The person most under pressure at your NRL club as season 2016 nears
WITH the 2016 season fast approaching, we’ve taken a look at the man most under pressure at all 16 NRL clubs. We name the coaches and players who simply can’t afford to stuff anything up.
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THEY say that sport doesn’t build character, it reveals it and that’s certainly true of the high-stakes world of the NRL.
The best in the business thrive when the lights are brightest and an ability to execute under pressure and scrutiny is what seperates the best from the rest.
With the 2016 season fast approaching, we’ve taken a look at the man most under pressure at all 16 NRL clubs.
Coaches and players alike are sweating on success in 2016.
Will they rise to the challenge or crack when the heat is on?
We’ll start to get some of those answers in less than a week.
WESTS TIGERS: JASON TAYLOR
It’s easy to pick on the coach, but the board’s faith in Taylor will be tested should the Tigers get off to a sluggish start. Keith Galloway, Marty Taupau and Pat Richards have departed, and when Farah was told to move on, fans had little patience with Taylor.
To a lesser extent, Farah and Ballin have plenty to prove. The former needs to repay the faith shown by the fans, and the latter the faith shown in him by Taylor and the club’s board to recruit him in the first place.
BRISBANE BRONCOS: JAMES ROBERTS
He was granted his wish to get out of the Gold Coast. Now he not only has to fill the boots of Hodges but prove that Bennett made the right call by exchanging Roberts for Roosters-bound Dale Copley.
The Broncos put plenty of work into Copley and many of his teammates were not happy to see him go. But the day the 2015 Dally M centre of the year joined the Broncos, Bennett immediately likened his potential to that of club legend Steve Renouf. But Roberts remains a risky signing because of his history of letting himself down.
MANLY SEA EAGLES: DALY CHERRY-EVANS
Given the circus that surrounded his protracted contract negotiations last season which resulted in him originally signing with Gold Coast before reneging to stay at Manly, it is little wonder the spotlight will be firmly on the Eagles halfback.
Not only did he face plenty of criticism for his backflip, his form suffered to the extent that he lost his bench spot to Ben Hunt in the Queensland Origin squad and now has some ground to make up to win it back. He also won’t have scrumbase partner Foran to lean on for support. But Cherry-Evans remains an outstanding player and the additional responsibility this season may just bring out the best in him.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS: MICHAEL MAGUIRE
The hard-nosed approach of Maguire which was so successful in 2014 came under fire last season when some internal cracks started to appear as results tapered off. The rumour mill suggested some players had grown tired of his regimented structures and the intensity of his training sessions.
Maguire’s more-than-casual interest in the vacant coaching job at the Knights towards the end of last season only added fuel to the speculation that all was not well. He eventually quashed the rumours by publicly committing himself to the Rabbitohs but the question marks remain about his hold on the players. Early results will go a long way to dispelling doubts.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS: BENJI MARSHALL
It just goes with the territory with Benji. He has been such a great player that fans still expect him to deliver a piece of brilliance and be just as influential on the field as he always has been.
The reality is the 30-year-old playmaker’s bag of tricks is not bulging like it used to and his form this season may well determine how long he remains in the NRL. He is off contract at the end of the season and speculation is rife the club is chasing Cooper Cronk. Youngster Drew Hutchison will also be snapping at his heels looking for his chance at the top.
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS: ANDREW McFADDEN
His position at the helm was already under the spotlight following his side’s meek surrender at the back end of last season but it must have felt like a blowtorch had been applied the moment news filtered across the Tasman during the off-season that former Warriors coach Ivan Cleary had been dumped by the Panthers.
McFadden still has two seasons to run on his contract but that will be cold comfort should his side fail to get out of the blocks quickly with Cleary waiting in the wings. In his favour is the quality of his squad, which has been boosted by his big-name recruits. If he can’t get the job done with this roster, there’s a strong argument he’d be better off pursuing another profession.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS: TRENT HODKINSON
Squeezed out at the Dogs due to salary cap pressure, the current NSW Blues halfback faces one hell of a challenge at his new club. Gone is the monster pack he played behind at Canterbury and as a result he won’t find himself on the front foot quite as frequently. Hodkinson won’t win you a game with his brilliance but the Knights have been crying out for a halfback with a good kicking game and the ability to steer the team around the park while under pressure.
This bloke fits the bill as well as anyone in the NRL but there will be high expecta-tions from supporters? Brown will be desperately hoping Hodkinson’s combination with Mullen works and that both remain healthy. Then maybe the Knights can seriously challenge for a place in the eight.
PARRAMATTA EELS: BRAD ARTHUR
Moving into his third full season at the helm of the Eels, Arthur will know better than anyone else he needs results if he is to keep the wolves from his door.
Highly regarded by his players, Arthur has had great success wherever he has coached but after 10th and 12th-placed finishes with the Eels in 2014 and 2015 respectively, another dismal season will be difficult to down play. In his defence, he has had myriad salary cap issues to deal with but now finally appears to have a squad on paper that should get the job done for him. Time will tell.
CRONULLA SHARKS: BEN BARBA
Who else? This bloke has been under pressure to perform since he won the Dally M medal with the Dogs in his breakout season in 2012. At his very best, he is a match-winner and we all saw glimpses of what he is capable of at various times off the bench last season when Flanagan threw him on with the simple instructions to “change the game”.
The question Sharks fans are asking is: Can he find those match-winning qualities consistently or is his role from now on simply going to be as an impact player? Only Barba can answer that.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS: JACKSON HASTINGS
The entire team will be left to carry the can in Pearce’s absence, especially young Hastings. Last year if Pearce was out, Maloney took control. Now Hastings has to step up on his own. Hastings is likely to find himself partnered with Jayden Nikorima for the opening round clash against Souths.
That would make them the least-experienced halves pairing in the comp. But Brad Fittler recently gave Hastings a huge vote of confidence, declaring the 20-year-old will thrive with the responsibility.
NORTH QLD COWBOYS: JOHNATHAN THURSTON
The pressure is only on because he made it that way. Year after year, he just gets better and better. But how much longer can it go on? Thurston turns 33 in April and only recently indicated he feels like he is just starting to tap into his true potential. “I know I’m only contracted for another two years but I’m enjoying my footy that much that I’ll be keen to go beyond that,” Thurston said.
Australia’s oldest Test player was Sandy Pearce at 38, while Petero Civoniceva holds Queensland’s Origin record at 36. From what we all saw last year, Thurston has a few good years in front of him. But remember, no playmaker puts himself in the firing line more than this bloke. Eventually it has to take its toll, or will he never slow down?
CANBERRA RAIDERS: AIDAN SEZER
They have been saying for some time now this guy could be anything. A good organiser with an outstanding kicking game, he has had some rotten injuries along the way but the fact is he turns 25 in June. Sezer played five-eighth at the Titans but will move into the No.7 jumper at the Raiders and he should be the perfect foil for the unpredictable Austin.
After four years at the Gold Coast, he was gift-wrapped to Ricky Stuart when the Titans looked to have snared Daly Cherry-Evans before the famous backflip. Sezer will have plenty of pressure on him from Sam Williams, but he could prove to be one of the most significant Canberra signings in years.
MELBOURNE STORM: COOPER CRONK
Is all the speculation right? Will Cronk be on the move at the end of the season? One thing is certain, the outstanding halfback has a huge decision to make regarding his future. Off contract at season’s end, he can either finish his career in Melbourne or follow his heart and move to Sydney to be closer to partner and Fox Sports presenter Tara Rushton.
The Dragons and Rabbitohs are sniffing around but the Storm are not about to let him walk without a fight. The longer he takes to make a decision, the more pressure he will be under. Storm fans and Bellamy won’t want it to play on his mind and affect his form.
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS: MOSES MBYE
You don’t let the current NSW halfback walk unless you have someone ready to step into his shoes.
The boom on this kid has been around for a while. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy threw plenty at him towards the end of last season in a bid to entice him to Melbourne before he re-signed with the Dogs. The jury remains out on whether he has the kicking game or the ability to steer the team around as effectively as Hodkinson has for the past few seasons.
PENRITH PANTHERS: JAMIE SOWARD
Is there a more maligned player in the NRL? He was one of the driving forces behind the Panthers’ finals charge in 2014, producing some of the best form of his career. But when things went pear-shaped for the club last season, so did Soward’s influence. So much so there were suggestions in some quarters he was being shopped around to rival clubs.
It was denied and nothing eventuated and he has stayed put, but the pressure on him has only intensified with the mooted move by coach Griffin of Moylan from fullback into the halves. That leaves Soward in a two-way battle with Peter Wallace for the halfback spot.
GOLD COAST TITANS: NEIL HENRY
In 27 games in over a season and a bit as head coach, Henry has won just 10 matches for a winning strike rate of 37 per cent. They are hardly the sort of numbers that generate confidence about longevity. To be fair to Henry, the club has been in disarray virtually from the moment he took over from John Cartwright towards the end of the 2014 season.
Their off-field financial woes were compounded by the drugs crisis that left a cloud over the players at the start of last season. Henry then thought he had snared a marquee signing in Daly Cherry-Evans, only to see him backflip and stay at Manly. Henry needs time. The question is, will he be afforded it.
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