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Troy Whittaker

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Joined November 2021

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Formerly at NRL.com and Sporting News, Troy is excited to join The Roar having first developed a passion for journalism by posting fan articles on the site in high school.

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What a coup he would be for the Dolphins. If they picked up another few players of Smith’s calibre and put some young talent around them it won’t shock if Bennett has them competing with the top dogs from the get-go.

Why Warriors' premiership window could be about to open

All true points. Though in fairness, Souths had 50 put on them twice and recovered to make the grand final. (Granted, the Warriors don’t have Wayne Bennett as coach, but I think those cricket-score defeats are reflective of the rule changes.)

Brown may not end up being the man to take the Warriors to a premiership, but I think he’ll lay the platform – much as he did at the Dragons before Bennett came in.

Why Warriors' premiership window could be about to open

Thanks Andrew.

RTS is no doubt a huge loss, but with Walsh there I don’t think it’s as much of an issue. Plus they’ve already had a bit of time to process his departure.

If anything having both RTS and Walsh in the team was muddling their attack for a while.

Don’t get me wrong – Walsh is nowhere near RTS’ level yet. However, he probably brings a tad more spark in attack and I reckon he’ll complement Johnson perfectly.

Why Warriors' premiership window could be about to open

Cheers Nat.

I’m sure they’d love to have Cheese – I reckon they’d be close to top-four certainties if they somehow landed him!

I’m an Egan fan though – still think his best is yet to come. In a contract year, maybe 2022 is when he puts it all together.

Why Warriors' premiership window could be about to open

I’m sure if asked about that stuff specifically Woodhill would provide plenty of insight. However our conversation and the article was solely about how Warner could use the World Cup as a springboard to a big Test summer and how the batters will transition between formats. Thanks mate – appreciate you reading. 😊

'Never beaten, never dead': How Warner got his mojo back and set himself up for Ashes domination

I don’t think that’s the case at all Marty – having worked closely with Smith and Warner, arguably our two best batters of the past 5-10 years, I think it’s fair to say Woodhill’s approach works exceptionally well.
These quotes from our interview didn’t make the article but might provide more context for you. Keep in mind we were discussing how players transition from T20 to Test cricket and how short-form cricket can sometimes benefit batters going into red-ball games.
“I think all players need to be reminded that you don’t have to feel good all the time; you just have to compete. So how do we fast-track that thinking about looking to make sure you’re competing really hard through a positive mindset or an aggressive mindset?” Woodhill said.
“Not always through trying to hit every ball for four, but I think sometimes we, as either coaches or players, get in each other’s way.
We’re so desperate for someone to do well from a coaching perspective, or a player is so determined to do well that they sometimes don’t revisit their basics.
And those basics don’t always exist around defence, it’s that mindset.
It’s maintaining the hunger for each ball. Dave [Warner] and I always spoke about ‘next ball focus’, making sure that you don’t drift too far into the game and you don’t get too far ahead.
You’re repeating yourself so that you get your whole commitment to that next ball and then that game-sense and experience, that’s where that takes over.
That’s where individuals, once they’re in, their natural mindset on how to churn out runs, whether you’re a Steve Smith, a [Marnus] Labuschagne or a Warner, that’s where their money’s made.”
(Edit – apologies for the block of text, it won’t let me space it out.)

'Never beaten, never dead': How Warner got his mojo back and set himself up for Ashes domination

You’re right, but the head coach still has to be across everything. Some are probably more hands-on than others, but I’d suggest all are heavily involved in decision-making – which is something you don’t necessarily have to worry about as an assistant. All the responsibilities add up. Thanks for reading 😊

'A real balancing act': The biggest challenge facing rookie coaches Fitzgibbon, Demetriou

Thanks for reading AMD.

Yep, clubs have dedicated recruitment officers and GMs etc who focus on roster management and number-crunching, but the head coach still has to be across everything (some are more hands-on than others I’d suggest). Assistants can generally focus on footy.

All the responsibilities add pressure – the point being that a successful coach needs a lot more than simply football nous and man-management skills. 😊

'A real balancing act': The biggest challenge facing rookie coaches Fitzgibbon, Demetriou

Thanks Nat.

I agree – JD has some huge shoes to fill and it’ll be tough to keep Souths in premiership contention, especially with Reynolds departing as you said. But they’ve still got plenty of firepower so I expect they’ll be very competitive – at least on the brink of the top four.

Good points re Fitzgibbon. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how things unfold for him, but by all accounts he is very composed and a great communicator, so I think he’ll adapt.

'A real balancing act': The biggest challenge facing rookie coaches Fitzgibbon, Demetriou

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