Crawley Files: Arsene Wenger’s words ring true for NRL coaches
THIS time last year, Phil Gould hailed Trent Barrett as the game’s next “supercoach”. Now he is fighting for his future.
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ARSENE Wenger, the English Premier League’s oldest manager, offered up this piece of wisdom that sporting coaches the world over can relate to.
It was just before Wenger’s 67th birthday, more than a year before the Frenchman finally announced he would step down at the end of this season after 22 years at Arsenal.
Wenger conceded he was worried about the thought that one day he might have to stop.
“Nobody lives a whole life by being motivated by the next game, stops suddenly and goes to church every day,” Wenger said.
“If God exists, one day I go up there and he will ask: ‘Do you want to come in? What have you done with your life?’
“And the only answer I will have is: ‘I tried to win football games’.
“He will say: ‘Is that all you have done?’
“And the only answer I will have is: ‘It’s not as easy at is looks.’”
Dragons coach Paul McGregor laughed when I told him this. McGregor can laugh.
He’s winning.
I had called to see if he had a story about his former teammate Trent Barrett. Perhaps something from their playing days that could relate to the challenge Barrett’s facing at Manly right now.
But as sometimes happens, the conversation skipped around until we were back talking about the challenge every coach faces on a weekly week.
“It is true, I will tell you,” McGregor said about Wenger’s comment that chasing victory is the beginning and end of a coach’s existence.
“Every week is a challenge.
“Like, you play the Warriors in New Zealand. Then you play the Roosters five days later on Anzac Day. Then the next game you’ve got is the Storm.”
Which is this Sunday, when McGregor’s ladder leaders St George Illawarra host Craig Bellamy’s reigning premiers Melbourne.
While the Dragons have started the season with seven wins from their first eight games, McGregor has learned from experience that it can all turn on a dime.
Like it has done for Barrett at Manly.
This time last year, Phil Gould hailed Barrett as the game’s next “supercoach”.
Now Barrett is fighting for his future.
Yet when you think about the situation Barrett is in with all the drama surrounding Jackson Hastings, if Manly beat Trent Robinson’s Sydney Roosters on Sunday, who do you think the spotlight will be on next week?
Robinson came into the season in charge of the premiership favourites. Yet so far the arrivals of Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco have not consistently delivered what everyone was expecting.
Especially when you take into account the difference Mitchell Pearce made at Newcastle before his injury.
Up in North Queensland, Paul Green just can’t seem to find the answer for a side that last year made the grand final without Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
This weekend the Cowboys take on Penrith, whose coach Anthony Griffin was the man many believed would be the first sacked this year if the Panthers didn’t start as well as they have.
Dean Pay took over at Canterbury and was expected to fix the problems Des Hasler was blamed for. Yet this season the Bulldogs are scoring less points than last year.
You think about their squad: Australian Test props David Klemmer and Aaron Woods, Josh Jackson, Kieran Foran, the Morris twins, Will Hopoate, Moses Mbye.
Is it really that bad a roster, or is that a story for next week?
Tonight the Bulldogs take on Brisbane, where Wayne Bennett has his own issues. The same age as Wenger, Bennett still has to constantly justify his position.
Two weeks ago it was Brad Arthur hogging the headlines before Parramatta scored back-to-back wins.
You ask McGregor what it is that drives him to be a part of this. He admits the motivation is this simple: he loves it.
Like they all do.
And that reminded McGregor of a story he had about Barrett.
“Allan McMahon was the coach (of Illawarra in 1996) and we were playing North Queensland in North Queensland and our reserve grade were playing,” McGregor said.
“Allan said to me, ‘Mate, I want you come and watch this kid play. I’m thinking of picking him next week.’
“I went, ‘How old is he?’
“He said, “He’s only young, but he’s got it’.
“So I watched it. The first thing he did with the ball was pretty special. Then he chipped and chased and regathered. Then he whacked someone.
“Obviously, he was a reasonable-sized kid, but he was only skinny then.
“Anyway, I went into Macca before we played and I said, ‘Can he play today?’
“That’s how good Trent was.
“The week after, he actually played against Penrith and got head-highed with one of his first touches of the ball. And he bounced to his feet in five seconds ready to go again.”
McGregor’s message being: while Barrett appears down for the count, don’t count him out.
Whether it be playing or coaching, it’s the tough times that make winning so much more enjoyable for these men who help give us all so much to look forward to every weekend.
Even though they all can’t be winning at the one time.
A MATCH MADE IN PENRITH
WE’VE all heard about the bromance between David Klemmer and Aaron Woods.
Well, here’s the latest involving the man with the Freddie Mercury moustache and his new neighbour.
Now please don’t take this the wrong way, but when Reagan Campbell-Gillard was househunting in Penrith, they reckon he couldn’t believe his luck when he found a place right next door to Trent Merrin.
Since then, the two have started travelling to Panthers training together and now they’re packing down together in the front row.
The way they are going, who knows if these two might take it to the next level and end up as NSW roommates in the coming weeks.
Campbell-Gillard is a deadset certainty to win a spot in Brad Fittler’s team if he stays injury free.
Luke Lewis even described Campbell-Gillard as Penrith’s new “Mark Geyer” on NRL 360 this week.
Himself one of the toughest and best forwards of the modern era, Lewis said: “I love his aggression. He always tries to come up with the big play.
“For me, he is the new Mark Geyer … a rough-nut who loves to mix it up.”
But while Merrin is a different style of prop, you saw it last week when he stood up to Klemmer that he won’t take a backward step either.
Anyone who is keeping James Tamou on the bench is doing a fair job, and the balance between their games is proving successful.
Tomorrow night they’re up against a North Queensland pack who have everything to prove.
Merrin hasn’t played for NSW since 2015 but he’s still only 28.
While Campbell-Gillard thoroughly deserves all the accolades he’s getting, it’s hard to believe Merrin’s own form isn’t gaining more recognition in the NSW selection debate
CARR-RIFIC
MELBOURNE flyer Josh Addo-Carr is the most exciting winger in the game.
Well, make that the most exciting winger available for NSW.
The 22-year-old has scored three tries in his past three games to be on eight for the season, second only to the Warriors’ David Fusitu’a, who has bagged 10.
And the try Addo-Carr scored last week when he took a settler from dummy-half from inside his own 20m and beat five Warriors defenders is exactly why he has to be in the NSW team this year.
Addo-Carr scored six tries in nine games playing for Wests Tigers and has now crossed for 31 in 35 games for the Storm.
TOUGH BLOKE
PETER Wallace is back from injury to play his 100th game for Penrith in the match against North Queensland.
The 32-year-old will become just the 25th player to crack the NRL century for rival clubs on the back of the 139 games he played for Brisbane.
It was a shame Wallace missed out on playing for NSW last year due to injury.
But while he only played four games for the Blues, pound-for-pound the Penrith skipper has proven himself to be one of the toughest players of his generation.
POINT PERSON
THE Roosters have been starved for points in recent weeks, which makes you wonder why they don’t find a way to get more ball to Latrell Mitchell.
Fox Sports Stats show that in 186 minutes of football, Mitchell has been the only scorer for the Roosters since Ryan Matterson’s try in round six against South Sydney.
Mitchell scored the only try in the 6-0 win over the Bulldogs and on Anzac Day scored their only points in the loss to St George Illawarra.
As big a match as this is for Manly on Sunday, the Roosters are under just as much pressure from their own fans to get things moving along.
THUMBS UP
GOOD luck to Penrith forward Tim Browne, who announced his retirement this week after a freak bowel injury.
The 30-year-old suffered the career-ending injury while playing in the Intrust Super Premiership in March. He was rushed to hospital and remained in intensive care for two days.
Browne said he made the call after a series of unusual injuries in recent years that included a fractured skull and a knee infection which almost cost him his leg due to a bug in the ANZ Stadium turf.
“I just don’t think I could do it to myself or my family anymore,” Browne said.
All up, Browne played 103 NRL games for Canterbury and Penrith and now plans to continue studying while working for the Panthers’ media department.
Good luck to him.
THUMBS DOWN
HOW in the world didn’t the NRL’s match review committee charge Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans for an alleged eye-gouge on the Knights’ Jamie Buhrer last weekend.
It claimed there was not sufficient evidence despite the fact it was caught on camera.
Buhrer’s immediate reaction and that after the game was conclusive proof something had gone on.
Even though Cherry-Evans is one of Buhrer’s best mates, that should not enter the conversation.
This is just another example of the NRL treating everyone as mugs.
Apparently, he received a warning. Fair dinkum.
What will be the outcome if it happens again?
Will it just be left to slide because Cherry-Evans wasn’t charged this time?
Cherry-Evans is not a dirty player, but that was a rotten look for the game and even worse for the Manly captain.
Originally published as Crawley Files: Arsene Wenger’s words ring true for NRL coaches
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