for your consideration: coach Justin Holbrook

[grouch]

A lot of people may feel despair at the thought we're forced to stick with McGregor because there are no quality coaching candidates out there. They may believe that since we were left standing in the great coaching musical chairs act of 2018 that we're simple resigned to re-signing our dud. I say this is not true. Sure, there's the likes of Jason Demetriou and left-field options like a Toovey or Mick Potter. But I want to push the case of Justin Holbrook.

• He used to work for us, not that long ago. So he comes with some inner sanctum knowledge and experience. But he's not from here, nor is he even an old boy. He played first grade for the Knights, Penrith and Roosters. Then went into coaching
• He won 2 NSW Cup premierships with the Bulldogs.
• He then was signed by us, and took a fairly unfancied Under 20's team to a preliminary final. A year or so later the club did one of it's infamous end-of-year "coaching reviews" and of course the successful outsider was punted.
• Holbrook landed in quite the opposite of the scrapheap - he became Trent Robinson's assistant at the Roosters, before landing the head coaching gig at St Helens in the Superleague.
• In his 1st year at St Helens, they finished 6th but progressed to the preliminary final
• In his 2nd year at St Helens, he led them to a minor premiership and an unlucky prelim final loss in extra time
• This year, he's lost his star player Ben Barba, yet St Helens are undefeated after 6 games, sitting atop the Superleague table.

For those who may scoff at Superleague coaching experience, please note that there are 4 current NRL coaches with European clubs on their resume, including the current premiership holder. (Robinson, Maguire, Brown, Seibold)

I think he's one we should be keeping an eye on, and is, without a shadow of doubt, a massive upgrade on McGregor.

 

[blacksafake]

Have read good things about him & in my line of work I know someone who is on the board of St Helens who speaks highly of him.I've no doubt he is a far better qualified coach than L plate & would be happy to sign him, However the fact that he was dismissed when previously involved with the club makes me think that the board(who have shown in the past how stubborn & set in their ways they are) will most likely not want to go back to him.

 

[Dannyboy80]

Agree to an extent, although I think if it came down to replacing Mary with an untried first grade coach, JD would still be my first pick.

 

[hazzbeen]

Boys at the present time I'd take the groundsman at Jubilee , over the guy we have now .... After 7 years of coaching the same team he would be better than what we have now .....

 

[BennyV]

Holbrook would be a great candidate. Similar resume to that of Robinson and MacGuire.

However, he wont be signed for the same reason that Mary will be re-signed no matter what - anything else would require the powers that be to concede that they backed the wrong horse. Or in Mary’s case, the wrong drunk, uncoordinated donkey on 3 legs.

 

[hewi]

I think he has the runs on the board and has served a very good apprenticeship, I’m in favour.

 

[BLM01]

A lot of people may feel despair at the thought we're forced to stick with McGregor because there are no quality coaching candidates out there. They may believe that since we were left standing in the great coaching musical chairs act of 2018 that we're simple resigned to re-signing our dud. I say this is not true. Sure, there's the likes of Jason Demetriou and left-field options like a Toovey or Mick Potter. But I want to push the case of Justin Holbrook.

• He used to work for us, not that long ago. So he comes with some inner sanctum knowledge and experience. But he's not from here, nor is he even an old boy. He played first grade for the Knights, Penrith and Roosters. Then went into coaching
• He won 2 NSW Cup premierships with the Bulldogs.
• He then was signed by us, and took a fairly unfancied Under 20's team to a preliminary final. A year or so later the club did one of it's infamous end-of-year "coaching reviews" and of course the successful outsider was punted.
• Holbrook landed in quite the opposite of the scrapheap - he became Trent Robinson's assistant at the Roosters, before landing the head coaching gig at St Helens in the Superleague.
• In his 1st year at St Helens, they finished 6th but progressed to the preliminary final
• In his 2nd year at St Helens, he led them to a minor premiership and an unlucky prelim final loss in extra time
• This year, he's lost his star player Ben Barba, yet St Helens are undefeated after 6 games, sitting atop the Superleague table.

For those who may scoff at Superleague coaching experience, please note that there are 4 current NRL coaches with European clubs on their resume, including the current premiership holder. (Robinson, Maguire, Brown, Seibold)

I think he's one we should be keeping an eye on, and is, without a shadow of doubt, a massive upgrade on McGregor.

You have presented a good case Grouch for the positive
But I want our next coach to at least have 1st grade NRL experience from here
We have done our time with rookies for the time being.
Last 2 most successful coaches we had, had NRL experience. Bennett & Waite

 

[RedV Resurgence]

You have presented a good case Grouch for the positive
But I want our next coach to at least have 1st grade NRL experience from here
We have done our time with rookies for the time being.
Last 2 most successful coaches we had, had NRL experience. Bennett & Waite

That might be nice to have, however the options available to us are
1) Mary for another 3-5 years and 1 or 2 more finals campaigns in that time.
2) Get an ex-NRL coach that is not currently coaching eg Toveey.
3) Get Justin D or Jason H or both

From where I currently sit, watching Mary cock-up the same things he has for at least the past three years getting a coach with successful experience in ISP or Super League is miles ahead of where we are now.

 

[grouch]

You have presented a good case Grouch for the positive
But I want our next coach to at least have 1st grade NRL experience from here
We have done our time with rookies for the time being.
Last 2 most successful coaches we had, had NRL experience. Bennett & Waite

Look, I totally agree with this. But it thins the field out significantly. I personally think Mick Potter was very cruelly treated at the Tigers so I don't find him super-terrible option, but others look better to me - and Superleague experience is better than anything else bar NRL.

btw on the flipside of Bennett and Waite, you have Andrew Farrar and Ted Glossop. Two coaches with prior first grade experience who were dreadful for us

 

[TomRedVRiver]

Holbrook, Adam O'brien and Demetriou are by far the best candidates out there. I'd be chuffed with any of these three.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Have read good things about him & in my line of work I know someone who is on the board of St Helens who speaks highly of him.I've no doubt he is a far better qualified coach than L plate & would be happy to sign him, However the fact that he was dismissed when previously involved with the club makes me think that the board(who have shown in the past how stubborn & set in their ways they are) will most likely not want to go back to him.

As was Cleary from the Panthers.

The only negative for JH would be that he hasn't won any Coal League titles, a must pre-requisite for STGI head coaching roll.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Holbrook, Adam O'brien and Demetriou are by far the best candidates out there. I'd be chuffed with any of these three.

I like them all too with a preference for Demetriou but TBO, I also like Toovey.
He will lift the level of intensity and passion which I feel is sometimes lacking with our mob.
Demetriou is a stand out simply because of his role with the Cowboys GF win and the entertaining brand of football he coaches.
Plus he has a sharp tactical understanding of the game. A real student of the game.
The fans will love it for a change.

 

[GC Dragon]

Holbrook, Adam O'brien and Demetriou are by far the best candidates out there. I'd be chuffed with any of these three.

I like Adam O'Brien as well . Done his apprenticeship under Bellamy like a lot of good coaches have . And now at the Roosters under Robinson so he has been around the best coaches and teams .
A few years ago Matt Johns said O'Brien and Seibold could be the most in demand coaches of the future and I rate his opinion over most . Got to be a huge upgrade on what we have now .

 

[Lovemedragons]

Boys at the present time I'd take the groundsman at Jubilee , over the guy we have now .... After 7 years of coaching the same team he would be better than what we have now .....

Lol my thoughts exactly, but I do want a clever coach for a change, the incumbent and his predecessors try to be smart but they are not. I would like to go with JD, he has nous.

 

[TruSaint]

btw on the flipside of Bennett and Waite, you have Andrew Farrar and Ted Glossop. Two coaches with prior first grade experience who were dreadful for us

Farrar makes Price look good. That takes some effort.
Farrar's total coaching win rate 43%, and Price at 46%.
Bear in mind the squad he ( Farrar ) inherited in 2000, was virtually the same as the 99 GF team.

 

[Lovemedragons]

Holbrook would be a great candidate. Similar resume to that of Robinson and MacGuire.

However, he wont be signed for the same reason that Mary will be re-signed no matter what - anything else would require the powers that be to concede that they backed the wrong horse. Or in Mary’s case, the wrong drunk, uncoordinated donkey on 3 legs.

Surely they're not that blinkered, how do they ever get these positions if this is how they think...a recipe for mediocrity to set in, oh wait it already has.

 

[Lovemedragons]

Farrar makes Price look good. That takes some effort.
Farrar's total coaching win rate 43%, and Price at 46%.
Bear in mind the squad he ( Farrar ) inherited in 2000, was virtually the same as the 99 GF team.

Farrar was inexplicably lost in the role of our coach, he had heaps of top level football experience, he had first grade coaching experience, had been at the club so knew the team yet with all this he failed - and to think they probably shafted the heroic David Waite to give him the job, one of the conditions of the joint venture most likely.

 

[TruSaint]

Farrar was inexplicably lost in the role of our coach, he had heaps of top level football experience, he had first grade coaching experience, had been at the club so knew the team yet with all this he failed - and to think they probably shafted the heroic David Waite to give him the job, one of the conditions of the joint venture most likely.

How he replaced David Waite is beyond me.

Waite was 2 minutes from a GF win.

Agree with your sentiment.

 

[possm]

It will take some big losses early in 2019 for the Board to feel a little shaky about the prospect of extending Mary.

Tonight we play against Souths coached by Bennett!

 

[Coffs dragon]

Mary is simply a half price coach and we all know Steve Price was a shit Head Coach, but won 2 premierships as an assistant!
Justin Holbrook would be a significant upgrade with plenty of experience learnt in various roles and clubs, not just the inbred pig trough of Dragonland!