaining to all who feel they deserve to know why and how you arrived at that decision is in a whole new ball park and it’s not just a matter of being honest about it that causes the heartache.
Listening to the rotation cricket debate in recent times has created some smiles for this relaxed coach.
Responses from those with vested interests or rose coloured glasses about the good old days go along party lines with those in footy, I reckon.
Whilst we all have our preferences on what we look for in a player in our sport, it never ceases to amaze me that even great minds on the games we love struggle to move with the new demands of it as it inevitably becomes more professional and competitive.
Still they know more than the coaches or selectors, in cricket’s case.
Without being in the dressing rooms, without being at all the training and practice sessions, and without meeting and discussing in depth with doctors, physios and coaching staff. And, most notably, without the input of the players themselves.
Out goes the need for knowledge from the medical crew of the niggle that’s become just a little worse, meaning your gun youngster can’t train at all this week but might be right by game day.
“That’s ok, just play him, toughen him up. Oh, so if he plays on with this type of injury, he could miss six to eight weeks, or at worst, it could limit his ability to be able to develop his full strength or speed potential because of permanent restriction. You just stuffed up the career potential of our most promising player”!
Or what about the need that the coaches and players have decided is vital for rapid form improvement.
Number one priority is building combinations at training and player X can’t train for the week but his understudy can.
It’s not about who is the best player, it’s about building what the team feels is the most necessary to win this game and get the season on track.
If that player X is Cameron Smith, it may well be a different selection come game time.
But again, these are calls from those with the most information, not fans or former greats who played with a broken leg in 1969 but don’t understand the demands of today’s game.
The heat caused from rotation policy is just a little trickier.
If rotation means that player X has played and trained consecutive days, weeks, or months, but does not have an injury, then this is where more guess work – or as we coaches like to call it, gut feel – cuts in.
The scientists will provide numbers about volumes and intensity and total loads which may clarify or confuse. In the end for the coach, it becomes a matter of “is player X with that extra load likely to perform better this week than a fresher player Y”.
This is a minefield at times, with no correct answer until what I used to call “quarter to five decisions” when footy was played with a 3 o’clock kick off.
You guessed it: the decisions were a lot easier at a quarter to five when it’s all over.
Sometimes a coach or selector just has a gut feel that even he can’t verbalise with accuracy at the time. That’s when you just have to be strong, make the call and live with it.
Otherwise you join those quarter to five experts outside the coaches box who think they all have the answers.
Brian Smith joins The Roar as a regular NRL columnist in 2013. This is his first column for the site. Smithy is a former player with St. George and South Sydney and first grade coach at Illawarra, St. George Dragons, Bradford Bulls, Parramatta, the Knights and the Sydney Roosters. He is currently an assistant coach to Jake White at the Brumbies.
Beardan
Roar Guru
No from the fountain of common sense
Mushi
Guest
From your wealth of nrl experience there?
Mals
Guest
Ah is that where Brian went wrong? He should have picked 11 cricketers when he was coaching his NRL teams! ;-)
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Anakin, What are you talking about. Its a little different to be resting players when your in the finals than getting the team right to win the competition which is what the article is about.
Beardan
Roar Guru
Here is an idea Brian. You take into account all of the training, all of the injuries, who is fresher, who ate more veges at dinner last night, whether the time is 3pm or 4.45pm and then, after all of that, if your still awake, you pick your best 11 cricketers. Keep it simple son. Its not as difficult as you want us to believe.
Anakin
Guest
> i dont think Bennet or Bellamy or Hasler changed thier line up all last season unless someone wasnt available .. You dont recall Bellamy ever resting players at the back end of a season leading into finals when the storm had the minor premiership and/or their finals positions all sewn up? I do!!
Jeff Cook
Guest
Wished i said it , thanks.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
turbo Yes I dont expect a reply from Brian, at least on this forum. There were plenty of alternatives and the point is that both played sub standard roles in key positions for a long time. I would have liked to have seen either Roger Tuivasa-Sheck or Tautau Moga tried at fullback late last year when the Roosters could not make the 8.
josh
Guest
No need to apologise for being an a-hole. It's stating the obvious, we can see who posted the comment.
Bazzio
Roar Guru
Criticism is easy ~ anyone and everyone can criticise anything anytime for any reason. And they do. Criticism seems to be a common human foible. But if coaches were as critical of players as spectators or fans are, how many players would be left on the field? The art of coaching is to know the positive while understanding the negative attributes of plays, players, and teams, and this 'knowing' is what Smithy calls "gut feeling". So hard is it to define and put into words that coaches allude to it by quirky sardonic phraseology, and it is interesting to note that the quirkiest comments come from the best coaches such as Jack Gibson, Harry Bath & Wayne Bennett amongst others, and it comes only from deep understanding and knowiedge of the game, players, and life in general. Statistical analytical coaches just don't get it, and won't ever "get it." I'll leave it at that with a few coaching gems ~ Jack Gibson ~ "Winning teams are not coached by pessimists." Harry Bath ~ "Those who drink the water should always remember those who dug the well" Wayne Bennett ~ "Worry is like a rocking chair- it gives you something to do and takes you nowhere" Brian Smith ~ "A draw is like watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new car. . . . . mixed feelings."
turbodewd
Guest
I made a point that I think Brian's article is low on examples and I stick by it. I have no doubt his next article will be more thought-provoking.
eagleJack
Guest
So a piece of journalism needs to "ruffle feathers" to be "legitimate". Got it. Plenty of gossip rags around turbodewed which may be more to your liking.
turbodewd
Guest
But were the alternatives to Braith and Mini any better? I dont know the Easts depth chart well enough to comment myself. But I do like your straight up question, I suspect it wont draw a response unfortunately, too coarse a question for the NRL community. (might put someone's nose out of joint if they read the response) A workmate of mine believes NRL circles in Sydney are too close-knit and people rarely say any level of criticism line lest they risk losing friends or rubbing people up the wrong way. Only anonymous fans like us can get away with it, e.g my constant criticism of Hayne's pathetic positioning at fullback and him being PART of the reason Parra have been crap for 3 seasons straight.
ken oldman
Guest
Brian,I must say that you got one thing right and thats about "the rose coloured glasses of the good old days" and fans believing that they'still know more than the coaches and selectors, in cricket.s case....."......OF COURSE WE DO
Terry Kidd
Guest
One point about professionalism and player rotation. I may be 'old school' and completely out of touch but it seems to me that players enjoy playing their sport, they just happen to be good enough at playing to be paid for participating. If what I suggest is basically true then it follows that the player will want to play if he/she possibly can, especially in rep teams. If I was a coach, and thank God I am not, I would follow the mantra with every player .... can you do the job? do you want to play?
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Brian, I enjoyed a cuppa with you last year and consciously never discussed the Roosters as I considered it inappropriate, but now that you have left Moore Park, I would be fascinated to know the REAL reason why you were compelled to select Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichiello for every game week in and week out when they are both clearly were well past their best? Especially given they both played key spine positions for the majority. Where you pressured by the Board?
turbodewd
Guest
Mals, Im not really bashing others. Im not using overly emotive language, Im just calling a spade a spade. I even said 'sorry to be an a-hole'. But I will call out boring threads. Gary Freeman and Nathan Brown have both posted very very unremarkable pieces on The Roar which are safe, state the obvious and dont ruffle any feathers. The day I see an NRL identity post a legitimate criticism citing evidence on The Roar is the day that I will eat my hat :^)
Mals
Guest
Instead of bashing other posters who don't you enlighten us with your amazing rugby league intellect?
turbodewd
Guest
Correct, now that is called stating the bleeding obvious. Sorry to be an a-hole about this, but every post on this thread is stating the bleeding obvious.
turbodewd
Guest
Brian didnt give us a single example from his coaching history. He spoke in general terms. Its like writing a job application and saying youve got great skills in field Y and failing to list examples that prove it.