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Ewen McKenzie Resignation

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T

Train Without a Station

Guest
Fair point. But don't you think that fear (and of NRL) is a massive part of the problem?
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
I think that fear is totally justified though. We have a shallow talent pool and can't replace many of our top level stars.
 
T

Train Without a Station

Guest
It's clearly had a negative affect on the culture though. Look at the results. Look at where are fear of driving hard standards has gotten us.
 

Athilnaur

Arch Winning (36)
Barbar I can understand the fear of losing talent. And I agree we don't have much of it. I loved seeing Beale and O'Connor making lightning plays at the Rebels, and all three of the amigos are world class on their best day. All it has brought us is heartache and a new rebuild cycle. Add in rubbing out Hill just when he was bringing the team together.

I can't help thinking if we'd known then what we know now and rubbed out the three amigos when senior members were warning us they had crap attitudes our game would have been better for it.

For all that people dismiss Jakeball, he proved a good team doesn't need a top roster to become a top roster and sowed the seeds for a very good Brumbies team.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
I think the point is that it happens to most coaches at the top level at some point in time.

I guess the difference between each example is the severity of the breakdown and the tolerance of the powerbrokers and public opinion.

Or does it only happen to top coaches in Australia? I don't know the history of coaching xhanges in NZ for instance, but I'm sure that Henry wasn't hounded out of the position.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
Hounded out?
My perception of the man is that he was more than strong enough to cop what the media dished up over the past 2 weeks.
My view is that he either knew what else could come out,and jumped before he was pushed.
Or amazing as it seems,he resigned as he believed he had lost the dressing room.
 

Muglair

Alfred Walker (16)
I played rugby for fun. Pretty seriously at the same time but was living proof that you need talent to get far. On the other hand I did compete at an elite level in another sport.

Coaching is a high level activity requiring a diverse range of skills and knowledge. Communication and managing player temperament and performance is probably the most important. I really believe the best coaches have 3-5 years at the top with a particular group of players. They simply just get found out after that as players figure out how it is being done. Cynicism can set in.

Jones is an absolutely great example. McQueen did not hang around for longer than 3 years at either the Brumbies or Wallabies. I assume he has the same theory. Gibson switched clubs. Bennett kept rolling his players over. Actually I meant Alan but Eddie is also a good example.

To be fair to Connolly I believe he was always considered an interim option, quite possibly partly because he should have had a much earlier opportunity.

We do need to look at the NZ system. We keep going one out for the next coach who will magically be the solution. Two of our really successful coaches, Alan Jones and Rod McQueen, in fact owe some of their success to their immediate predecessors who had changed the environment and upset the status quo.

The report today that discussions with Cheika have stalled is another case of chasing the last man standing on the basis he will be the Messiah. I said (and wrote here) before the game that the players would take greater control of the game plan, I said and texted during the game that they had. I believe that is the case and would not have had any problem with going to Europe with the squad and coaching support staff as is, minus McKenzie and under the oversight of an unimpeachable manager e.g. Eales, Brett Robinson etc who might act as a facilitator / sounding board / 3rd selector.

They are all grown ups, if they could not get the job done then we are all wasting our time over this shit anyway. Even writing this makes me feel we are all massively exaggerating the role and importance of one man as a coach. That their sheer absence (including driving a team member to the airport one day) must render all impotent.

The ARU could then have conducted its process under less pressure and send the elected coach over at a later date. Right now we have the worst of both worlds. It is a tough situation. Complex. Fluid. There was always a chance the ARU could get it wrong. The sad thing is that the it is just one more poor decision after another. Hope there luck turns soon.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Or does it only happen to top coaches in Australia? I don't know the history of coaching xhanges in NZ for instance, but I'm sure that Henry wasn't hounded out of the position.

Henry won the RWC then retired.

I don't think this is an Australian problem at all and I would say that it happens more frequently when results fall below expectations. Underperforming sides will generally go through far more coaches than sides performing well or above expectations.

I think that any element of players actively deciding that they need a new coach happens way after the coach loses the players in an effective sense. By that point, it's already a lost cause. The difference between success and failure in professional sport is very slight and it only takes things to be not quite clicking perfectly between coach and players for the results to be poor.

It's not like players stop showing up and putting in their best effort. They're professionals and they're playing for their future. It takes more than just everyone giving it their all to beat the best teams though because you can guarantee that your opposition are giving it their all as well.

Who knows exactly what caused McKenzie to lose the players but it happened and the situation invariably can't be repaired.
 

It is what it is

John Solomon (38)
In every sporting competition there is only one winner and the rest are effectively losers.
Same goes for coaches. One coach wins, the others are all losers.
It's therefore a tough vocation for an average person.
Coaches need to have many skills and attributes but for me 4 stand out;
- An eye for identifying and skill for developing talent
- Communication skills to cover all personality types
- Mental toughness to compartmentalise your energy and stresses
- The right balance of mongrel in dealing with people and situations.
Link's failures were in communication skills and the right balance of mongrel.
Eddie Jones over did the mongrel and became a cruel communicator.
Deans had little mongrel and if anything was too decent a man for the circumstances he faced.
How will Cheika fare?
 

Hell West & Crooked

Alex Ross (28)
Eddie Jones has come out and said "Every effort should be made to keep Ewen McKenzie in Australian rugby following his shock resignation as the Wallabies head coach on Saturday"

On that basis.. I guess right thing to do is we should all be pitching-in to get Link an airfare overseas on the very first available date...
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Link rumoured to sign with Pumas apparently.

Wallaby draw at the RWC:

v Fiji
v Uruguay
v England
v Wales

Pumas draw at the RWC:

v NZ
v Georgia
v Tonga
v Namibia

Australia to fail to qualify for finals, Arg to finish 2nd in their pool.

As runner up of Pool C Arg will play winner of Pool D (France or Ireland), either of which they'd be in with a good shot of beating.

Arg into the semi finals and only two wins away from being RWC Champions.
 

Hell West & Crooked

Alex Ross (28)
Link rumoured to sign with Pumas apparently.

Wallaby draw at the RWC:

v Fiji
v Uruguay
v England
v Wales

Pumas draw at the RWC:

v NZ
v Georgia
v Tonga
v Namibia

Australia to fail to qualify for finals, Arg to finish 2nd in their pool.

As runner up of Pool C Arg will play winner of Pool D (France or Ireland), either of which they'd be in with a good shot of beating.

Arg into the semi finals and only two wins away from being RWC Champions.

Rubbish. I fully expect the boys to take Wales and England and Wales and advance - and fully support them to do so.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
Link rumoured to sign with Pumas apparently.

Wallaby draw at the RWC:

v Fiji
v Uruguay
v England
v Wales

Pumas draw at the RWC:

v NZ
v Georgia
v Tonga
v Namibia

Australia to fail to qualify for finals, Arg to finish 2nd in their pool.

As runner up of Pool C Arg will play winner of Pool D (France or Ireland), either of which they'd be in with a good shot of beating.

Arg into the semi finals and only two wins away from being RWC Champions.
Why would the Puma's be runners up?
You forgot that Link knows how to beat NZ teams!
 
D

daz

Guest
announcement today at 12:30pm as to new coach.

I wonder who it will be?????

Well, I suppose I can let the cat out of the bag now.

It's me.

I'm signing the top 5 sumo wrestlers for my pack, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Hulk Hogan as my flankers/mongrels, Usain Bolt and Sally Pearson as my wingers, and Peyton Manning as my 9 and 10.

Sorted.

Anything else you guys need me to take care of? I can coach as many teams at the same time as you want.
 
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