You would be hard pressed to find an NRL fan whose adopted second team for 2020 wasn’t the New Zealand Warriors.
The entire rugby league community has been moved by the sacrifices the club has made to keep the competition going, not least relocating the playing group to Australia so the competition could progress.
Images of Adam Blair saying goodbye to his family moved us all, as did the emotional haka the team performed to the people of Tamworth, as a thank you for hosting them prior to the competition resuming.
Given this goodwill and the support the Warriors have from the wider footy family, it came as a tremendous shock to hear the news on Saturday that Stephen Kearney would be departing the club immediately.
Now don’t get me wrong, Kearney had his challenges as a coach.
The Warriors have always been an extremely frustrating team to watch because despite their talent, overall the squad has always underperformed. Even with players like Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Tohu Harris, the team has barely made an impact in the finals over the last decade.
Additionally, recruitment of late has been baffling. At the end of 2018, the club lost James Gavet, Mason Lino and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, replacing them with almost no one. That was also the year that the Kiwi club thought it would be a good idea to let Shaun Johnson test his value on the open market. We all remember how that worked out.
Shaun Johnson in his days with the Warriors. (AAP Image/David Rowland)
Even though some of those players have been average at their new homes, these recruitment decisions showed a complete lack of planning.
In the time Kearney has been coach, recruitment and results have been poor. The Warriors have a reputation for being easybeats away from home and tipsters know to back them with caution.
So while Kearney was not the right person to take this club forward, the timing of the announcement, quite frankly, stinks.
It’s mind-boggling to make this decision at this point in time.
What has changed between now and February 2019, when the club decided to re-sign Kearney for an additional three years? In a time when the pandemic has impacted each club’s bottom line, how much money will this decision cost financially?
It’s also an extremely disrespectful decision, given the added stress the pandemic has created. Kearney is not only a coach, he is family for his players at the moment. With families back in New Zealand, Kearney has had to keep this group together, while missing his own family too. These are challenges that head coaches have not faced before.
And despite these issues, the Warriors have performed admirably.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Often when clubs replace a coach, the team rallies in their next game and produces a win. Who knows why this is. Perhaps, in some cases, the team is happy to have a new coach? Perhaps it is evidence of the playing group coming together?
But I don’t think this will happen for the Warriors.
This decision has sent shockwaves through the club, because the players loved their coach. There were reports of tears when the news was announced to the team, before another emotional haka was performed – this time for Kearney as he left. Meanwhile, interim coach Todd Payten has admitted some of his players may want to go home.
Management has been absolutely savaged on social media for what seems to be a tone-deaf decision.
There are no winners in this situation and it has to be about more than performance on the field. Imagine how Payten will be feeling? This is his first head coaching role (even if it is on an interim basis). Not only does he need to try to push this team to perform on-field, but he also needs to hold them together off the field too in unprecedented circumstances. All while he deals with his own personal shock about the departure of Kearney.
It almost seems like a poisoned chalice.
With the Warriors pulling the trigger now, it raises the question of whether the clock is ticking on other coaches? Because while the Auckland club may not be in the top eight at the moment, that is understandable.
For some other coaches, given their rosters, the excuses are running out.
Bone
Guest
Dazza,I couldn't agree more with your sentiments,if you've been held over the barrel n Royall reemed of course the first instance offered to you,you will bite back. The owners are business men,very savvy,and don't particularly like being reemed. That and the simple fact that, even being a" top bloke" doesn't equate to being a top coach. It's a ruthless sport,on and off the field as I remember, that's actually why I (we) love it,or I'd follow croquet.
Illawarra Flame
Roar Rookie
Is Paul McGregor managed by Moses?
DAVEC
Roar Rookie
it was always going to happen now the club has to look at the player performance and contracts before selecting a coach and coaching staff and look at the broncos storm raiders for inspiration
Micko
Roar Rookie
The thing is "the circumstances" could change. If the Warriors are now ruthless in getting the best available coach then this could be the best time. St. George avoided sacking their coach, but who's to say other clubs won't be sacking coaches in the next couple of months?
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Look at this from the Warriors owners/management perspective. If reports are correct Kearney would have been sacked last year. His manager, who happens to manage a number of Warriors players apparently held the Warriors to ransom by suggesting that if Kearney was sacked those players would walk. The Warriors extended him instead. Now that the manager has been deregistered with the NRL at exactly the same time as the warriors are still playing terrible footy, the timing seems perfect to me. If all of the above is true, and who knows with today’s muckraking journos in the NRL. But if it is, there should be zero sympathy for Kearney or his manager. I can only hope one thing is true. At the moment the sacking/renegotiation/extension took place, that KPI’s were inserted into Kearney’s contract, that if not met, meant he could be sacked without a further payout. That would be justice.
Nick
Roar Guru
Really? The post was clearly trying to draw a connection
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Supply and demand is required. If a club needs a playmaker and there is none on the market, they are worth more. If a player needs a club, they aren't worth as much. If the players left the Warriors on Moses urging, they would be looking to find clubs on short notice, mid season, with salary caps close to full. Not the ideal scenario for securing a fat contract.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Whether it makes sense, or it is a coincidence, I just simply posted the dates of the events that occurred.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yep, it's a walk in the park compared to truckies, FIFO workers etc.
Dazza65
Roar Rookie
I think what stinks is not that they sacked Kearney, it is that that couldn't sack him last year when they wanted to. Seems Isaac Moses who until recently managed Kearney, also managed 5 other 1st grade players and told the warriors last year if they sacked his client, he would work to remove his other charges form the warriors - so they folded and resigned him. No coincidence he was sacked so soon after Moses was banned. Look at most of the crap that has happening in the last few years - Moses, Matterson, Bateman - all managed by Moses. That is where the real smell comes from - certain player managers who have been allowed to have too much influence on the NRL.....
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
They are in some nice apartments at Terrigal and it's not as they have nothing to do either , they would be training most days and plenty of other things.
Pilferer
Roar Rookie
Geoff Toovey , Anthony Griffin could jump staight in . I expect will happen soon so as to enable whomever the new is coach time to change the roster next year .
Micko
Roar Rookie
Well nobody is forcing them to do it, they could've said "no".
Micko
Roar Rookie
Apparently they have a hard time getting good players and coaches though, as they have 15 other teams (16 soon apparently) to compete with, and good aussie players don't want to go there, and good kiwi players often want to leave.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Exactly. This hyperbole about the Warriors playing the rest of the season in Australia as some kind of severe sacrifice is bizarre. They're well paid, in presumably nice accommodation, not at war, can contact family anytime they want. I don't get it. It's really not that severe! :stoked:
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
if you look at it realistically, it was more about Moses making money than player welfare. Sure when he gets you those big bucks you would think he is great and you are great ....when in fact your manager has just inflated your ego .....how many of these players where Moses has negotiated these inflated contracts, have actually earned the money they get paid ? Secondly with the absurd salaries being paid to the top tier NRL players has over inflated the money the NRL pays to the clubs and it has been to the detriment of grass roots club football and even worse for country areas which are sadly neglected.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
The Warriors have been the consistent under performers in the NRL. To me, they have a lot of players that wouldn’t make first grade in most other NRL teams and seem obsessed with have a 100% kiwi team rather than getting the best players and coaches.
Paul
Roar Guru
"I just feel there is a certain hardship there that might have been recognised by the decision makers." HOW it was handled was dead ordinary IMO, especially when it was done when the players were overseas and from their point of view, after a relatively okay start to the season - well, restart anyway. I'd suggest there's a serious disconnection between the Warriors Board & players, given the depth of feeling shown by many after this decision was announced. Very very poorly handled. As for the Aussie Rules players whinging, I guess having no reason to go on an international tour like the Kangaroos, they can't imagine what it's like being away from home for weeks at a time. :happy:
Nick
Roar Guru
Submariners know what they sign up for when they join the service. I'm merely pointing out this comparison to an Ashes tour is as ridiculous as your comparison to military service.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
It needs to be drastic though. Otherwise clubs will continue to do these financially irresponsible things.