Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 7:39 am  

The problems at Warrington seem to be a lot more ingrained than just the 1st team not playing well.
This is why I'm concerned that there is actually a single appointment that can change things.
And it depends what the role encompasses - be that 'just' 1st team things or a much wider remit.
Maybe this is where the 'director of rugby' role comes in.

If I was Rowley (or any other coach) and offered the job I'd steer well clear unless there are other changes afoot.

One thing is clear - getting the players to enjoy playing is a start.
I think Chambers will be able to do that.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 7:43 am  

One of the NRL talk shows is saying you are showing a keen interest in bringing Sam Burgess in.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 7:47 am  

jonh wrote:

One of the NRL talk shows is saying you are showing a keen interest in bringing Sam Burgess in.

AND that if true sums us up as a club !!!

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:00 am  

I think we may struggle to entice a top Ausssie over as the NRL draw is way too big and the risk of snaring a Steve Price mk2 is high if we gamble on an NRL no. 2. Shaun Wayne would be a great appointment but I just don't think he'd come. This leaves us all with limited options which our board can't really do much about. I think we have to face reality and accept that any coach with a stella cv isn't going to be coming.

A director of rugby though would be a start as others have mentioned, ideally taking away the recruitment responsibilities away from KFP and helping the club to establish a longterm blueprint for success on the field. This wouldn't be as attractive for a big name coach as I imagine they'd be pushing for total control, but I think it would work for an incoming coach such as Rowley who'd appreciate the inevitable pressure to be shared out a little.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:11 am  

jonh wrote: One of the NRL talk shows is saying you are showing a keen interest in bringing Sam Burgess in. I don't even think we're that stupid. John Morris seems to be respected amongst the Aussie press. Did a good job with a very average Cronulla team. https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rugby ... c-10629329

jonh wrote: One of the NRL talk shows is saying you are showing a keen interest in bringing Sam Burgess in. I don't even think we're that stupid. John Morris seems to be respected amongst the Aussie press. Did a good job with a very average Cronulla team. https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rugby ... c-10629329

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:40 am  

Lord Tony Smith wrote: I don't even think we're that stupid. John Morris seems to be respected amongst the Aussie press. Did a good job with a very average Cronulla team. https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rugby ... c-10629329 Just had a look and he does look a descent proposition. Head coach of Cronulla a few seasons back who made position 7 and 8 in consecutive seasons, in challenging circumstances, but falling early in the playoffs. Would be less of a punt than Holbrook, Mcguire, and Rohan Smith would have been when they joined their respective superleague clubs. He's now assistant at the Rabitohs.

Lord Tony Smith wrote: I don't even think we're that stupid. John Morris seems to be respected amongst the Aussie press. Did a good job with a very average Cronulla team. https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rugby ... c-10629329 Just had a look and he does look a descent proposition. Head coach of Cronulla a few seasons back who made position 7 and 8 in consecutive seasons, in challenging circumstances, but falling early in the playoffs. Would be less of a punt than Holbrook, Mcguire, and Rohan Smith would have been when they joined their respective superleague clubs. He's now assistant at the Rabitohs.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:58 am  

Burgess now in to 6/4 with BetFred.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 9:18 am  

Despite being disappointed that he's not coming, in a way I'm happy that Holbrook didn't just come for the money, and add to the tally of people at the club from down under who didn't want to be here.

We had to be patient and wait for Tony Smith (ok he didn't win a GF, but got closer than anyone has) to take up the head coaches role. It looks like another period of patience will be needed to get it right with the next head coach. I'd rather do this than end up with another Steve Anderson, who is so far from being at the top of the list of preferred candidates, that we employ just to fill the vacant position.

I agree with other posters that as things stand, uniting the dressing room and getting the wire to play as a team with a never say die attitude and a desire to win should be our no.1 aim. This appears to be Chambers task for the time being, as again as others have stated, our current options don't appear to be that appealing.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 9:32 am  

This is one of the reasons why I am never in the "knee jerkers" category about firing a coach, even when things are going badly. The worst place to be is where you're scrambling around with a vacancy and don't have much of a field of candidates and you have to just grab what you can get. It's basically punting your reset down the track about 1.5-2 years because that's how long it will be before you have to inevitably "part terms by mutual consent" with the substandard guy you're grabbing now.

In Powell's case, we had gone into freefall by the end and it was pretty obvious he wasn't going to be able to turn things around so the decision was forced on us. But it's now very likely that we're going to bring in a coach who is not as good as Powell.

The media will start demanding "the club needs to make an appointment now" which will panic the Board into grabbing somebody, but it would be much better to bid our time with an interim coaching set up (eg Chambers & Marshall), and wait to see what happens. There is movement in the coaching market every season and good options come available, but they aren't necessarily available in the small window you have when you're trying to get someone after sacking a coach in a crisis.

Re: New Coach : Fri Aug 04, 2023 10:05 am  

In our quest for a top coach, just a thought - when did any club in Super League last appoint a 'top' coach?

Wigan when they appointed Noble and us when got Smith are the last memorable ones for me - Recently, most clubs have just been taking punts on relative unknowns, or bringing in guys who are already shopworn.

My point is that for all our desire to get in a top coach, the reality is we are probably going to have to bite the bullet and take a calculated gamble and hope it comes good, because top coaches are actually thin on the ground and also unlikely to want to coach in an inferior league like ours anyway.