btaag
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Please accept my apologies for this long Post. For some reason I was more happy reading peoples posts as opposed to commenting on the tribute pages or the pages bagging Brian or wishing him well. Like many Parra fans, I have had a love-hate relationship with Smith in his time as Parramatta coach, but in hindsight, and having read what everyone else had to say, I came up with this tribute of sorts. Its just my opinion, but I know I speak for some fans in thanking him for his overall contribution. I doubt he will ever read it. Anyways........
My formative Rugby League supporting years were the mid-late 80s. I still have hazy memories as a kid cheering on Parra as they won their 4th premiership. However, being in my mid 20s, my clearest memories of Parramatta are the dark days from 1990 to 1995. I cannot recall many fond memories from this era beating Great Britain, beating the Broncos at ANZ, winning our first three games in 1993 coming from behind against the Knights in 1992 We were a once great club on the steady and then rapid decline, to the point that by 1995 we had hit rock bottom second last, save for the fact another club was more mediocre than we were. After the three-win season that was 1995, I could never see the end to Parramattas mediocrity. The promise that one day the club would come good just like in the Golden Era were fading.
I remember first hearing that Brian Smith was possibly coming to Parramatta. From memory I was being driven home from the Parramatta vs Gold Coast match at the stadium. I was a bit unsure of him after his time at St George. The Smith-coached Dragons were never my favourite side to watch. It irritated me that such an unfashionable side had made two Grand Finals and always punched above their weight. Smiths intensity also grated on me. But his record was unavoidable: if he could take a bunch of relative no-names and turn them into a Grand Final team, what could he do to the (massively under-achieving) $9million dollar Eels?
Following the 1996 season I was bitter we missed out on the finals, but excited at the prospect of Smith coaching us next season. Almost straight away he imposed himself on the side, teaching the fundamentals, identifying some great young talent (and some not so great), winning the Club Championship for the first time since the mid 1980s, and making our first finals series since 1986. After 10 years I supported a team that was in the finals. On the other hand he had alienated one or two cult heros from the dark days Chris King and Chris Lawler just like he had done at St George with Tallis and Mackay.
In the 1998 and 1999 seasons that had almost identical endings, Parramatta (and Smith) were desperately unlucky not to make, and then win, the Grand Final on both occasions. The 1998 Preliminary final against the dogs ranks as the saddest day in my sporting memory. Sure, Smith could have not selected Paul Carige, but did that one player lose the game? If Smith could have, he would be out there playing himself. The 1999 preliminary against Melbourne was similarly frustrating, as Jason Smith made break after break, only for the final pass to go to ground. St George supporters were behind me at that game, cheering for Melbourne, because they thought that if the Storm won, Saints would go-on to win the Grand Final such was our favouritism in 1999. The Parramatta players in those two games lost the match, not the coach, and that is sport, but if Parramatta had won one of those Preliminary finals, who knows what could have happened in the next few seasons?
I often think Smith should have walked away after 1999. The club needed to be rebuilt, he had put in three very good years. He would have left the club much stronger than when he arrived. Jack Gibson rarely stayed for more than three season as he believe his effect wore-off. If he had left then, we wouldnt have experienced 2001 or 2005.
The at-times frustrating 2000 season ended in a magical way, which made me truly appreciate Smiths coaching and management of the club for the first time. After the retirement of Dean Pay and a rebuilding season, Smith had managed to blood a crop of brilliant kids, turning the side into a Giant Killer. The finals run that saw us upset the Roosters, Penrith and almost pip eventual Premiers Brisbane was a great experience for me. To see our boys many of them locally produced giving it to more fancied opposition made me very proud to be a Parra fan.
I think 2001 sums-up Brian Smiths time at Parramatta. After a rebuilding period the team became world beaters only to choke at the final hurdle. I think this assessment is true, but is also unfair. If ever a team deserved to win a Grand Final, it was the 2001 Parramatta side. Never has a team dominated the opposition so completely throughout the course of a season. Save for a fateful (and near perfect) 30 minutes by the Knights, Brian Smith would have had the Premiership he deserved in 2001. Once again, he couldnt run onto the field and make the tackles that the players missed, he couldnt go on the field and shout the instructions to the team he had just delivered 20 minutes previously. Smith had contributed to Parramatta getting to the Grand Final and in a way he contributed to the defeat, but it was the players that lost that match, not Smith. I could write a book outlining possible reasons for our decline following the fateful 2001 Grand Final, suffice to say the heartbreaking loss, rule changes, a properly enforced salary cap leading to inflated contracts being signed (unless you are the dogs), signing the 2001 5/8 of the year only for him to turn-out terrible, and letting go of the best player in the GF (PJ Marsh) all contributed. Smith had made the decisions that got the team to the 2001 Grand Final and he made the decisions in the three following seasons. He must take the credit for the former and the blame for the latter.
After 2002, 3, 4 it looked like we were heading toward the dark days once more. 2005 loomed like another 1995. But as history has shown, it became another 1998, 1999 and 2001 the archetypal Brian Smith season at Parramatta. Once again Smith had managed to rebuild the side to the point that they would have been clear favourites, had they made the Grand Final. Maybe he was too intense after all, maybe he thought too much about the game, maybe players were not allowed to play instinctively ..it is a mystery to me why Smith had such bad luck. Whether you believe his coaching contributed to Parramatta choking in those big games or not, he never had much luck when it counted.
So we now come to the disastrous 2006 season, where the 2005 minor premiers are staring the spoon in the face. Smith has finally left the club. An unfortunate end to the second most successful 10 year stretch Parramatta fans have ever experienced.
He has polarised opinion. There is deserved criticism of his recruitment and retention policies, but there must be undeniable praise of his ability to produce young talent at the same time. The amount of talent he has brought into the club is amazing. Since he arrived we have become the junior development factory of the NRL. During his reign we have won numerous club championships, minor premierships, made preliminary finals with regularity, and most importantly, more often than not possessed the hope that the team could win a majority of games, most of the time a mere fantasy for me in 1995.
I will remember Brian Smith thus: at the 2001 post-Grand Final meet and greet at Parramatta Stadium, Smith was thanking the fans. I went up to him and thanked him for his efforts that season, lamenting the loss. He looked up, with a smile on his face and saidit was a wild ride though, wasnt it? That, I couldnt deny. Not for the first or last time, a Brian Smith coached Parramatta side had provided me with a season made up of a majority of good times. 1995 has never been revisited under Brian Smith. Even with this seasons setback, he leaves the club infinitely stronger than when he arrived. His legacy will be long lasting, and in my opinion, that legacy will be a positive one.
It was a wild ride Smithy, and from me, please accept my sincere thanks for your efforts at my beloved club. Good luck at the Knights and in the future. Please leave knowing this. For myself and many other Eels fans, you made the people happy.
My formative Rugby League supporting years were the mid-late 80s. I still have hazy memories as a kid cheering on Parra as they won their 4th premiership. However, being in my mid 20s, my clearest memories of Parramatta are the dark days from 1990 to 1995. I cannot recall many fond memories from this era beating Great Britain, beating the Broncos at ANZ, winning our first three games in 1993 coming from behind against the Knights in 1992 We were a once great club on the steady and then rapid decline, to the point that by 1995 we had hit rock bottom second last, save for the fact another club was more mediocre than we were. After the three-win season that was 1995, I could never see the end to Parramattas mediocrity. The promise that one day the club would come good just like in the Golden Era were fading.
I remember first hearing that Brian Smith was possibly coming to Parramatta. From memory I was being driven home from the Parramatta vs Gold Coast match at the stadium. I was a bit unsure of him after his time at St George. The Smith-coached Dragons were never my favourite side to watch. It irritated me that such an unfashionable side had made two Grand Finals and always punched above their weight. Smiths intensity also grated on me. But his record was unavoidable: if he could take a bunch of relative no-names and turn them into a Grand Final team, what could he do to the (massively under-achieving) $9million dollar Eels?
Following the 1996 season I was bitter we missed out on the finals, but excited at the prospect of Smith coaching us next season. Almost straight away he imposed himself on the side, teaching the fundamentals, identifying some great young talent (and some not so great), winning the Club Championship for the first time since the mid 1980s, and making our first finals series since 1986. After 10 years I supported a team that was in the finals. On the other hand he had alienated one or two cult heros from the dark days Chris King and Chris Lawler just like he had done at St George with Tallis and Mackay.
In the 1998 and 1999 seasons that had almost identical endings, Parramatta (and Smith) were desperately unlucky not to make, and then win, the Grand Final on both occasions. The 1998 Preliminary final against the dogs ranks as the saddest day in my sporting memory. Sure, Smith could have not selected Paul Carige, but did that one player lose the game? If Smith could have, he would be out there playing himself. The 1999 preliminary against Melbourne was similarly frustrating, as Jason Smith made break after break, only for the final pass to go to ground. St George supporters were behind me at that game, cheering for Melbourne, because they thought that if the Storm won, Saints would go-on to win the Grand Final such was our favouritism in 1999. The Parramatta players in those two games lost the match, not the coach, and that is sport, but if Parramatta had won one of those Preliminary finals, who knows what could have happened in the next few seasons?
I often think Smith should have walked away after 1999. The club needed to be rebuilt, he had put in three very good years. He would have left the club much stronger than when he arrived. Jack Gibson rarely stayed for more than three season as he believe his effect wore-off. If he had left then, we wouldnt have experienced 2001 or 2005.
The at-times frustrating 2000 season ended in a magical way, which made me truly appreciate Smiths coaching and management of the club for the first time. After the retirement of Dean Pay and a rebuilding season, Smith had managed to blood a crop of brilliant kids, turning the side into a Giant Killer. The finals run that saw us upset the Roosters, Penrith and almost pip eventual Premiers Brisbane was a great experience for me. To see our boys many of them locally produced giving it to more fancied opposition made me very proud to be a Parra fan.
I think 2001 sums-up Brian Smiths time at Parramatta. After a rebuilding period the team became world beaters only to choke at the final hurdle. I think this assessment is true, but is also unfair. If ever a team deserved to win a Grand Final, it was the 2001 Parramatta side. Never has a team dominated the opposition so completely throughout the course of a season. Save for a fateful (and near perfect) 30 minutes by the Knights, Brian Smith would have had the Premiership he deserved in 2001. Once again, he couldnt run onto the field and make the tackles that the players missed, he couldnt go on the field and shout the instructions to the team he had just delivered 20 minutes previously. Smith had contributed to Parramatta getting to the Grand Final and in a way he contributed to the defeat, but it was the players that lost that match, not Smith. I could write a book outlining possible reasons for our decline following the fateful 2001 Grand Final, suffice to say the heartbreaking loss, rule changes, a properly enforced salary cap leading to inflated contracts being signed (unless you are the dogs), signing the 2001 5/8 of the year only for him to turn-out terrible, and letting go of the best player in the GF (PJ Marsh) all contributed. Smith had made the decisions that got the team to the 2001 Grand Final and he made the decisions in the three following seasons. He must take the credit for the former and the blame for the latter.
After 2002, 3, 4 it looked like we were heading toward the dark days once more. 2005 loomed like another 1995. But as history has shown, it became another 1998, 1999 and 2001 the archetypal Brian Smith season at Parramatta. Once again Smith had managed to rebuild the side to the point that they would have been clear favourites, had they made the Grand Final. Maybe he was too intense after all, maybe he thought too much about the game, maybe players were not allowed to play instinctively ..it is a mystery to me why Smith had such bad luck. Whether you believe his coaching contributed to Parramatta choking in those big games or not, he never had much luck when it counted.
So we now come to the disastrous 2006 season, where the 2005 minor premiers are staring the spoon in the face. Smith has finally left the club. An unfortunate end to the second most successful 10 year stretch Parramatta fans have ever experienced.
He has polarised opinion. There is deserved criticism of his recruitment and retention policies, but there must be undeniable praise of his ability to produce young talent at the same time. The amount of talent he has brought into the club is amazing. Since he arrived we have become the junior development factory of the NRL. During his reign we have won numerous club championships, minor premierships, made preliminary finals with regularity, and most importantly, more often than not possessed the hope that the team could win a majority of games, most of the time a mere fantasy for me in 1995.
I will remember Brian Smith thus: at the 2001 post-Grand Final meet and greet at Parramatta Stadium, Smith was thanking the fans. I went up to him and thanked him for his efforts that season, lamenting the loss. He looked up, with a smile on his face and saidit was a wild ride though, wasnt it? That, I couldnt deny. Not for the first or last time, a Brian Smith coached Parramatta side had provided me with a season made up of a majority of good times. 1995 has never been revisited under Brian Smith. Even with this seasons setback, he leaves the club infinitely stronger than when he arrived. His legacy will be long lasting, and in my opinion, that legacy will be a positive one.
It was a wild ride Smithy, and from me, please accept my sincere thanks for your efforts at my beloved club. Good luck at the Knights and in the future. Please leave knowing this. For myself and many other Eels fans, you made the people happy.
