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Wests Tigers' heavy hitters throw weight behind coach
Daniel Lane
Published: July 3, 2013 - 3:00AM
Wests Tigers forwards Adam Blair and Aaron Woods have offered first-year NRL coach Michael Potter their support, with Blair proclaiming Potter had the ''balls'' to make tough calls.
There has been speculation Potter may be replaced next year and that he is offside with star five-eighth Benji Marshall.
''I think he's been thrown straight into the deep end and obviously it doesn't help when a few of your top players are injured and you don't have your full squad on the field,'' Blair said. ''What he's done with those young blokes, he's had the balls to put people into positions they don't normally play or give a young bloke a run that hasn't had a game yet. To do that you have to have confidence. Every coach should be like that. There were kids who had to be thrown in there and he's backed them and given them good opportunities good coaches do that.''
While Blair didn't discuss why Marshall was dropped to the bench in round 10 - it's been suggested he breached a club rule that forbids injured players from drinking alcohol - he thought Potter had proved his mettle. ''That was a tough decision to make,'' he said. ''Obviously Benji is well known, well publicised and to do what he did was a very tough thing to do.''
Blair, who hit form after there was speculation he, too, was set to be punted at season's end, had not forgotten how Potter stood by him when he insisted the Kiwis international was too valuable a player to release to Parramatta or anyone else. ''It gives you confidence when you have your coach sticking up for you,'' he said. ''I have to take my hat off to the coach, he's stuck really tight with me. He knows what I can bring and he made a decision to play me in the middle and that's where I started to played some better footy. It's a simple job. You catch the ball and run hard and tackle hard and that suits me better at this club.''
Woods couldn't understand why anyone would be critical of Potter who, despite a terrible run of injuries, had the team within reach of the top eight. ''I get along with him really well,'' he said. ''I suppose he's finding it hard because he's had to come to the club with none of his own coaching staff, he just got given the job. Obviously he was going to struggle with the first seven losses, but the injury toll was crazy.''
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...throw-weight-behind-coach-20130702-2pa32.html
Interesting comment from Woods about the coaching staff - same as a lot of posters here have noted - Potter needs his own staff, not Sheens leftovers.
Daniel Lane
Published: July 3, 2013 - 3:00AM
Wests Tigers forwards Adam Blair and Aaron Woods have offered first-year NRL coach Michael Potter their support, with Blair proclaiming Potter had the ''balls'' to make tough calls.
There has been speculation Potter may be replaced next year and that he is offside with star five-eighth Benji Marshall.
''I think he's been thrown straight into the deep end and obviously it doesn't help when a few of your top players are injured and you don't have your full squad on the field,'' Blair said. ''What he's done with those young blokes, he's had the balls to put people into positions they don't normally play or give a young bloke a run that hasn't had a game yet. To do that you have to have confidence. Every coach should be like that. There were kids who had to be thrown in there and he's backed them and given them good opportunities good coaches do that.''
While Blair didn't discuss why Marshall was dropped to the bench in round 10 - it's been suggested he breached a club rule that forbids injured players from drinking alcohol - he thought Potter had proved his mettle. ''That was a tough decision to make,'' he said. ''Obviously Benji is well known, well publicised and to do what he did was a very tough thing to do.''
Blair, who hit form after there was speculation he, too, was set to be punted at season's end, had not forgotten how Potter stood by him when he insisted the Kiwis international was too valuable a player to release to Parramatta or anyone else. ''It gives you confidence when you have your coach sticking up for you,'' he said. ''I have to take my hat off to the coach, he's stuck really tight with me. He knows what I can bring and he made a decision to play me in the middle and that's where I started to played some better footy. It's a simple job. You catch the ball and run hard and tackle hard and that suits me better at this club.''
Woods couldn't understand why anyone would be critical of Potter who, despite a terrible run of injuries, had the team within reach of the top eight. ''I get along with him really well,'' he said. ''I suppose he's finding it hard because he's had to come to the club with none of his own coaching staff, he just got given the job. Obviously he was going to struggle with the first seven losses, but the injury toll was crazy.''
This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...throw-weight-behind-coach-20130702-2pa32.html
Interesting comment from Woods about the coaching staff - same as a lot of posters here have noted - Potter needs his own staff, not Sheens leftovers.
