Looking at the bottom half of the table I would make these observations about coaching and structure;
GC - Look to be taking steps to arrest their slide down the ladder with a huge contract for a big name coach
Wests - Pat Byron is doing a great job with the cattle he has got, just needs some game breakers, losing Setu, Gillespie & Sef this season wouldn't have helped his overall plan. Wests on the right path.
Souths - Need change, Michael Broad has presided over 2 seasons of 6th place finishes. They have had some good results however are too inconsistent. They have bled quality players and there are growing rumblings about his coaching style and the way in which Reserve Grade have been left for dead this season. Maybe time for new a direction at the Nest
Norths - In a constant state of change and rebuilding. Tim Grady is a good coach and filled a hole when Paul Healy jetted off. Norths inability tap into the rich Northside talent pool is a worry, a potential idea would be tap into their gun 4th grade side and get Donovan Slade involved in the coaching and planning of Prems. Quality guy, good connections. They could and have done a lot worse!
ome good observations about these clubs. One would think with the off field set up, Bond could be a real force with more emphasis on retaining coast players, perhaps a big name coach could be one way to do this. At the end of the day, you can't stop a young school leaver moving to Brisbane to study or undertake an apprenticeship.
Norths had some success with a big name coach and it certainly saved the club 10 years ago from folding when former Wallaby Chris Roche took over the coaching reigns. He brought several players from uni lower grades over (turned them into premier players), including convincing former reds prop Peter Loane to come out of retirement. I don't think they have ever fully recovered since Roche moved on, some rash coaching appointments when they could have done with someone like Healy earlier and constant player turnover hasn't helped.
I admire what Pat Byron has done at Wests as well, one feels that he gave several players (sef, greene and fepulai) opportunities to become established premier players and they've turned round and thrown it back in his face by leaving for other clubs. With the rise of BBC in the GPS rugby comp, perhaps wests can tap into some of these Tom barker coached talents.
As for souths, I think they have always had strong lower grades, filled with experienced ex prems player. There will always be some grumblings by these players in terms of what's going on up top. Not having the traditional schools like lauries and BSHS being strong probably hasn't helped them either in recent times.
From talking to different people, it seems that there may be a new wave of younger coaches coming through who could be a bit more up to date with the modern game. Coaches who had success in years gone by, may have become a tad outdated (arguably) in todays current game. To me, the younger generation of QPR coaches Arnold, Byron, Heenan, Mathison, Seib are a bit more recent in terms of their playing days than perhaps others, I would also place McKellar in this bracket, despite moving onto S15. Perhaps they relate to players better and are more familiar with the modern game? This opinion will vary on who you talk to and I say this as an older bloke.
