Jessica Halloran: Wehbe more than a mind coach to some footballers

Joe Wehbe has been described as many things: a property developer, a secret mentor and football whisperer. “He has a bit magic about him,” said one assistant NRL coach. But not everyone is convinced.

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On Old Kings Oval the Parramatta Eels ran sets of six — blindfolded.

Yes, blindfolded.

Mind coach Joe Wehbe was the man behind the exercise back in 2011.

On other occasions since he’s instructed footy players to weave through trees in a park blindfolded.

But Wehbe is more than a mind coach to some footballers.

Wehbe is the man who’s been providing friendly counsel to Tim Mannah as he weighs up whether to leave the Eels after 233 games.

Trainer Joe Wehbe talks with Ben Hunt. The Brisbane Broncos training at Red Hill. Picture: Peter Wallis

Wehbe is also the man who steers the mind of Roosters star James Tedesco. They chat twice a week, for around 15 minutes. It’s a necessity for Tedesco to get his mindset right for game day.

And who did Israel Folau consult was deciding his next move after posting his latest gays must burn in “hell” Instagram post? Yes, Wehbe was there as a friend and confidant for the embattled rugby star.

Wehbe has been described as many things: a property developer, a secret mentor, a life coach, touch footy guru, an energy reader, mind reader, peak performance coach, super fan and football whisperer.

“He has a bit magic about him,” said one assistant NRL coach.

But not everyone is convinced.

Wehbe talks with Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt. Picture: Peter Wallis

One source says Wehbe is rumoured to be sitting on a $250 million fortune. It’s even been said he wanted to buy the Manly Sea Eagles. “He wanted to coach them, that’s why he wanted to buy them,” an NRL source said. “He’s control freak.”

It all seems extraordinary. This hope to buy the Sea Eagles can’t be confirmed — Wehbe politely declined an interview with this columnist via text message.

What is a fact is that while Wehbe may be a very secretive individual, his ascent in the NRL now cannot be hidden.

And such is his influence these days, Wehbe is driving a wedge between a handful of big-name footy players and powerful player manager Isaac Moses.

Webhe and Moses are duelling it out in the Supreme Court over a business fallout.

This column understands Moses himself threw all his faith in Wehbe years ago.

Wehbe, just like he guides footballers, ‘mind coached’ Moses at times too, but today the two are no longer on talking terms.

Moses did not return phone calls to comment.

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Wehbe, like fellow NRL ‘whisperer’ Bradley Charles Stubbs, has a very unconventional approach to high performance and, like most ‘whisperers’, has no formal psychological qualifications.

Nevertheless, Wehbe has made quite a name for himself — even though most clubs he has appeared on the training paddock with haven’t renewed his consultancy.

He first appeared in Australian rugby league clubs on the recommendation of Stephen Kearney — first at the Eels and then at the Broncos.

Back when Kearney was at the Broncos, and Wayne Bennett was in charge. Wehbe emerged as a ‘peak performance coach’. He oversaw training session at the Broncos where he ran along the field and was heard to scream; “trust the ball” over and over again.

Lately, even last weekend, he’s been hovering around the Eels in a very unofficial role.

Parramatta officials recently learnt that Wehbe has been taking private training sessions with players. But what was concerning for them that he recently took a training session involving a handful of players from their reserve grade team.

Upon being informed of Wehbe’s involvement with Parramatta’s reserve grade side by this column, the Eels are now going to investigate more to see what has been going on.

“No sporting club should ever allow an outside coach to influence the players without being part of the coaching staff. You wouldn’t let a physio or another doctor in without oversight from the chief medical officer,” an NRL club source said.

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Wehbe. Picture: Peter Wallis

Still some of the biggest names in the game sing in his praises. Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans said Wehbe had given him “clarity” to be not only a good footy player but person. Mannah has said Wehbe has had a “huge, positive impact” on and off the field for himself.

The Tedesco and Tom Trbojevic have talked him up in a similar way too.

Those close to Wehbe say his secret is that he gets players feeling relaxed and confident about the job at hand. He is less about upping the workload and stress and more about getting players to “relax and enjoy” their football.

But this “less work more relaxing” grates with some coaches.

What has also alarmed some coaches and officials is the fact he enmeshes himself with players. They think he gets so inside their heads that they feel they can’t play without talking to him. Wehbe is often heavily involved in all aspects of their lives including selling them property.

“He makes every player he comes in contact with depend on him so much for real estate to personal issues, to rugby league to feel like they can’t survive without him,” said one source.

Wehbe was also at the centre of one enormous footy blow-up in 2017.

Early that year the Wests Tigers board learnt that Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses were all having regular sessions with ‘mind coach’ Wehbe. Tedesco and Woods were going as far as having phone conversations with Wehbe in the change rooms.

These players, and their manager Isaac Moses, thought Wehbe was so brilliant that the Wests Tigers had to employ him on the staff as mind/performance coach, as well as his offsider, massage therapist Anthony Carbone. It was problematic on a number of levels including the fact that Carbone’s advice often contradicted the club’s physiotherapist.

The Wests Tigers weren’t convinced to employ the duo and what happened next was chaos. They threatened to leave as a group.

With no job at the Tigers, several sources say Wehbe stopped returning the calls of players who heavily relied on him mentally to perform on game day. One player in particular suffered immensely and it showed.

“It was like watching the walking dead on the field,” said an observer.

Taylor wouldn’t recover from his players’ push for Wehbe and Carbone.

History now tells us that Taylor would be sacked, Woods would go to the Dogs, Tedesco to the Roosters and Moses to the Eels.

Wehbe likes to do things his way.

And while Wehbe is not an accredited player manager — yet — with the influence he holds over a few stars of the game, who knows what could happen next?