Kearney: Parramattas Line In The Sand
BESEIGED coach Stephen Kearney says his coaching tenure represents a line in the sand for the Parramatta club and that players need to find as much patience as fans, sponsors and the media in the weeks and months ahead.
As the Eels head into the bye this weekend with just one win from 10 starts, prompting players to appear before angry members at an AGM and stars like Chris Sandow, Luke Burt and Ben Roberts to be dropped, Kearney acceded to a one-on-one interview with
Rugby League Week.
As a club, this is my opinion, we dont want to make the same mistakes as we have for the last 10 years, Kearney said. We want to draw a line in the sand and we want to change things and the only way were going to change things is if we stick at them.
Asked if those mistakes represented quick-fix solutions, he agreed but gave no more detail. He refused to comment on aborted moves to appoint Jason Taylor as his assistant.
When quizzed where he was drawing strength from, he said: Its just the vision that I have, a lot of what I see here, the potential that we have here as a footy club.
I see the development of Matty Ryan and Mitchell Allgood and Kenny Sio and guys like that. Matthew Keating, Timmy Mannah
for me, we have an opportunity to really build this footy club. Thats whats keeping me focused.
I start each week afresh
thats my approach every week.
On dropping players, he commented: Putting Benny Roberts back this week form dictated I couldnt keep him in the side. Thats the decision I needed to make. Chris Sandows performance against Canberra, he said, was encouraging in that he was touching the footy a lot more, he was running the footy.
Asked if he feared more change be it staff, administration, players or losing his own job would be forced upon him if results did not come, Kearney said:
For me, the change is the change in us in terms of taking ownership of our responsibilities out on the footy field for 80 minutes. Fui (Fui MoiMoi) takes his eye off the ball (against Canberra) twice by not filling the space at marker and theres two tries.
The players need to recognise that to begin with thats the moving towards action for us. Thats an I dont know. Thats a step-by-step process.
http://stevemascord.com/2012/05/22/kearney-parramattas-line-in-the-sand/
I haven't heard many coaches in my time directly attribute a loss to one player. This merkin is starting to shit me.
