Back ’em or sack ’em: Griffin’s predicament a bad situation

Truly? There are only three kinds of coaches: those who have been sacked, those who will be sacked, and Wayne Bennett.

As I noted in a column on Thursday, Bennett is extraordinary for many things, not least his longevity. And yes, he’s been sacked or moved on two or three times in his long career – which now spans six decades, starting in the late 70s – but he has always bounced back.

The Dragons’ Anthony Griffin, meantime, fills the first two categories all on his own right now. He is a coach who has been sacked, and – in my view – will be sacked. As I have also written, that much was obvious when just three Dragons turned up at an end-of-season awards night, following an underwhelming season.

“Back when Anthony Griffin was appointed Dragons coach,” I wrote, “this column made several unkind remarks about how it was never going to work, and [now] you have the proof. It is a club in free-fall and the incoming chair can either move Griffin on now or wait until a few matches into the season when disaster has already befallen them.”

(Cue Billy Birmingham in the 12th Man: “I am sorry everyone, I am just going to have to go with me on this one.”)

What I don’t get is the way the Dragons did it. Instead of bowing to the obvious and saying it – “This ain’t working, and we’ve already called you a taxi” – this week they announced Griffin will have to reapply for his position, and applications are open for others. Translation: “We have had it, after one win, one loss, and one bye this season, but the wherewithal to say it we just can’t muster, so bluster will do.”

Anthony Griffin will need to dust off his resume if he wants to keep his job at the Dragons.Credit:Getty

For me, it is a textbook example of how NOT to do it.

You either “back ’em, or sack ’em”. From the moment you say, “we are backing him now, but will sack him shortly,” you are exacerbating all the problems that helped get the coach into this position in the first place. You make him a lame-duck coach and all but guarantee that, bar miracles – see David Nucifora with the Brumbies in 2004, despite having got his public marching orders months earlier – the whole thing will collapse.

In similar fashion, New Zealand Rugby announced this week that the incumbent All Blacks coach, Ian Foster, will be replaced after the World Cup by Scott Robertson. It is the right move. But announcing it now, and publicly cutting off the incumbent coach at the knees, right before the World Cup is Madness 101!

Back ’em, or sack ’em. Doing a bit of both is namby-pamby nonsense, not leadership.

Big Mal reminisces on Wayne

As to this week’s already mentioned column on Bennett which included a match program from the 1979 Brisbane Rugby League grand final sent in by kind reader Tim Wilson, I reached out to the great Mal Meninga and Wally Lewis for their own memories of Wayne Bennett in the early days, over four decades ago. Though Mal’s response didn’t come before the presses rolled, his perspective was fascinating.

“The early days from ’77 to ’84, Bennett was learning his craft,” the Kangaroos coach wrote. “I remember he had great mentors through those years like Jack Gibson and his right-hand man, the coach whisperer, Ron Massey. In 1984, he learnt a valuable lesson for life about having tough, uncompromising players in his team.

“We got beaten comfortably again in ’84. He then recruited players like Norm Carr, Chris Phelan, John Elias into an already star-studded team and turned a grand final loss into a character-infused victory in 1985.

The Brisbane Rugby League grand final program from 1979.

“I think he believes that was a turning point in his coaching career. Teams are built on character and substance first, then talent, just like his Dolphin team.”

And, no doubt, that is the blueprint that Meninga himself uses now with the Kangaroos. It is worth repeating.

“Teams are built on character and substance first, then talent.”

Row your boat well, just watch out for the ducks

It was a pleasure and a privilege this week to go out on Sydney Harbour at dawn with the rowing teams of St Ignatius College, as they prepare for the Head of the River on the Nepean, today. As the sun came up over the Bridge, and Sydney slowly came to life, their power, passion and precision – and the beauty of the whole scene – would make a brown dog weep.

For what it’s worth, in my subsequent remarks over breakfast in their boathouse, my theme was less on the importance of winning and more on savouring the joy of what they are doing, and that they should invoke the spirit of Bobby Pearce, from the Spit, who competed at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928.

See, as I noted in this column yonks back, in the quarterfinals of the sculling competition our Bobby was rowing powerfully against the Frenchman, Vincent Saurin. He had the wind in his hair, the sun on his back, and every prospect of recording another impressive win. Then he heard it …

Even through his rhythmic and stylish exertion and the sound of his own roaring breathing, he could distinguish an added edge to the roar of the crowd lining the banks up ahead. Risking a quick gander, he turned his head and immediately saw what they were on about.

There, about 40 metres away and right in his path — but not in Saurin’s — was Mother Duck and perhaps six little ducklings, who had chosen that very moment to go for their late morning constitutional.

Bobby Pearce didn’t hesitate. One can’t actually hit the brakes while sculling, but he did do the next best thing, which was to let his oars linger in the water to slow his boat down, and so allow the family of ducks safe passage.

He then resumed his powerful strokes, and went on to win the race and later, the gold medal, being warmly commended by all and sundry for his very humane and compassionate gesture. The kids of Amsterdam, particularly, took him to their heart and followed him around for the rest of the Games as if he was the Pied Piper.

The story has a postscript. Sixty-odd years after the event, when Bobby had already been in his grave for at least two decades a member of his family added one small detail to this well-loved story:

“Father was a sympathetic and humane person,” Olympic historian Harry Gordon quoted his son, Rupert. “But he was extremely competitive. If the race had been close, he would have gone right through those ducks like a Mac truck.”

Good luck to all teams in the Head of the River today. Whatever happens, savour the flavour, and enjoy it!

Sherrock makes nine-dart history

Perhaps you didn’t notice, but this week, Fallon Sherrock, an English professional became the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish in Professional Darts Corporation – whatever that is – history. I am told it means she was able to achieve 501 points with the minimum nine darts.

Mostly, women compete separately from men in professional darts competitions, despite the sport not being a measure of strength. But Fallon has been making her way, taking the men head-on and is going really well, gathering strength as she goes and attracting lots of female fans particularly, who turn up wearing blonde wigs and pink shorts in her honour!

It’s been a tough start for Tim Sheens.Credit:Getty

What They Said

Tim Sheens when it was pointed out that he wouldn’t be coaching the West Tigers if Cameron Ciraldo had taken the job: “Sometimes I wished he did.”

Melbourne Storm’s Christian Welch after their loss to, of all teams, the Titans: “I think we’re one of the best teams, in the last couple of weeks, at doing stupid shit.”

“I don’t know what a textbook hip-drop tackle is, but that looked like one.” Damien Cook tells the Herald he was unhappy with a tackle executed by the Roosters’ Victor Radley on Cook’s team-mate Shaquai Mitchell, which saw the latter likely out for eight weeks from injury.

Young Bulldog and rising star Jacob Kiraz – a Test winger with the Lebanese side – who is now atop the Dally M leaderboard, after a peripatetic early career which saw him initially leaving Canterbury twice, before returning last year: “My mum and dad, when I left home as a young kid, it’s not really common in our culture to leave home. It means the world to my brothers, my sisters, all my cousins are all Bulldogs fans. I’ve moved back into my old bedroom and I won’t be moving now until I’m married.”

Bryan Fletcher, on The Late Show with Matty Johns: “I don’t believe they landed on the moon.” The mind, seriously, boggles! Though smiling, Matty Johns told the audience they had had to show Fletcher satellite photos of the earth to convince him it isn’t flat. Fletcher more or less conceded it is round, so there is hope.

Irish rugby captain Johnny Sexton after they won the Six Nations Grand Slam, beating all five opponents: “Honestly, I couldn’t make it up. It’s like living in a dream – I’m actually worried I’m going to wake up in the morning. To come here and get a win on St Patrick’s weekend, it’s unbelievable. What a day. Unbelievable.”

Waratahs coach Darren Coleman after their loss to the Hurricanes: “Let’s be honest. Although they scored that run of points in that period, the rest of the game, you don’t need to be Einstein to know we weren’t at our best. It’s more than that.”

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly unimpressed with what he saw against Everton: “Shit f—ing game.” I think he sounds sincere.

Waratahs head coach Darren Coleman during last week’s loss to the Brumbies.Credit:Getty Images

Scott Robertson being named as All Blacks coach following the World Cup: “It’s an honour to be named as the next All Blacks Head Coach.” How to cut the incumbent coach off at the knees, at one stroke. (See item.)

“I was in New York with the missus. I stayed in the [Plaza] hotel. You could get some mad room service, like 16 scoops of ice-cream. Like what [Macaulay Culkin] got in the film.” England soccer player Jack Grealish on taking the Home Alone 2 deal during his Christmas holiday, whereby punters can do as Culkin did and even order “a sundae of 16 scoops of ice-cream, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, M&Ms, brownie bits, chocolate, caramel and raspberry sauce.”

Fairleigh Dickinson University coach Tobin Anderson after his 16th-seeded side defeated the No.1-seeded Purdue in NCAA Basketball’s March Madness: “If we played them 100 times, they’d probably beat us 99 times. Play them 100 times, we have one win. But tonight’s the one we had to be unique, we had to be unorthodox. We had to make it tough on them, just be different.”

Jack Grealish at the FIFA World Cup.Credit:Getty

Shohei Ohtani – who the NYT calls a “two-way phenomenon,” for his ability at both pitching and hitting – fires up his Japanese team-mates in the dressing room before playing the USA in the World Baseball Classic in Miami: “Let’s stop admiring them. If you admire them, you can’t surpass them. We came here to surpass them, to reach the top. For one day, let’s throw away our admiration for them and just think about winning.” And they did, beating the Americans to take the title!

USA Manager Mark DeRosa after Ohtani struck out Angels’ team-mate Mark Trout for the final out: “The baseball world won tonight.” Someone had to say it!

Team of the Week

Parramatta Eels. Beat Penrith by a point on Thursday evening, after yet one more golden-point thriller.

Townsville Fire. They won their 4th WNBL title on the back of a 16-game winning streak.

Aerial skier Danielle Scott.Credit:Getty

WA/Victoria. Are contesting the Shield final, even as we speak. Football may have encroached onto summer but it seems out of sorts and out of season for a Sheffield Shield final to be played just a week before daylight saving finishes?

Ryan Matterson. Returned on Thursday night to the Eels after electing to miss the first three games of the season – all lost by Parramatta – rather than pay a $4000 fine. Something wasn’t kosher here.

Danielle Scott. Won the Crystal Globe as the number one aerials skier in the world. Fellow Australian Laura Peel claimed second spot.

The NSW Croquet Team. On Sunday afternoon in Perth they defied a resurgent and determined Victorian team to win the Croquet Interstate Eire Cup 5 – 0.

RIP John Sattler. One of the most beloved and revered men in rugby league passed away this week. He captained the Rabbitohs to four premierships between 1967 and 1971. He played four Tests for Australia and 195 games in total for the Rabbitohs between 1963 and 1972.

Japan. Won the World Baseball Classic, in Miami, beating the USA.

Socceroos. The second match of their series against Ecuador is Tuesday in Melbourne.

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