StEely Matt
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ARTICLE 1 - Bring back the bingle
Jamie Pandaram and Glenn Jackson | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/bring-back-the-bingle/2007/07/16/1184559707446.html
And the winner is rugby league. The vitriolic quarrel between rival NRL coaches Jason Taylor and Michael Hagan has created the kind of buzz the competition's marketing department could only hope to buy, and players and commentators want more.
The next time Souths and Parramatta face each other - whether it be semi-final or semi-meaningful trial game - the headlines are ready-made and waiting: "Feuding coaches - the rematch".
"I think it is good for the game," said Rabbitohs lock Dean Widders, who keenly observed the argument between his coach and Hagan as he stood chatting to Eels hooker Mark Riddell in the stadium's weights room. "Coaches have got rivalries, and for them to come out obviously the rivalry started a while back, things have been said in the paper, and neither of them backed down [on Sunday]. They each had a spray and got things off their chest.
"There was never going to be a bad situation for rugby league in it."
Eels skipper Nathan Cayless, who was with Widders and Riddell at the time of the incident, said he was "shocked" when the two coaches clashed.
"I thought it was funny," Cayless said. "You don't expect those things to happen. I didn't see it coming at all. But it just showed that both are pretty passionate.
"It was good to see 'Hages' get his back up. He doesn't really get too fired up with us. It was good to see him have a go and have a lash. I know JT's a pretty passionate guy."
Former coach Tommy Raudonikis said the incident was missing one thing - the biff. "It might have been a bit more exciting if they threw a few," said
Raudonikis, the former Wests and Newtown halfback and Magpies coach.
"But it was quite funny.
"All it shows is everybody's human. Of course they're going to get the sh*ts. There's nothing wrong with that. It just adds a bit of spice to the story."
It also emerged yesterday that Taylor blasted Souths players after the match, not only for their below-par performance but also a lacklustre build-up at training during the week.
Souths co-captain Peter Cusack revealed Taylor had been unhappy with the team's attitude, and the prop felt that may have led to his frustrated attack against Hagan.
"He did rip into us after the game, not just about the game but about little things at training during the week, boys were dropping off in certain areas, little things like that can sort of eat away," Cusack said.
"It shows how committed and how passionate he is about his job, and about Souths. Hopefully the boys can see that as a positive in some way and lift our game.
"We've just got to stay positive. The coach is frustrated but so are the players. We're disappointed in the way we played and how we didn't perform to the way we can play. I think [Taylor] was just frustrated in the way we dropped the ball and just didn't play to the way we planned. That game did hurt us. We've lost and won a few games like that."
Widders has seen it all before, and is now looking forward to the next clash against his former club. "I played under Brian Smith at Parramatta and he had rivalries with other coaches and it was always good, the week was intense, it was a good build-up," Widders said. "Souths and Parramatta are rivals anyway, going back a long way. We'll just get out there and play our best next time we play them."
ARTICLE 2 - Ex-teammates amused by verbal battle of the bantamweights
July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/exteammates-amused-by-verbal-battle/2007/07/16/1184559707427.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Mark Riddell and Dean Widders were having a chat in the gym next to the media conference room at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday when Eels coach Michael Hagan departed after fulfilling his post-match commitments and Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor entered for his turn.
Riddell, the Parramatta hooker, was about to say hello to Taylor, his former coach from the second half of last season, but didn't get a chance because as soon as Taylor and Hagan came across each other, it was on for young and old.
Taylor was upset that Parramatta had refused to let Souths run their pre-match warm-up on the field directly behind the southern end of the stadium. Souths are adamant the Eels had agreed during the week leading up to the game to let them use warm-up space at the opposite end of the field to the home team.
Details of the slanging match were still a bit sketchy on Sunday night, but after talking further to witnesses, the Herald has been able to establish its content.
Hagan made a joking reference to recently retired superstar Andrew Johns coming down from Newcastle to join the Eels' coaching staff. It was a retort to a quip made by Taylor when he spoke on stage at Parramatta's end-of-season presentation function last year.
Taylor had joked that Parramatta halfback Tim Smith had better get used to coaching the Eels this year, because Johns had coached Newcastle when Hagan was the official mentor. If ever there was a one-liner to fuel a feud, that was it.
Numerous players and officials saw Taylor and Hagan verbally get stuck into each other. Riddell had been warming down on a stationary bike when Widders, who had played alongside him at Parramatta before joining South Sydney this year, came in to catch up with his old teammates after the game.
Riddell and Widders, who were only a few metres away from the Taylor-Hagan action, both said it was something to see.
"Me and Deano were talking and I saw 'JT' walk in," Riddell said. "I was going to shake his hand and talk to him, but next thing him and 'Hages' were into each other."
With a laugh, Riddell then added: "They were coming up with some good lines. I was going to throw my two cents' worth in at one stage, but I thought better of it. Me and Deano were standing there with our mouths open. I said to Deano, 'Oh, f---, we might have to go toe to toe ourselves here."'
Lock Widders was thoroughly entertained by the altercation.
"Hages said a few things to him, and I thought JT came back with good replies," Widders said. "I was just enjoying it, really. I don't think [Taylor] let his emotions spill over. He had things to say and he said it.
"It never got out of hand. It never looked like it was going to be something that would do any damage to the game or the clubs.
"I think they both did it in a good way and got on with it. It never looked like it was going to get physical; they were both in control. It was enjoyable."
There is nothing wrong with a good yelling match in rugby league. It's even better if the combatants can manage to come up with some stinging lines, which Taylor and Hagan did.
At the very least, it shows how much they care. "Two bantamweights going head to head is good for the game," Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said yesterday. "There should be more of it. I hope we make the finals and come across the Eels again. It would sure make for a lot of interest."
The stink in full
TAYLOR: How was your warm-up?
HAGAN: Good, thanks, how was yours?
TAYLOR: It's pretty f---ing ordinary that you wouldn't let us warm up on the [southern] field.
HAGAN: Well, it's obviously rattled you.
TAYLOR: F--- off.
HAGAN: We're going to get Joey down for a couple of [training] sessions this week.
TAYLOR: You should, you need him.
HAGAN: Why don't you work on catching the ball instead of wrestling all f---ing game?
TAYLOR: How f---ed are you? You're living off what Brian Smith built here, while he's up in Newcastle rebuilding what you f---ed up.
ARTICLE 3 - Eels went back on agreement: Souths
Greg Prichard and Glenn Jackson | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/eels-went-back-on-agreement-souths/2007/07/16/1184559707434.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
South Sydney coach Jason Taylor was upset at a perceived lack of respect from Parramatta for the six years he had served the club as a player and coach, leading to his confrontation with Eels counterpart Michael Hagan after Sunday's game at Parramatta Stadium.
Taylor did not return phone calls yesterday, but sources have told the Herald that he felt he deserved better from his former club than the pre-match warm-up drama that forced the Rabbitohs to prepare for the game on Old Kings Oval, behind the western grandstand at the stadium, despite it still being closed after recent bad weather.
Souths had been given permission by Parramatta to share warm-up space with the Eels on the manicured field behind the southern end of the stadium, but that situation changed on Sunday.
"JT rang [Eels football manager] Tony Zappia and asked could we use a bit of the field," Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said yesterday. "But they reneged on an agreement and we had to jump the fence and train on Old Kings Oval."
It is understood Taylor, who played one year for Parramatta, in 2001, and spent the next five years on the coaching staff - including the second half of last season as head coach - believed his time at the club should have counted for more.
Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald last night confirmed Souths had originally been given permission - on Friday - to warm up on the southern field, but that after further consideration, the Eels had chosen to reverse that decision.
"Michael Hagan wasn't aware of the original decision, and when he became aware of it, he said he wanted to have the oval solely for his team," Fitzgerald said. "It's not a full-sized field and not really big enough for two teams.
"Souths were told that at 1pm yesterday and could have warmed up on the main field, but they didn't want to do that."
Asked about the suggestion Parramatta had disrespected their former coach, Fitzgerald said: "I think it's still the same situation - that his behaviour was immature and petulant."
On the other side of the great coaching blow-up, Hagan yesterday responded to Taylor's assertion that he was "living off what Brian Smith built here [at Parramatta] while he's up in Newcastle rebuilding what you f----ed up".
Hagan told the Herald: "The only thing I would say in respect of that is that I think I left Newcastle on good terms and in good shape. The team finished in the top four and the Jersey Flegg team made the grand final, and some of the players from that team are now in first grade so I don't think he [Taylor] is qualified to say that."
Earlier, in an interview on radio 2KY, Hagan suggested Taylor had reacted badly to Souths' 18-12 defeat to the Eels.
"I think he was obviously upset with no one likes to get beat, and I didn't feel great after the game on Monday night [when Newcastle beat Parramatta] either," Hagan said.
"But sometimes you have maybe got to deal with it a bit different, and he was pretty aggressive in the first instance, so it sort of escalated from there."
Asked if he and Taylor had a history of bad blood, Hagan replied: "There is always a bit of history. I mean, I would have played against JT at different times in our careers, so we might have had the odd run-in on the field."
The coaching stoush took another twist yesterday when Parramatta Stadium venue manager Luke Coleman said he would make an official complaint to the Rabbitohs after they ignored orders not to train on Old Kings Oval.
"They showed a total disregard for any kind of authority," Coleman said. "I was really disappointed with their mentality and their attitude.
"We were given notice by the Parramatta Park Trust, which have control over Old Kings Oval, that the oval was not to be used for the warm-up. That was made clear to the Eels and also to South Sydney."
The NRL yesterday chose not to take any disciplinary action against Souths or Parramatta for the expletive-laden battle between their coaches.
"Whilst this incident doesn't set a good example for junior coaches, we have decided that as the incident took place in the heat of the moment and not in the view of the general public, we're not going to take any further action," chief operating officer Graham Annesley said.
ARTICLE 4 - Bad blood between rivals is good for business
Phil Gould | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/bad-blood-between-rivals-is-good-for-business/2007/07/16/1184559707442.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
THE FEUD FACTOR
Two coaches going at it under the grandstand after the game at Parramatta Stadium - yeehaa! There should be more of it.
Now we're talking football.
I am sick to death of the lovey-dovey, mutual-acceptance society stuff among coaches that has developed over the past decade.
Ever since we started to have these "love-in" coaches meetings where the head coaches from each team meet to talk about the game and the rules, the game has never been the same.
As a result of all these coffee-shop "catch-ups" between the clipboard holders, every team just about looks the same and plays the same. Ideas and information get traded in something resembling a giant joint venture.
Friendly phone calls between head coaches organising training grounds and discussing the next change to the rules. Support for each other in post-match press conferences protecting each other's jobs and promoting each other's attributes.
You don't see old warhorse coach Wayne Bennett at all these get-togethers chatting over coffee and cakes with the blokes with whom he competes.
I'm with him. And when you know the other coaches are getting their heads together to change the rules or swap notes on each other's team only makes you more determined not to be part of it.
A coach feeling sorry for a counterpart when his team gives his rival's a tickle-up on the scoreboard - what's that all about? Praising the other coach and sticking up for him so he doesn't lose his job.
Bringing the two coaches together two days before the game to sit beside each other in a friendly little press conference to promote the big game that weekend. To hell with all that I say! It should be loaded weapons at 10 paces, and that's the closest they should ever be to each other. Talk to them in their own bunkers where they can say what they like or walk away from the cameras and say nothing at all. Sometimes the "no comment" or "get that camera out of my face" line promotes a game better than anything. You try and tell me the football today has the same feeling and sense of rivalry as before.
If someone had made me sit next to a Bob Fulton, Bennett or Tim Sheens two days before a big game to discuss what a great match it was going to be, I (and they) would've been physically ill.
I hated the other bastards when I coached, and I wanted them to hate me. I am pretty sure I achieved both.
I figured the more I hated them, the better I'd coach, and the more they hated me, the more personal they'd try to get, and maybe that would throw them off their game.
I didn't want to look at them, let alone talk to them. If I had to greet them on game day, the forced smile on my face always covered up clenched teeth and a sickness in the gut.
I loved the hatred and the tension. The players could sense it. The fans thrived on the rivalry. When we won the game I wouldn't go near the bloke. Mind you, when we lost (and we lost plenty), I made a point of going and shaking his hand to congratulate him on a job well done, no matter how much it hurt. That's respect, and respect is important.
I hear coaches today bemoaning the fact their team looked a bit flat today and didn't play with their usual enthusiasm. Let me tell you, there's no trouble motivating players for the local derby or using the rivalry and dislike you have for a rival team or coach.
I used to love the local derbies.
Seriously though, a bit of fire between combatants is good for the game.
Yes, we are in the business of winning football games, but we are also in the business of entertaining.
Sterile, purified, sanitised relationships between coaches and clubs only leads to homogeneous football.
Next time the Eels plays the Rabbitohs I want to be there - and the media will be knocking themselves down to get there, too.
There's plenty of time for liking the other coaches after you retire. I like them all now.
Well, most of them anyway!
Jamie Pandaram and Glenn Jackson | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/bring-back-the-bingle/2007/07/16/1184559707446.html
And the winner is rugby league. The vitriolic quarrel between rival NRL coaches Jason Taylor and Michael Hagan has created the kind of buzz the competition's marketing department could only hope to buy, and players and commentators want more.
The next time Souths and Parramatta face each other - whether it be semi-final or semi-meaningful trial game - the headlines are ready-made and waiting: "Feuding coaches - the rematch".
"I think it is good for the game," said Rabbitohs lock Dean Widders, who keenly observed the argument between his coach and Hagan as he stood chatting to Eels hooker Mark Riddell in the stadium's weights room. "Coaches have got rivalries, and for them to come out obviously the rivalry started a while back, things have been said in the paper, and neither of them backed down [on Sunday]. They each had a spray and got things off their chest.
"There was never going to be a bad situation for rugby league in it."
Eels skipper Nathan Cayless, who was with Widders and Riddell at the time of the incident, said he was "shocked" when the two coaches clashed.
"I thought it was funny," Cayless said. "You don't expect those things to happen. I didn't see it coming at all. But it just showed that both are pretty passionate.
"It was good to see 'Hages' get his back up. He doesn't really get too fired up with us. It was good to see him have a go and have a lash. I know JT's a pretty passionate guy."
Former coach Tommy Raudonikis said the incident was missing one thing - the biff. "It might have been a bit more exciting if they threw a few," said
Raudonikis, the former Wests and Newtown halfback and Magpies coach.
"But it was quite funny.
"All it shows is everybody's human. Of course they're going to get the sh*ts. There's nothing wrong with that. It just adds a bit of spice to the story."
It also emerged yesterday that Taylor blasted Souths players after the match, not only for their below-par performance but also a lacklustre build-up at training during the week.
Souths co-captain Peter Cusack revealed Taylor had been unhappy with the team's attitude, and the prop felt that may have led to his frustrated attack against Hagan.
"He did rip into us after the game, not just about the game but about little things at training during the week, boys were dropping off in certain areas, little things like that can sort of eat away," Cusack said.
"It shows how committed and how passionate he is about his job, and about Souths. Hopefully the boys can see that as a positive in some way and lift our game.
"We've just got to stay positive. The coach is frustrated but so are the players. We're disappointed in the way we played and how we didn't perform to the way we can play. I think [Taylor] was just frustrated in the way we dropped the ball and just didn't play to the way we planned. That game did hurt us. We've lost and won a few games like that."
Widders has seen it all before, and is now looking forward to the next clash against his former club. "I played under Brian Smith at Parramatta and he had rivalries with other coaches and it was always good, the week was intense, it was a good build-up," Widders said. "Souths and Parramatta are rivals anyway, going back a long way. We'll just get out there and play our best next time we play them."
ARTICLE 2 - Ex-teammates amused by verbal battle of the bantamweights
July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/exteammates-amused-by-verbal-battle/2007/07/16/1184559707427.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Mark Riddell and Dean Widders were having a chat in the gym next to the media conference room at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday when Eels coach Michael Hagan departed after fulfilling his post-match commitments and Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor entered for his turn.
Riddell, the Parramatta hooker, was about to say hello to Taylor, his former coach from the second half of last season, but didn't get a chance because as soon as Taylor and Hagan came across each other, it was on for young and old.
Taylor was upset that Parramatta had refused to let Souths run their pre-match warm-up on the field directly behind the southern end of the stadium. Souths are adamant the Eels had agreed during the week leading up to the game to let them use warm-up space at the opposite end of the field to the home team.
Details of the slanging match were still a bit sketchy on Sunday night, but after talking further to witnesses, the Herald has been able to establish its content.
Hagan made a joking reference to recently retired superstar Andrew Johns coming down from Newcastle to join the Eels' coaching staff. It was a retort to a quip made by Taylor when he spoke on stage at Parramatta's end-of-season presentation function last year.
Taylor had joked that Parramatta halfback Tim Smith had better get used to coaching the Eels this year, because Johns had coached Newcastle when Hagan was the official mentor. If ever there was a one-liner to fuel a feud, that was it.
Numerous players and officials saw Taylor and Hagan verbally get stuck into each other. Riddell had been warming down on a stationary bike when Widders, who had played alongside him at Parramatta before joining South Sydney this year, came in to catch up with his old teammates after the game.
Riddell and Widders, who were only a few metres away from the Taylor-Hagan action, both said it was something to see.
"Me and Deano were talking and I saw 'JT' walk in," Riddell said. "I was going to shake his hand and talk to him, but next thing him and 'Hages' were into each other."
With a laugh, Riddell then added: "They were coming up with some good lines. I was going to throw my two cents' worth in at one stage, but I thought better of it. Me and Deano were standing there with our mouths open. I said to Deano, 'Oh, f---, we might have to go toe to toe ourselves here."'
Lock Widders was thoroughly entertained by the altercation.
"Hages said a few things to him, and I thought JT came back with good replies," Widders said. "I was just enjoying it, really. I don't think [Taylor] let his emotions spill over. He had things to say and he said it.
"It never got out of hand. It never looked like it was going to be something that would do any damage to the game or the clubs.
"I think they both did it in a good way and got on with it. It never looked like it was going to get physical; they were both in control. It was enjoyable."
There is nothing wrong with a good yelling match in rugby league. It's even better if the combatants can manage to come up with some stinging lines, which Taylor and Hagan did.
At the very least, it shows how much they care. "Two bantamweights going head to head is good for the game," Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said yesterday. "There should be more of it. I hope we make the finals and come across the Eels again. It would sure make for a lot of interest."
The stink in full
TAYLOR: How was your warm-up?
HAGAN: Good, thanks, how was yours?
TAYLOR: It's pretty f---ing ordinary that you wouldn't let us warm up on the [southern] field.
HAGAN: Well, it's obviously rattled you.
TAYLOR: F--- off.
HAGAN: We're going to get Joey down for a couple of [training] sessions this week.
TAYLOR: You should, you need him.
HAGAN: Why don't you work on catching the ball instead of wrestling all f---ing game?
TAYLOR: How f---ed are you? You're living off what Brian Smith built here, while he's up in Newcastle rebuilding what you f---ed up.
ARTICLE 3 - Eels went back on agreement: Souths
Greg Prichard and Glenn Jackson | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/eels-went-back-on-agreement-souths/2007/07/16/1184559707434.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
South Sydney coach Jason Taylor was upset at a perceived lack of respect from Parramatta for the six years he had served the club as a player and coach, leading to his confrontation with Eels counterpart Michael Hagan after Sunday's game at Parramatta Stadium.
Taylor did not return phone calls yesterday, but sources have told the Herald that he felt he deserved better from his former club than the pre-match warm-up drama that forced the Rabbitohs to prepare for the game on Old Kings Oval, behind the western grandstand at the stadium, despite it still being closed after recent bad weather.
Souths had been given permission by Parramatta to share warm-up space with the Eels on the manicured field behind the southern end of the stadium, but that situation changed on Sunday.
"JT rang [Eels football manager] Tony Zappia and asked could we use a bit of the field," Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said yesterday. "But they reneged on an agreement and we had to jump the fence and train on Old Kings Oval."
It is understood Taylor, who played one year for Parramatta, in 2001, and spent the next five years on the coaching staff - including the second half of last season as head coach - believed his time at the club should have counted for more.
Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald last night confirmed Souths had originally been given permission - on Friday - to warm up on the southern field, but that after further consideration, the Eels had chosen to reverse that decision.
"Michael Hagan wasn't aware of the original decision, and when he became aware of it, he said he wanted to have the oval solely for his team," Fitzgerald said. "It's not a full-sized field and not really big enough for two teams.
"Souths were told that at 1pm yesterday and could have warmed up on the main field, but they didn't want to do that."
Asked about the suggestion Parramatta had disrespected their former coach, Fitzgerald said: "I think it's still the same situation - that his behaviour was immature and petulant."
On the other side of the great coaching blow-up, Hagan yesterday responded to Taylor's assertion that he was "living off what Brian Smith built here [at Parramatta] while he's up in Newcastle rebuilding what you f----ed up".
Hagan told the Herald: "The only thing I would say in respect of that is that I think I left Newcastle on good terms and in good shape. The team finished in the top four and the Jersey Flegg team made the grand final, and some of the players from that team are now in first grade so I don't think he [Taylor] is qualified to say that."
Earlier, in an interview on radio 2KY, Hagan suggested Taylor had reacted badly to Souths' 18-12 defeat to the Eels.
"I think he was obviously upset with no one likes to get beat, and I didn't feel great after the game on Monday night [when Newcastle beat Parramatta] either," Hagan said.
"But sometimes you have maybe got to deal with it a bit different, and he was pretty aggressive in the first instance, so it sort of escalated from there."
Asked if he and Taylor had a history of bad blood, Hagan replied: "There is always a bit of history. I mean, I would have played against JT at different times in our careers, so we might have had the odd run-in on the field."
The coaching stoush took another twist yesterday when Parramatta Stadium venue manager Luke Coleman said he would make an official complaint to the Rabbitohs after they ignored orders not to train on Old Kings Oval.
"They showed a total disregard for any kind of authority," Coleman said. "I was really disappointed with their mentality and their attitude.
"We were given notice by the Parramatta Park Trust, which have control over Old Kings Oval, that the oval was not to be used for the warm-up. That was made clear to the Eels and also to South Sydney."
The NRL yesterday chose not to take any disciplinary action against Souths or Parramatta for the expletive-laden battle between their coaches.
"Whilst this incident doesn't set a good example for junior coaches, we have decided that as the incident took place in the heat of the moment and not in the view of the general public, we're not going to take any further action," chief operating officer Graham Annesley said.
ARTICLE 4 - Bad blood between rivals is good for business
Phil Gould | July 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/bad-blood-between-rivals-is-good-for-business/2007/07/16/1184559707442.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
THE FEUD FACTOR
Two coaches going at it under the grandstand after the game at Parramatta Stadium - yeehaa! There should be more of it.
Now we're talking football.
I am sick to death of the lovey-dovey, mutual-acceptance society stuff among coaches that has developed over the past decade.
Ever since we started to have these "love-in" coaches meetings where the head coaches from each team meet to talk about the game and the rules, the game has never been the same.
As a result of all these coffee-shop "catch-ups" between the clipboard holders, every team just about looks the same and plays the same. Ideas and information get traded in something resembling a giant joint venture.
Friendly phone calls between head coaches organising training grounds and discussing the next change to the rules. Support for each other in post-match press conferences protecting each other's jobs and promoting each other's attributes.
You don't see old warhorse coach Wayne Bennett at all these get-togethers chatting over coffee and cakes with the blokes with whom he competes.
I'm with him. And when you know the other coaches are getting their heads together to change the rules or swap notes on each other's team only makes you more determined not to be part of it.
A coach feeling sorry for a counterpart when his team gives his rival's a tickle-up on the scoreboard - what's that all about? Praising the other coach and sticking up for him so he doesn't lose his job.
Bringing the two coaches together two days before the game to sit beside each other in a friendly little press conference to promote the big game that weekend. To hell with all that I say! It should be loaded weapons at 10 paces, and that's the closest they should ever be to each other. Talk to them in their own bunkers where they can say what they like or walk away from the cameras and say nothing at all. Sometimes the "no comment" or "get that camera out of my face" line promotes a game better than anything. You try and tell me the football today has the same feeling and sense of rivalry as before.
If someone had made me sit next to a Bob Fulton, Bennett or Tim Sheens two days before a big game to discuss what a great match it was going to be, I (and they) would've been physically ill.
I hated the other bastards when I coached, and I wanted them to hate me. I am pretty sure I achieved both.
I figured the more I hated them, the better I'd coach, and the more they hated me, the more personal they'd try to get, and maybe that would throw them off their game.
I didn't want to look at them, let alone talk to them. If I had to greet them on game day, the forced smile on my face always covered up clenched teeth and a sickness in the gut.
I loved the hatred and the tension. The players could sense it. The fans thrived on the rivalry. When we won the game I wouldn't go near the bloke. Mind you, when we lost (and we lost plenty), I made a point of going and shaking his hand to congratulate him on a job well done, no matter how much it hurt. That's respect, and respect is important.
I hear coaches today bemoaning the fact their team looked a bit flat today and didn't play with their usual enthusiasm. Let me tell you, there's no trouble motivating players for the local derby or using the rivalry and dislike you have for a rival team or coach.
I used to love the local derbies.
Seriously though, a bit of fire between combatants is good for the game.
Yes, we are in the business of winning football games, but we are also in the business of entertaining.
Sterile, purified, sanitised relationships between coaches and clubs only leads to homogeneous football.
Next time the Eels plays the Rabbitohs I want to be there - and the media will be knocking themselves down to get there, too.
There's plenty of time for liking the other coaches after you retire. I like them all now.
Well, most of them anyway!
