The following is from wikipedia so might not be 100% accurate but thought I'd share it anyway.
I didn't add it but I think that it's also important to see who these guys played under as well as coached with/under. By that I mean, many people talk about the Sheens/Bennett connection out of Canberra that has seen the likes of Bellemy evolve.
As a player and without digging deeper you'd say that Griffin did not raise to any great heights but the same could be said of many coaches. But is it important to say that Kidwell played under Bellemy, Payten under Sheens, Brown under Smith and Taylor under Ryan as examples?
Importantly, you also have to take into account the playing roster but that would take forever.
Anyway, here's a snapshot of their coaching careers.
Brown
Was appointed coach of the Dragons for the 2003 season, becoming the youngest non-playing coach in years in the NRL at age 29. During his first season, at a match on Sunday, 13 April 2003 against Manly at WIN Stadium, a frustrated Nathan Brown berated skipper Trent Barrett, Brett Firman and Lance Thompson on the sideline in the 53rd minute with the scores locked up at 12-all. Brown slapped Barrett across the cheek and grabbed the jerseys of Barrett and Thompson. The incident was seen by the crowd and other players on the big screen and proved a decisive turning point as Manly ran in five second half tries to win 38-12. After the match, Brown was apologetic to Barrett and was later fined $5,000 by the NRL.[citation needed]
After finishing second in the 2005 competition, Brown's team lost the preliminary final to the eventual premiers, Wests Tigers. Following many injuries and team losses throughout the 2007 season, he was under pressure to keep his job heading into the 2008 season.
On 1 April 2008, it was announced that Brown would not coach the Dragons in the 2009 season, which ended an association with the club that stretches back to the start of the joint venture. He was replaced by Wayne Bennett.[2] on 18 July 2008 it was announced that Brown had signed a 3-year deal with English Super League team, Huddersfield, the same club Tigers superstar Brett Hodgson joined.
In his first season at Huddersfield he took the team to the 2009 Challenge Cup final.
He left Huddesfield at the end of the 2012 season to take control of St Helens.[3] In his first season as coach, Brown guided St Helens to 5th place in Super League. However, they were defeated 11-10 by Leeds Rhinos in the play-offs stage of the competition.
Griffin
Coached the colts teams for Redcliffe (199597), winning the premiership in 1997.[2] The following year he moved to Brisbane Norths, taking them to the colts premiership in his first year there, and also coaching the Queensland under 17s representative team in 1998. After another colts premiership with Norths in 2000, Griffin joined the coaching staff of the NRL's Melbourne Storm and was Chris Anderson's then Mark Murray's assistant in 2001 and 2002.
Returning to Queensland, he coached the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup from 2003 to 2004. He then joined the Redcliffe Dolphins, coaching them from 2005 to 2007 and winning the competition with them in 2006. He also coached the Queensland Residents side in 2007.
Griffin coached the Brisbane Broncos' under-20s side to the 2008 Toyota Cup season's grand final. He was appointed as assistant to head coach Ivan Henjak for the 2010 NRL season, in which the Broncos failed to make the finals series for the first time since 1991.[3]
Less than three weeks from the beginning of the 2011 NRL season, Griffin became the third ever coach of the Broncos when he was unexpectedly announced to be replacing Henjak.
Kidwell
Was appointed the Rabbitohs Toyota Cup (Under 20s competition) coach for 2010.[5] They finished minor premiers that year and made the Grand Final, but were defeated 42-28 by the Under 20s New Zealand Warriors. He later worked as an assistant coach at the Melbourne Storm under Craig Bellamy. On September 16 2013 it was announced that he would be joining the Wests Tigers in 2014 as an assistant coach.
Payten
Shortly after his retirement in 2011, Payten was announced as the coach for the Wests Tiger's NYC team in 2012.[11] In his first season as coach, the Tigers finished 4th in the regular season. They went on to win all their post-season games, including beating pre-game favourite Canberra Raiders 46-6 in the grand final.[12][13]
In 2013, Payten made his representative coaching debut, as his New South Wales Under-18 team defeated Queensland 56-6. In 2014, Payten again coached the New South Wales Under-18 team that defeated Queensland 24-10
Taylor
Previously the assistant coach at the Parramatta Eels, he was appointed as Coach in May 2006 for the remainder of the 2006 season after Brian Smith left the club following the announcement of his sacking for season 2007. It was already planned that from 2007 Taylor was to join the South Sydney Rabbitohs as an Assistant Coach. In August 2006 it was announced he would replace Shaun McRae as head coach of the struggling South Sydney club.
In his first year at Souths he took them to a top eight finish qualifying them for the Finals. It was the first time since 1989 that Souths reached the finals.
On 17 September 2009 it was announced that Taylor had been sacked as coach by the club due to an altercation with second-rower David Fa'alogo during end-of-season celebrations.[5] A visibly upset Taylor appeared on the NRL Footy Show later that evening and on a number of sport programs on Sydney radio in the following days to explain his conduct and subsequent dismay at his sacking.[6]
In 2011, Taylor returned to coaching with the Sydney Roosters Toyota Cup team.[7] His team made the semis in both 2011 and 2012. With the sacking of Brian Smith at the end of 2012, Taylor was appointed assistant coach to new first grade coach Trent Robinson for the 2013 season.
