Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
Like bad coins, struggling coaches are hard to get rid of, albeit somewhat more expensive say the accountants.
Making it doubly hard is they are usually a little smarter than those who employ them, and considerably more cunning.
As eight NRL clubs head into their final game of the season this weekend word is already going around about who needs to show substantial improvement next season and whose time as head coach is fast being determined by early season successes, whether they know so or not.
With coaching being the cut-throat business that it is nowadays, more than a few are nervous.
Some clubs are subtly justifying their own governance by fuelling these rumours that the head coach is on notice, suggesting they are willing to grant a start next season to see if the coach can turn it around.
Yet it could be their great mistake.
A coach on notice is one of the great failings of management in this game but it remains astounding how often clubs will put a deadline on success on their coach, whether they make it public or not, and believe it will come up trumps.
Already some are saying that St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has only 10 rounds or so next season to show signs of life in the Dragons or his time will be done and the Dragons will be in the market for a new coach.
Similar words are being expressed about Newcastle’s Adam O’Brien and Manly coach Des Hasler, which might have a deeper undercurrent than just performance. A power grab is currently on at the Sea Eagles, and Hasler is unwilling to secede.
The dangers of a mid-season deadline run deeper than whether a coach will continue to meet his mortgage payments.
The obvious counter argument to this right now will come from hardy Tigers supporters who a year ago were having the same conversation now that the Dragons or Knights or Manly fans are having, after hearing Maguire was gone over the summer, then retained, then had to show some early season improvement to retain his job.
They will argue the pain from this year could have been avoided if only the Tigers had made the decision over the summer instead of waiting 12 rounds in to sack Michael Maguire.
Sacking Maguire mid-season was a disaster, the Tigers able to win only one more game in the 12 games since, compared to the three won under him.
It basically did nothing else but put the Wests Tigers rebuild off a further year.
