Backyard focus king for Henry New coach says youth is key to future
Doug MacDougall
Tuesday, 11 April 2006
Canberra Raiders coach-in-waiting Neil Henry says the future health of the NRL club rests in the development of its junior ranks rather than through luring big-name recruits.
Henry, 44, will take over the club's head coaching position from Penrith-bound Matt Elliott on November 1.
Henry's three-year appointment, his first as an NRL head coach, comes after a successful stint with the North Queensland Cowboys as Graham Murray's assistant.
Raiders general manager Don Furner confirmed Henry would immediately play a role in the club's recruitment strategy, a move Elliott welcomed yesterday.
Henry, a former Raiders Premier League coach, said the notion Canberra was unable to attract big-name players, and that it struggled to compete as a result, was "overplayed". He said one of his main priorities as coach would be to ensure the club didn't have to rely on interstate signings to keep it afloat.
"I'm certainly keen to use local talent," Henry told The Canberra Times.
"The whole region ... the Riverina region, the South Coast region, is strong and a great nursery for rugby league in the Canberra area. I think that Matt Elliott's had a focus on that in his time there," Henry said. "I think there's a number of exciting players coming through and hopefully they're the future of the club and we can foster that development."
Furner said Henry's role in North Queensland's junior development placed the 44-year-old above several higher-profile candidates, including former Australian coach Chris Anderson.
Furner compared Canberra's playing squad to North Queensland's - the NRL's hottest team so far in 2006. The Cowboys boast a roster which includes previously little-known Queenslanders Shane Tronc and Ty Williams and discarded NSW players such as Brett Firman and Steve Southern. They also have a genuine star in five-eighth Johnathan Thurston.
Furner said Henry's development expertise, which had played a large role in the Cowboys' rise to prominence, would be a great help to the Raiders.
"If you look at their side, and Neil's been given a lot of credit for this, they made probably two really good signings, but the rest of the guys there are either locals or guys picked up from other clubs, and now they've got a winning culture," he said.
"Neil's had a big background in junior development and coaching at a junior level, and he's done some tremendous stuff with North Queensland.
"He's one of the best young coaches waiting to happen and we think it's going to happen here."
Furner said Henry would have full control over his assistant coaching staff selections, but ruled out an early start for the Queensland State of Origin assistant.
Furner said it was possible Raiders assistant coach Wayne Collins would join Elliott and Raiders' strength and conditioning coach Carl Jennings at Penrith.
"It's up to Neil. He'll review all the positions here and he'll pick his staff - there could be some changes but we're not sure of that at the moment."
Elliott praised the club's choice of his successor and its decision to immediately include Henry in player recruitment.
Elliott was himself criticised last month for having similar involvement with the Panthers while still in charge of Canberra.
"I really, really want to see this club do well and I think they've made a really good decision in appointing a coach of Neil's ilk to do that," Elliott said.
In other news, Raiders first grade centre Adam Mogg and Premier League player Michael Weyman both appear certain to miss several games to injury. Team doctors are still to determine the extent of Mogg's neck injury, a sublaxation of a neck vertebra, but Weyman's horror run of ankle injuries continues after he sprained an ankle. Elliott said winger Adrian Purtell would compete with Craig Frawley for Mogg's vacant centre position.
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