Marty Deutschmann
NRL Captain
- Oct 23, 2013
- 3,501
- 3,070
Interesting point about Bennett's tactics. I think it's what makes him such a terrific man manager. He just seems to know the right approach to get the best out of his players.
A good example was in the aftermath of the opening round of 2009. Bennett's first game in charge of the Dragons. It was an unhappy night for Jamie Soward being exposed by the likes of Inglis. Bennett's response was to just stick with him and it paid off in spades. He backed him publicly and some players would get a massive boost of confidence if they're copping it in the press.
I hope by Bennett backing Copley in the media accomplishes several things. Mainly that it ends speculation, gives Copley some confidence after an injury hampered season and motivates him to work hard and reward his coach's faith in him.
Personally, I've always been curious about what motivates professional sportsmen.
A contrasting example might be Andrew McCullough. He's had an outstanding season and proved me wrong but you could easily make the case he only seems to play well when a replacement is in the team. He went up a gear with the arrival of Granville and showed no sign of slacking off with Nikorima on the bench. Considering also he was only signed to a 2 year deal - nothing to be smirked at I think but still not exactly a huge vote of confidence and also a year below his previous deal. It could be an example of a player who doesn't respond to a guaranteed position and needs things in place to ensure he plays his best.
On another note, I know Kahu would make an awesome center but I'm tempted to leave him on the wing as he is pretty good there too. I like Copley - I thought he played really well for us in 2012 before his knee injury. I hope he gets some solid game time under his belt and shows us what he can do.
Oh yeah completely. It's brilliant. Soooo much better than the whole "turn up to training and everyone is a fair chance" like it's an open audition process for spots. Griffin did that too much. Put certainties and let them lose it. It's now Copley's to lose. Like vidot.