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Opinion
When did the position of Roosters assistant coach become a role bound by a blood oath that can never be left early?
Since rugby league time immemorial, assistant or lower-grade coaches have been out the door with the blessing of their club whenever an opportunity to become the boss somewhere else has popped up.
And yes, rugby league “is a business these days” (checks notes, it always has been but the level of professionalism varies wildly) so the Roosters are entitled under Australian employment law to hold anyone to a contract that both parties entered into in good faith.
But is it that hard to find an assistant to Trent Robinson that they have to kick up a stink every time a rival club comes knocking for a member of their coaching staff.
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Jason Ryles is the latest Roosters assistant in the sights of another team with St George Illawarra keen to lure him back to his junior club to clean up the mess that is being left behind by the Anthony Griffin experience, which is unlikely to last much longer into its third season of mediocrity.
Jason Ryles. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
The Roosters are set to chase compensation in the form of a six-figure payout from the Dragons if they entice Ryles to walk before his three-year contract ends at the end of next year.
It is very much their right to do so and it adds to the club’s supposedly ruthless reputation but it also comes across as churlish.
They were none too pleased when Adam O’Brien left for the Knights at the end of 2018, just one season into a three-year contract which contained a clause which allowed him to depart if a head coaching gig came up elsewhere.
Roosters head honchos claimed they were mainly filthy at O’Brien for negotiating with Newcastle while their team was gearing up for a playoff series – they still won the comp that year so the alleged distraction could not have been too significant.
Craig Fitzgibbon was signed by Cronulla in April of 2021 but he had made it clear to the Sharks that he would not be heading south until the following year as he had given his word to the Roosters that he would see out his deal even if he landed a head coach’s job at a rival franchise.
A cynic would say he was probably spooked by the O’Brien treatment but Fitzgibbon has built a solid-gold reputation as a player and coach of being someone you can depend on and not surprisingly he was true to his word.
Robinson addressed the issue in his captain’s run media conference on Thursday leading into Friday’s clash with Penrith by saying he wouldn’t stand in Ryles’ way if the Dragons make him an offer he wants to accept, or the Storm if Craig Bellamy opts not to continue on for another year.
He threw in a caveat by cryptically saying “as long as we’re doing the best thing for the Roosters as well”.
“We’ve chatted about his future. It’s not something that it’s for me to go into. In a way, it’s got something to do with us (as a club), but it’s got nothing to do with us in another way,” he said. “I never have (stood in the way). That’s not going to happen now. As long as there’s clarity there and we’re doing the best thing for the Roosters as well.
“That’s where the relationship’s important and the trust in those communications to offer that advice and how that looks. That’s a part of the role. I was in that role once as well, so you know how they feel.”
The Roosters love to spin the narrative about how rich they are – they surely don’t need whatever dollars they could squeeze out of a rival club for poaching Ryles.
And there’s plenty of time to find a replacement – we’re not even halfway through this season.
The interest in Robinson’s assistants in recent years should be seen as a badge of honour for the club.
The truly great coaches have former underlings all over the competition.
In fact every coach in the 2023 premiership comes from five distinct coaching trees.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Robinson, after three premierships in his first decade at the helm of the Roosters, has three offshoots with Titans coach Justin Holbrook also serving on his staff before greater opportunities came up in the Super League and then NRL.
Wayne Bennett’s got a few apprentices on the go in Jason Demetriou at South Sydney and Griffin, for now, at the Dragons. He was also the mentor for Craig Bellamy and Kevin Walters in a couple of stints at the Broncos.
Bellamy’s own dynasty has produced a few future first-grade coaches – O’Brien, who is more of a Melbourne product after serving 11 years before his Roosters sojourn at the Storm, alongside the likes of Brad Arthur and Anthony Seibold.
Wests Tigers veteran Tim Sheens is the other current coach who has produced a couple of eventual counterparts in Ricky Stuart and Todd Payten.
He’s also had several others over the years at other clubs like Paul Green, John Morris and David Furner.
Penrith’s dual premiership winner Ivan Cleary’s understudies are quickly spreading around the league with Cameron Ciraldo (Bulldogs) and Andrew Webster (Warriors) embarking on their first seasons.
Taking down Cleary’s Panthers should be the Roosters’ primary focus as the premiers are lying in wait for Robinson and his team in Sydney’s golden west.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Neither coach is too thrilled with their team’s performances this year. They are both part of a six-way gridlock of teams from the top four to ninth spot with a 5-4 record.
After his team’s lacklustre 20-6 loss to the Cowboys last Sunday, Robinson said there was plenty on his checklist that needs to improve.
He wants the team to not strive for perfection but be willing to trust their judgement on the fly in games “to get back to who we are”.
“It’s not just one thing, there’s a multitude of things but there’s a couple of key areas that we want to improve,” he said.
“It’s not about tightening up anymore, it’s about letting go and letting the guys run freely and sometimes missing the absolute perfect movement to get more movement for each other and more instinct.”