Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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1. Wayne Bennett
Coach of the Queensland Team of the Century and the coach with the most wins in premiership history (87 clear of second-placed Tim Sheens at the start of the 2014 season), Wayne Bennett has won seven premierships and coached in eight Grand Finals as well as mentoring the Maroons to five series victories and Australia to a 12-3-1 international record. Making his start in the BRL (winning a title with Brisbane Souths) before joining Canberra as co-coach in 1987 and leading the Raiders to their first Grand Final, he was appointed as the Broncos' inaugural coach in 1988 and stayed with the club for 21 seasons, winning six premierships and taking the Broncos to the finals in his last 17 years. After leaving the Broncos, Bennett spent three years with St George Illawarra, bringing the club its long-awaited first premiership in 2010. He signed with the Knights in 2012, and guided the club to a preliminary final in his second year. Bennett's win percentage of 62.4 ranks fourth among coaches with 100 games, and he ranks second in premierships won as a coach. His foray into rep football was equally successful: he guided Queensland on three separate occasions, winning series during each tenure, and Australia maintained its dominance with him at the helm.
2. Craig Bellamy
Appointed Melbourne coach in 2003 after serving as an assistant to Wayne Bennett at Brisbane, Craig Bellamy built a premiership force that dominated for close to a decade in spite of the League's ongoing and unfettered pursuit of parity. A solid utility player with the Raiders in 149 games from 1989 to 1992, Bellamy found his true calling as a coach. The Storm have won three Grand Finals and played in five deciders in their 11 seasons under Bellamy, and missed the playoffs just once - when the club was tossed out of the 2010 premiership for salary cap breaches. Arguably his finest coaching effort came in that ill-fated season, when he got 14 wins out of a team that had no tangible prize to play for. The Storm won the minor premiership the following season and the NRL title in 2012. Bellamy's 67.6 per cent win rate leads all non-playing coaches with 100-plus games, but perhaps the greatest indicator of his ability is the improvement of players who join the Storm and decline of those who leave. Bellamy's only foray into representative coaching was as NSW coach; he lost three series during Queensland's incredible run through the late 2000's.
3. Jack Gibson
Revered by many as the greatest innovator in the annals of Rugby League coaching, Jack Gibson added professionalism and open thought in his anything-to-win approach to mentoring. Named coach of the Australian Team of the Century, he had seven spells at six clubs, and won five premierships. Gibson started out with Eastern Suburbs in 1967-68, taking a winless wooden spoon team to back-to-back finals before moving to St George and leading the Dragons to Grand Finals in all three grades in 1971. In his one season with Newtown he claimed the Bluebags' only club championship while guiding them to a pre-season cup win and a preliminary final. Gibson rejoined Easts in 1974, and mentored one of the great Rugby League teams to back-to-back premierships in 1974-75. After an unsuccessful stint at South Sydney, he joined Parramatta in 1981 and became the last coach to win three straight premierships - in the process guiding the Eels to their maiden first grade title after 34 years in the League. Gibson moved to the Sharks after the Eels but even he couldn't weave his magic, declaring that waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership was akin to "leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt". His two-season stint as NSW coach (1989-90) saw the Blues reclaim the shield in the latter years after three straight series losses.
4. Bob Fulton
A Manly legend on the field who was anointed one of Rugby League's inaugural Immortals, Bob Fulton also left his mark as one of the top coaches on the premiership and international scenes. He was appointed captain-coach of Eastern Suburbs in 1979 but a knee injury forced his playing retirement midway through the season; he remained the Roosters' coach, leading them to consecutive minor premierships and the 1980 Grand Final. Fulton returned to Manly in 1983 for the first of two spells as Sea Eagles boss. The club went to the Grand Final in his first year and broke through for a premiership triumph in 1987. Fulton stepped aside after the 1988 season to take up the Australian coaching job, a position he held for seven seasons and two World Cup victories, building a 30-6-1 record. He returned to Manly in 1993 and led the Sea Eagles to three straight deciders (1995-97), winning in 1996 before quitting in the wake of a slow start to the 1999 season. Fulton's 64.4 per cent strike rate ranks second among coaches with 200-plus games, and he is the only coach to win two premierships and two World Cups as both a player and a coach.
5. Phil Gould
A controversial and outspoken figure, Phil Gould won a premiership in his first season as a premiership head coach and soon became respected as NSW's greatest State of Origin mentor. A skilled but unspectacular player with Penrith, Newtown, Canterbury and South Sydney, in 1988 Gould replaced Warren Ryan as Bulldogs coach at just 30 years of age and guided the club to an unlikely premiership. Falling out with the club patriarch Peter Moore the year after, Gould moved to Penrith and in his first year took the perennially battling club to a maiden Grand Final; his skilled mentorship and unparalleled motivational speeches then helped the club to its first premiership in 1991. The sad death of Ben Alexander tore the Panthers apart soon after, and Gould left for the Sydney City Roosters, where he reached four finals series - including two preliminary finals - in his five-year stint. It is in the Origin arena, though, that Gould is most renowed: the NSW coach for eight series (1992-96, 2002-04) guided the Blues to six series wins. His only losing Origin series was the infamous 1995 triumph of Paul Vautin's Queensland battlers. A master psychologist and motivator, Gould took his talents to the Nine commentary team upon retirement, also helping to rebuild Penrith as general manager from 2011 onwards.
6. Arthur 'Pony' Halloway
A coaching giant during Rugby League's first four decades, Arthur Halloway made his mark as captain-coach of Balmain during the clubs' glory period, spanning World War I, and was non-playing coach of four other clubs from 1923 to 1948. A champion halfback with Glebe, Balmain and Eastern Suburbs from the game's first season through to 1920, Halloway captain-coached the 'Watersiders' of Balmain to four premierships in five seasons (1916-17 and 1919-20) before retiring. His first foray into non-playing coaching was a failure, with Newtown struggling in 1923, but four spells with Eastern Suburbs in the 1930s and '40s were a triumph. He led the great Easts teams of 1935-37 to three straight titles as well as a host of records that stand to this day. Halloway left for a disappointing stint with Norths, but returned to the Tricolours in 1945 and steered Easts to another title. His eight premierships as a coach remains a record, while his combined 12 titles as a player and a coach is yet to be neared.
7. Charlie Lynch
One of the great pre-war coaches, Charlie Lynch etched himself into South Sydney folklore with four premierships in his first five seasons at the helm of the Bunnies. A student of the great Ash Hennessy, Lynch was a master attacking technician who brought the most out of a magnificent Rabbitohs outfit that included Benny Wearing, George Treweek, Eddie Root and Frank O'Connor. He joined Souths in 1928, and mentored the club until 1934, and again between 1937 and 1940. During his time Souths won four premierships and finished worse than fourth just twice. Lynch made a shock return with St George in 1947, but had little success.
8. Warren Ryan
A pricky figure who often clashed with the front office and star players of the clubs he worked for, Warren Ryan was the coach of the 1980s and brought success to every team he mentored. An honest but limited lock forward during his playing career, he was one of the game's great thinkers and forged a coaching career that spanned 21 seasons and five clubs. Ryan got his start in 1979 with a Newtown team that had won three straight wooden spoons - and within three years the Jets were in the Grand Final. He moved to Canterbury in 1984 and, on the back of a gritty, defensive style known as 'Wazza Ball', helped the Bulldogs to three straight Grand Finals and titles in 1984 and '85. Internal dramas saw him leave for Balmain in 1988, and he presided over two heartbreaking Grand Final losses in his first two years at the Tigers. Throughout the decade, Ryan's teams played in six of the 10 deciders. A shift to Wests in 1991 saw back-to-back finals appearances for the first time in 12 years. He retired after quitting the Magpies in 1994 but made a shock comeback in 1999 with Newcastle, leading the Knights to consecutive finals series. Ryan sits fourth in games coached and sixth in total wins.
9. Ken Kearney
One of the key drivers behind St George's incredible run of 11 straight premierships, Ken Kearney was short in stature but a giant of the game during the 1950s and early '60s. A former Rugby Union international, Kearney returned to Australia after a spell with Leeds in Britain and brought with him a professionalism in training and preparation that the Australian game had never seen. In his third year with the club he was appointed captain-coach, leading the team to back-to-back prelims. Persistent troubles with referees saw him relegated in 1956, but he was reappointed captain-coach in 1957 and led the Saints to six straight premierships. St George's policy of only having captain-coaches saw Kearney move on to Parramatta in 1962, where he took the club to its first three finals series in his three years after it had won eight of the last nine wooden spoons. Disappointing results at Wests and Cronulla took little away from Kearney's coaching legacy.
10. Chris Anderson
One of Rugby League's most underrated coaches, Chris Anderson is among Australia's most successful national bosses and one of the few mentors to win premierships at two separate clubs. A Canterbury great as a player, he got his start in coaching in 1986-87, leading Halifax to an unlikely Challenge Cup win as captain-coach. Anderson returned to Australia in 1990 to take the reins at Canterbury, and after a rebuild led the Bulldogs to back-to-back minor premierships in 1993-94. He was instrumental in keeping together a team that was being torn asunder by the Super League War in 1995, giving the Bulldogs the self-belief to win their first title in seven years from sixth place. After two disappointing seasons, he announced he was quitting to become Melbourne's inaugural coach. Thanks primarily to Anderson, the Storm were an immediate on-field success, running third in their debut season before winning the title in just their second year. He took over the Australian job in 1999 and built a 21-3 record that included victory in the 2000 World Cup. A spell at Cronulla ended after two years and an ill-advised comeback at the Roosters didn't last a season.
Coach of the Queensland Team of the Century and the coach with the most wins in premiership history (87 clear of second-placed Tim Sheens at the start of the 2014 season), Wayne Bennett has won seven premierships and coached in eight Grand Finals as well as mentoring the Maroons to five series victories and Australia to a 12-3-1 international record. Making his start in the BRL (winning a title with Brisbane Souths) before joining Canberra as co-coach in 1987 and leading the Raiders to their first Grand Final, he was appointed as the Broncos' inaugural coach in 1988 and stayed with the club for 21 seasons, winning six premierships and taking the Broncos to the finals in his last 17 years. After leaving the Broncos, Bennett spent three years with St George Illawarra, bringing the club its long-awaited first premiership in 2010. He signed with the Knights in 2012, and guided the club to a preliminary final in his second year. Bennett's win percentage of 62.4 ranks fourth among coaches with 100 games, and he ranks second in premierships won as a coach. His foray into rep football was equally successful: he guided Queensland on three separate occasions, winning series during each tenure, and Australia maintained its dominance with him at the helm.
2. Craig Bellamy
Appointed Melbourne coach in 2003 after serving as an assistant to Wayne Bennett at Brisbane, Craig Bellamy built a premiership force that dominated for close to a decade in spite of the League's ongoing and unfettered pursuit of parity. A solid utility player with the Raiders in 149 games from 1989 to 1992, Bellamy found his true calling as a coach. The Storm have won three Grand Finals and played in five deciders in their 11 seasons under Bellamy, and missed the playoffs just once - when the club was tossed out of the 2010 premiership for salary cap breaches. Arguably his finest coaching effort came in that ill-fated season, when he got 14 wins out of a team that had no tangible prize to play for. The Storm won the minor premiership the following season and the NRL title in 2012. Bellamy's 67.6 per cent win rate leads all non-playing coaches with 100-plus games, but perhaps the greatest indicator of his ability is the improvement of players who join the Storm and decline of those who leave. Bellamy's only foray into representative coaching was as NSW coach; he lost three series during Queensland's incredible run through the late 2000's.
3. Jack Gibson
Revered by many as the greatest innovator in the annals of Rugby League coaching, Jack Gibson added professionalism and open thought in his anything-to-win approach to mentoring. Named coach of the Australian Team of the Century, he had seven spells at six clubs, and won five premierships. Gibson started out with Eastern Suburbs in 1967-68, taking a winless wooden spoon team to back-to-back finals before moving to St George and leading the Dragons to Grand Finals in all three grades in 1971. In his one season with Newtown he claimed the Bluebags' only club championship while guiding them to a pre-season cup win and a preliminary final. Gibson rejoined Easts in 1974, and mentored one of the great Rugby League teams to back-to-back premierships in 1974-75. After an unsuccessful stint at South Sydney, he joined Parramatta in 1981 and became the last coach to win three straight premierships - in the process guiding the Eels to their maiden first grade title after 34 years in the League. Gibson moved to the Sharks after the Eels but even he couldn't weave his magic, declaring that waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership was akin to "leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt". His two-season stint as NSW coach (1989-90) saw the Blues reclaim the shield in the latter years after three straight series losses.
4. Bob Fulton
A Manly legend on the field who was anointed one of Rugby League's inaugural Immortals, Bob Fulton also left his mark as one of the top coaches on the premiership and international scenes. He was appointed captain-coach of Eastern Suburbs in 1979 but a knee injury forced his playing retirement midway through the season; he remained the Roosters' coach, leading them to consecutive minor premierships and the 1980 Grand Final. Fulton returned to Manly in 1983 for the first of two spells as Sea Eagles boss. The club went to the Grand Final in his first year and broke through for a premiership triumph in 1987. Fulton stepped aside after the 1988 season to take up the Australian coaching job, a position he held for seven seasons and two World Cup victories, building a 30-6-1 record. He returned to Manly in 1993 and led the Sea Eagles to three straight deciders (1995-97), winning in 1996 before quitting in the wake of a slow start to the 1999 season. Fulton's 64.4 per cent strike rate ranks second among coaches with 200-plus games, and he is the only coach to win two premierships and two World Cups as both a player and a coach.
5. Phil Gould
A controversial and outspoken figure, Phil Gould won a premiership in his first season as a premiership head coach and soon became respected as NSW's greatest State of Origin mentor. A skilled but unspectacular player with Penrith, Newtown, Canterbury and South Sydney, in 1988 Gould replaced Warren Ryan as Bulldogs coach at just 30 years of age and guided the club to an unlikely premiership. Falling out with the club patriarch Peter Moore the year after, Gould moved to Penrith and in his first year took the perennially battling club to a maiden Grand Final; his skilled mentorship and unparalleled motivational speeches then helped the club to its first premiership in 1991. The sad death of Ben Alexander tore the Panthers apart soon after, and Gould left for the Sydney City Roosters, where he reached four finals series - including two preliminary finals - in his five-year stint. It is in the Origin arena, though, that Gould is most renowed: the NSW coach for eight series (1992-96, 2002-04) guided the Blues to six series wins. His only losing Origin series was the infamous 1995 triumph of Paul Vautin's Queensland battlers. A master psychologist and motivator, Gould took his talents to the Nine commentary team upon retirement, also helping to rebuild Penrith as general manager from 2011 onwards.
6. Arthur 'Pony' Halloway
A coaching giant during Rugby League's first four decades, Arthur Halloway made his mark as captain-coach of Balmain during the clubs' glory period, spanning World War I, and was non-playing coach of four other clubs from 1923 to 1948. A champion halfback with Glebe, Balmain and Eastern Suburbs from the game's first season through to 1920, Halloway captain-coached the 'Watersiders' of Balmain to four premierships in five seasons (1916-17 and 1919-20) before retiring. His first foray into non-playing coaching was a failure, with Newtown struggling in 1923, but four spells with Eastern Suburbs in the 1930s and '40s were a triumph. He led the great Easts teams of 1935-37 to three straight titles as well as a host of records that stand to this day. Halloway left for a disappointing stint with Norths, but returned to the Tricolours in 1945 and steered Easts to another title. His eight premierships as a coach remains a record, while his combined 12 titles as a player and a coach is yet to be neared.
7. Charlie Lynch
One of the great pre-war coaches, Charlie Lynch etched himself into South Sydney folklore with four premierships in his first five seasons at the helm of the Bunnies. A student of the great Ash Hennessy, Lynch was a master attacking technician who brought the most out of a magnificent Rabbitohs outfit that included Benny Wearing, George Treweek, Eddie Root and Frank O'Connor. He joined Souths in 1928, and mentored the club until 1934, and again between 1937 and 1940. During his time Souths won four premierships and finished worse than fourth just twice. Lynch made a shock return with St George in 1947, but had little success.
8. Warren Ryan
A pricky figure who often clashed with the front office and star players of the clubs he worked for, Warren Ryan was the coach of the 1980s and brought success to every team he mentored. An honest but limited lock forward during his playing career, he was one of the game's great thinkers and forged a coaching career that spanned 21 seasons and five clubs. Ryan got his start in 1979 with a Newtown team that had won three straight wooden spoons - and within three years the Jets were in the Grand Final. He moved to Canterbury in 1984 and, on the back of a gritty, defensive style known as 'Wazza Ball', helped the Bulldogs to three straight Grand Finals and titles in 1984 and '85. Internal dramas saw him leave for Balmain in 1988, and he presided over two heartbreaking Grand Final losses in his first two years at the Tigers. Throughout the decade, Ryan's teams played in six of the 10 deciders. A shift to Wests in 1991 saw back-to-back finals appearances for the first time in 12 years. He retired after quitting the Magpies in 1994 but made a shock comeback in 1999 with Newcastle, leading the Knights to consecutive finals series. Ryan sits fourth in games coached and sixth in total wins.
9. Ken Kearney
One of the key drivers behind St George's incredible run of 11 straight premierships, Ken Kearney was short in stature but a giant of the game during the 1950s and early '60s. A former Rugby Union international, Kearney returned to Australia after a spell with Leeds in Britain and brought with him a professionalism in training and preparation that the Australian game had never seen. In his third year with the club he was appointed captain-coach, leading the team to back-to-back prelims. Persistent troubles with referees saw him relegated in 1956, but he was reappointed captain-coach in 1957 and led the Saints to six straight premierships. St George's policy of only having captain-coaches saw Kearney move on to Parramatta in 1962, where he took the club to its first three finals series in his three years after it had won eight of the last nine wooden spoons. Disappointing results at Wests and Cronulla took little away from Kearney's coaching legacy.
10. Chris Anderson
One of Rugby League's most underrated coaches, Chris Anderson is among Australia's most successful national bosses and one of the few mentors to win premierships at two separate clubs. A Canterbury great as a player, he got his start in coaching in 1986-87, leading Halifax to an unlikely Challenge Cup win as captain-coach. Anderson returned to Australia in 1990 to take the reins at Canterbury, and after a rebuild led the Bulldogs to back-to-back minor premierships in 1993-94. He was instrumental in keeping together a team that was being torn asunder by the Super League War in 1995, giving the Bulldogs the self-belief to win their first title in seven years from sixth place. After two disappointing seasons, he announced he was quitting to become Melbourne's inaugural coach. Thanks primarily to Anderson, the Storm were an immediate on-field success, running third in their debut season before winning the title in just their second year. He took over the Australian job in 1999 and built a 21-3 record that included victory in the 2000 World Cup. A spell at Cronulla ended after two years and an ill-advised comeback at the Roosters didn't last a season.
