An insider's guide to coaching candidates
Date
September 15, 2013
Daniel Lane
A former member of the Parramatta staff, who worked under the three Eels coaches believed to be in consideration to fill the spot vacated by Ricky Stuart during the week - Jason Taylor, Brian Smith and Daniel Anderson - nominated Taylor as the man who ticked all the boxes during his stint there.
Taylor took over the reins from Brian Smith mid-season in 2006 and enjoyed a 10-6 record and the Eels' 2001 grand final halfback developed a strong rapport and enjoyed an ''incredible'' sense of loyalty from the players and staff.
''When JT had his short stint as the caretaker coach before Michael Hagan took over he was fantastic,'' said the source, who requested anonymity. ''Staff loved working for him, players loved playing for him and it showed because they were a happy team and when his tenure ended the players fought to try and have him remain there - but the club had already signed Michael Hagan. He didn't have to change much [in terms of playing roster] and they won nine in a row. His name has been tossed up as a candidate and while all three are great choices he'd be a good choice based on what he did in '06.''
There was no reason, according to the insider, Smith could not work at the besieged club as a coaching co-ordinator and sounding board for Taylor.
''That would depend on whether Brian wanted that role, he might still prefer to coach and also if JT wanted someone overseeing him,'' he said.
THE CANDIDATES
Jason Taylor: ''You need to have a coach who, especially in these times, can forge a happy environment. JT ticks that box. Jarryd Hayne needs to shine next year and he loves JT, Jason Taylor was the one who gave him his chance after Brian Smith said he wasn't quite ready.
''In his very first week as coach he brought Jarryd in and it changed the whole year. The other thing he did when he took over was drop Mark Riddell and Tim Smith after they were out on the town and that also changed the club's season. And he did it in a way where the players who were dropped still respected him; I saw Riddell was on Twitter insisting Parramatta needed to put him back in charge. He also brought out the best in Chris Sandow when he was coach of Souths, and that is a massive plus in itself.''
Daniel Anderson: ''He got the team to perform well enough to make the grand final in 2009 but in the end he didn't quite develop that place where people wanted to be. There is no doubting he is a Parramatta man through-and-through, he started as a trainer with the Harold Matthews team and worked his way up the ranks. He's had success taking first-grade teams to grand finals - Parramatta and the Warriors.
''He finished his time at Parramatta having upset a few players but he certainly made an impact.''
Brian Smith: ''The perfect person to get a club from rock bottom to the top. He's proven before that he can overhaul a place. When he was at Parramatta the Eels won seven club championships in a row because players were developed well as a result of the coaching structure he put in place from first grade to junior representative teams. The negative associated with Brian is by the time he finished at Parramatta players wanted him gone. However, there are few people in rugby league can overhaul a place like him.''
