Few men know more about coaching Parramatta than Brian Smith. He has coached the Eels more times than anyone else in their history, with 243 games between 1997 and 2006, including the 2001 Grand Final appearance and two minor premierships.
Brad Arthur may well overtake him next year – this Grand Final will be his 230th game in charge – and Smith was sure that the man in the blue and gold hot seat would be relaxed ahead of the biggest game of his career.
“He’ll feel confident,” said Smith. They’ve had a pretty hard run to home so he’ll be hoping that he can get them in a nice physical point. They’ll do a bit of work by Wednesday or Thursday, but then they’ll taper back off again.
“I think the physical bit is obvious. People talk about mental for big games, but even the average human can’t be expected to be at their mental peak if, physically, they’re not up near their peak. Hit that bit first early on and deal with the mental bit later in the week.
“I think when you play against a team that’s in their third Grand Final in a row and has had such a brilliant win/loss ratio, sometimes that becomes a case of ‘how do we beat this guys?’
“But he’ll have a fair line on that anyway, because they beat them twice earlier in the year. They didn’t win in the playoff game, but they were well in that game for a period.
“There might be something in those performances that make him confident and able to reassure. They might not need to do a whole heap of gameplanning, because they might know already what they need to do.”
Last week’s performance, in which Parramatta were losing until late against the Cowboys and underwent a significant game plan shift at half time, was indicative of how they could adapt to ingame situations. Their previous ability to expose the Panthers, too, could be a source of confidence.
“The teams that win most have multiple ways of winning,” explains Smith. “In today’s world, you need to find ways to win in different situations as they arise.
(Photo by Dean Treml/Getty Images)
“You have to have a multi approach. It might only be that you’re very good at one aspect that suits what your opponent’s strength or weakness is.
“If they know what that is, he might have a cosy week this week because there might not be a lot that he has to do to get the team ready to play.
“In essence, all the good teams can impose their will on an opposition more times than not, otherwise they wouldn’t be there.”
Smith has seen a preview of how hard it is to beat a side like Penrith: his son, Rohan Smith, is head coach at Leeds Rhinos, who went down 24-12 to St Helens in the Super League Grand Final.
Saints are team with a style similar to the Panthers and who are in a similar phase of dominance, having won their fourth consecutive title last weekend.
(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
“The way the Panthers win – like St Helens – is based on the physical, but also that they don’t need to absolutely blow you away,” he said. “They’re happy to keep doing it and doing it until the last ten minutes if necessary.”
“Parra have gotten better at that this year, but over the last few years where they have been a force but not made it, I feel that was that their weakness.
“They did well when they blew others away, where they bullied the other teams into submission and could be leading by a big margin at half time, rather than Penrith’s way of being at them and at them until they wear them down.
“The St Helens capability was the same. Leeds couldn’t do it, they had to rely on waiting and tiring the opposition down.
“They weren’t ever beating them in the yardage battle and the territorial battle, but they could win because they could string passes together, find weaknesses and put on a good play to go score, and then score again and again.
“That’s the same question with Penrith for Parramatta. Do they do something clearly different or do the same thing very well over and over again?”
“Leeds didn’t have the sense of timing, because when you’re chasing 12 points in a Grand Final, there’s only a very good play or not good enough. You have to find those plays.
“You have to do these things on play two, because if you go one more, most often they’ll push you sideways and you’ll have to battle to get out of your own end. There’s a lot of risk-taking, but that’s what underdogs have to put up with.”
Whatever the tactics are, Smith was adamant that Brad Arthur would be steering well clear of the weight of history in his pre-match interactions with the players.
“History doesn’t mean a thing to those guys,” he said. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but the people who get ahead in any role, whether coaches, rookie kids or veteran players, don’t live in yesterday. You can’t get ahead and you don’t last.
“All that stuff if for you and me, for fans and media people, it’s all part of the mill. But that stuff – if it even got a mention I’d be absolutely astonished. By either team: Penrith won’t be counting on experience from last year either. You just have to do the thing on the day.
Leaguesliterarylovechild
Roar Rookie
So much hate for Brian Smith! I don't understand why. The hate for 4 GF losses doesn't take account of the relative quality of the players in the teams he took from nowhere to contenders. It's a completely superficial analysis to say 4 losses = hopeless coach. Smith proved again and again he can take ordinary teams and get them to do extraordinary things. It's like apples and oranges to compare Smith's record with Wayne Bennett, who usually has teams packed to the gills with rep players. The 1992 Dragons had no business being anywhere near a grand final. After making the GF in 1985, the Dragons went nowhere, did nothing and didn't really attract star players for years. No-one expected that to change at the beginning of the 92 season. The dominant teams in 91 had been the Raiders, the Broncos and Penrith. The fact that the Dragons made the GF in 92 was in large part due to Brian Smith. In that 92 GF, the Broncos were at State of Origin strength. While the Dragons had a team of journeymen and a sum total of three starting players that had relatively short representative careers: Ricky Walford, Mark Coyne and Scott Gourley. The battle of the halves tells the story: Langer and Walters v Noel Goldthorpe and Peter Coyne (many of you will be reaching for Google to figure out who the latter two were). In 93, the Dragons were more seasoned, confident and hardened after their run to the GF from nowhere in the previous season, and with some young talent on the rise. But it was still a mismatch against the Qld SOO team in the GF. Indeed the Broncs that year were even stronger than the Qld SOO team because they had the games best prop (and star NSW player) Glenn Lazarus, pushing rep quality Qld SOO forwards to the bench. It was a similar story when Smith took a young Roosters team very light on with rep players and which had come stone motherless last in 09 to the GF. So of the three GFs that Smith coached, the only one where his team weren't fairly significant underdogs up against hot favourites was in 2001 with Parra v Newcastle. If you want to ignore the absolute magic that Smith did in 2010 and 1992 and call him a useless loser on the basis of one GF in 2001, then you're not seeing the forest for the trees.
chris
Guest
Everyone is talking about what Parramatta can do , to beat Penrith. The offloads , do what they did well in the 2 wins over Penrith this season. All true. I just wondered if Parramatta might be in shock, if Penrith did a switch on them ? An extra pass wide or 2 , to move the ball out of their own quarter . That gets outside of the condensed Parramatta defence. Move the ball around more all the game . Then more of the moving Gutherson one way & grubbers into the in goal . If they look to drop someone else back for extra cover , move it wide. There has to be holes . No way would Parramatta be expecting more ball movement & offloading from Penrith. Then again, look at the Sunday Weather . Let Parramatta pass a lot , in the rain.
Conan of Cooma
Roar Rookie
A piano is not an organ.
Danno
Roar Rookie
Pre game entertainment
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
She isn't a fan of forplay
Danno
Roar Rookie
No it’s not great , she goes straight for the jugular , no softening up period, bang straight into it
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Chooky. Gotta love the Chook. But I think Tony Priddle was the pick amongst those supermodels.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Jenny's really stepped up to the plate and taken to the Parra splatter. It's been great and we still have the best part of three days to go.
andrew
Roar Rookie
Weren't they shockers :laughing: I think it's Ian Herron's photo I saw recently wearing them back in the day. A real Brian Smith legacy.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Do you know any Spelling teachers, Homer? It’s never too late in life to be educated. There’s still hope for EWE yet. Don’t be sheepish. You too can become a “top draw” citizen. And here am I assuming all “adults” can spell. silly me.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Both coached the Eels. Hages coached the greatest team in history to a premiership (against Smiths Eels). Yeah I think they can too. Of course, one isn't forced to read anything....
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Blue and gold prints
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
They could ask Anthony Griffin (I bet you wish you had him back) Or Adam "Mr Grand Final" O'Brien's Grand final week is like a royal wedding. Any old random gets pulled out of the woodwork for their thoughts on the big event. Now we cross live to Garrick Morgan for his prediction
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Whoa hold on wait a second....hang on. There aren't any seconds left. Brian has them all
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Pure gold.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
You need Brian Smith to make a comeback and coach whichever team plays the Broncos in the GF. Brian Smith's grand final coaching would sure make a great 30 for 30 watch.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Yeah but how snazzy were those bike pants?
Justin
Guest
True enough about the 1/3. Still , getting in the GF’s & winning 1 out of 3 , is better than not making them at all.
Muzz
Guest
Leilua, Linnett. SKD, and Perrett
JennyFromPenny
Guest
Hi Ben, I scrolled from the bottom up, and read about Panther's experience from last year and also 2020, being meaningless. No need to scroll any further sorry. I imagine there was some kind of plan mentioned, but whatever it was, serves only to undermine Brad's thinking. The more blueprints the better.