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Whilst I will conceed that Nathan Brown hasn't had the chance to have the choice of a squad totally free of injury all season, I do believe that there are several aspects of his coaching ability that are just not of NRL standard or are causes for concern. Whether Doust & his cronies appointed nathan becuase they thought he'd emulate the success of first year coach Ricky Stuart (!!), as a cost-cutting measure, as someone to use as a puppet for their views & way of doing things or just because he was just the nearest person available to keep the seat warm for someone like Millward is irrelevant. Brown was given the job by the board of the club & failed to mark up in the following aspects:
Last tackle options: How many times were Saints on the attack in the oppositions quarter of the field on the last tackle only to have the ball roll over the dead-ball line after another ineffective grubber or, even worse, to see the ball carrier trapped on the last having done sweet bugger-all with it. Another opportunity bombed. Usually a missed tackle or silly penalty in the first set of six after the turn-over compounds the failure. Even with Barrett out & Firman somewhat inexperienced, the last tackle options should be something that the players spend hours on each week at training so that everyone knows exactly what to do in certain situations. I think it was bailey who tried a chip-kick on the last down at WIN a few weeks back. Very poor. When healthy, our backline can show flashes of attacking brilliance & flair but you cannot rely on it all the time, especially as the season wears on & defences toughen up. You need a few plans to bank on for at least a repeat set, if not a try, whenever you get down into the oppositions quarter.
Motivation: "we only need to win three out of five to make the semis". What kind of attitude is this for the coach of an NRL team on the cusp of either making the semi finals or having a hugely disappointing season in his debut year as coach?? I accept that the players themselves must take some blame for not being able to get "up" for the matches either but considering the lax attitude of their leader, can you blame them?? A bit of discipline & toughness wouldn't hurt them either. You can tell the difference in coaching when the boys play under Phil Gould in Origin compared to the way they play for Saints. Players like Barrett, Ryles & Timmins really respond to the highly motivational approach of Gould as opposed to whatever the hell Brown does in the dressing sheds before a match.
Discipline: Whilst I think it has improved slightly that when the team was under the coaching of the Easter Egg, there is still so much room for imrovement. The stupid niggly little penalties, the constant high shots, the laziness in the defensive line are all problems on the field & factors such as Riddells attitude & weight & players' behaviour at functions are cause for concern off it. Browny is too much of "one of the boys" to really do anything about it. I thought the professionalism of Laurie Daley might have had an impact on the squad but it doesn't seem to.
There are other little things that I, and probably other Saints fans, would like to see improved at our club but the sad thing is I keep writing posts like this every season & nothing really changes. You look at the professionalism of other clubs like Brisbane & Easts & wonder why Saints can't start to model themselves on that instead of doing just enough to make the Eight, make enough money to stay in the black, have Mad Monday, enjoy cricket season & do it all again next year. A broom through the boadroom & a fresh, new professional approach is just what the club needs. Whether it happens, only time will tell...
Cheers,
Ben S.
Last tackle options: How many times were Saints on the attack in the oppositions quarter of the field on the last tackle only to have the ball roll over the dead-ball line after another ineffective grubber or, even worse, to see the ball carrier trapped on the last having done sweet bugger-all with it. Another opportunity bombed. Usually a missed tackle or silly penalty in the first set of six after the turn-over compounds the failure. Even with Barrett out & Firman somewhat inexperienced, the last tackle options should be something that the players spend hours on each week at training so that everyone knows exactly what to do in certain situations. I think it was bailey who tried a chip-kick on the last down at WIN a few weeks back. Very poor. When healthy, our backline can show flashes of attacking brilliance & flair but you cannot rely on it all the time, especially as the season wears on & defences toughen up. You need a few plans to bank on for at least a repeat set, if not a try, whenever you get down into the oppositions quarter.
Motivation: "we only need to win three out of five to make the semis". What kind of attitude is this for the coach of an NRL team on the cusp of either making the semi finals or having a hugely disappointing season in his debut year as coach?? I accept that the players themselves must take some blame for not being able to get "up" for the matches either but considering the lax attitude of their leader, can you blame them?? A bit of discipline & toughness wouldn't hurt them either. You can tell the difference in coaching when the boys play under Phil Gould in Origin compared to the way they play for Saints. Players like Barrett, Ryles & Timmins really respond to the highly motivational approach of Gould as opposed to whatever the hell Brown does in the dressing sheds before a match.
Discipline: Whilst I think it has improved slightly that when the team was under the coaching of the Easter Egg, there is still so much room for imrovement. The stupid niggly little penalties, the constant high shots, the laziness in the defensive line are all problems on the field & factors such as Riddells attitude & weight & players' behaviour at functions are cause for concern off it. Browny is too much of "one of the boys" to really do anything about it. I thought the professionalism of Laurie Daley might have had an impact on the squad but it doesn't seem to.
There are other little things that I, and probably other Saints fans, would like to see improved at our club but the sad thing is I keep writing posts like this every season & nothing really changes. You look at the professionalism of other clubs like Brisbane & Easts & wonder why Saints can't start to model themselves on that instead of doing just enough to make the Eight, make enough money to stay in the black, have Mad Monday, enjoy cricket season & do it all again next year. A broom through the boadroom & a fresh, new professional approach is just what the club needs. Whether it happens, only time will tell...
Cheers,
Ben S.
