Will's lucky side
Joe Barton
06Sep07
http://www.manlydaily.com.au/article/2007/09/06/6272_sports.html
Manly's secret charm, sports statistician Will Badel at work.
THIS is the man who is quietly working behind the scenes as the Sea Eagles lucky charm in their drive towards breaking an 11-year premiership drought.
Young Manly statistician Will Badel has a record to envy any NRL player.
In 2002 he worked with the Roosters; they won the premiership.
The following year he headed to the mountains and watched the Panthers stun the league to claim the title.
Two years later West Tigers coach Tim Sheens asked Badel for a lending hand in their incredible rise to the 2005 premiership.
With this healthy pattern behind him, Badel is now hoping to land the 2007 crown on the northern beaches.
``It's been a great year, everyone says you can't get ahead of yourself . . . now the main games start,'' he said this week while helping plot the game-plan to eliminate the Rabbitohs.
``Basically I am a personal assistant to the coaching staff. Anything they need, they come to me and I cut it all up on the video.''
NRL Stats boss Andrew Moufarrige identified Badel as the key man working alongside Hasler and assistant coaches Dennis Moore and Geoff Toovey.
``He's taken a lot of the load off Des this year, and he'll have a huge role in the plays that the team will run during the week and what the gameplan will be,'' Moufarrige said of Badel.
``He's got plenty of experience in the finals. He's like an assistant coach to Dessie, he is an expert with the video. You can see the improvement since he's been there.''
But while Hasler is getting the praise he rightly deserves, and the players are receiving all the plaudits, Badel sits in a dark room and dissects the opposition.
``I'm hidden away . . . that's for sure, there was a constant gag about guys like me at my old workplace where we said `Just chuck them in the office, close the door and throw away the key and they'll be fine','' Badel said.
``Overall it is all about efficiency - I give them more time to coach out on the field. I personally think that kind of interaction out there is massive.
``If I can maximise the time that they can have that interaction, by spending all my time in here, then that's my role.
