Stephen Kearney re-signs until 2017

[Unbreakable]

.

 

[Big Pete]

Good for Kearney.

Difficult to get excited over assistant coaches. You never know what they really contribute or don't contribute to the team. But hey, Kearney's recent efforts with the NZ side have been pretty promising and he isn't the total space cadet a lot of people had him pegged as.

 

[Huge]

Yes, it's quite an endorsement and a swipe at his former club to boot. Kearney must have been teaching much the same thing last year as this year but the difference is the attitude WB has instilled in the players. Interesting listening to Ennis last night when he gave WB glowing praise. He wasn't gushing but he repeated some things I've heard other players say with a few additional comments. As usual not a word was uttered about his footy knowledge but his personal skill was.

 

[Super Freak]

He has been doing well.

Honestly, I didn't think much of Kearney and still don't. He hasn't quite proven me wrong yet.

Another year will do it.

I hope he keeps this up. Because I would love to have him at the Broncos if he keeps going well.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

And that my friends is what's called the last laugh. Poor Parra.

 

[Big Pete]

He sort of reminds me of Mal in the sense that Mal had a really crappy club career as coach but turned his reputation around in the representative arena. I don't know if Kearney has what it takes as an NRL coach. It's a much more hands on job that requires so many more hats than representative coaching but gee he gave himself no hope by taking the Parra job.

Granted, he ended up adding to the mess but a lot of people seem to blame him for the mistakes Anderson and the administration made. Daniel Anderson came in, made a lot of really good short term changes that resulted in the Eels making the Grand Final but in the long term left them completely out at sea. The board got a whiff of this, didn't really give Dan a chance to clean his mess up and put a rookie coach in charge.

It was always going to end in tears.

I think what fans need to remember with Parramatta is that they were supposed to be the side to beat in certain years. Years like 2008 and 2010 were meant to be about Parramatta. Instead, teams like Cronulla and Penrith, who the average fan didn't see a lot in, somehow found themselves well entrenched in the 8 while Eels were off celebrating the first Mad Monday of the season. It sort of typifies the club to that extent and for mine makes for frustrating Rugby League because teams with that much talent shouldn't be as bad as they are.

Sadly, I don't see things changing all that much next year. Sure, Foran is a nice upgrade on Sandow but I get a real Adam Dykes type vibe from the signing.

 

[1910]

Defence 2014-2015.

2014

Points conceded 19.5 average 7th.
Tries conceded 3.3 average 7th
Line breaks conceded 4 average 3rd
Offloads conceded 11 average 10th
Missed tackles 26.4 average 9th
Penalties conceded 5.7 average 3rd

2015

Points conceded 16 average 4th.
Tries conceded 2.7 average 3rd
Line breaks conceded 3.9 average 4th
Offloads conceded 9.3 average 8th
Missed tackles 19.2 average 1st
Penalties conceded 5.1 average 1st

 

[1910]

Assistant coaching is a hard gig; unless you're in and around the side it's hard to know who is doing what. They tend to get too much credit when things are going well and automatically have to be a heard coach now! Or get bagged too much when things are going poorly.

I think the secret to being a great assistant is being happy being one; if you view it as a stepping stone and can't wait to leave then you rush and end up at the Eels. If you're happy and learning and getting autonomy then you feel like a coach anyway. Sessions have happened this year where Bennett doesn't even go, Kevvie or Kearney run the lot.

Some guys are just suited to being assistants too; Mal is a great example at knowing what he can and can't do. He has no desire to step outside that. Alf is another- he knows what he likes and what he wants to do; he has no desire to move beyond that just because it's time to be a head coach.

 

[Huge]

Thanks for those stats...it doesn't appear as though there is a huge difference in performance but looks like an accumulation of small improvement in each area with one exception. Together it makes for a great leap forward.

The one area that looks like a big change has occurred in is the missed tackles and unless he learned something in the off season that changed the way he set his defence for the team it would just about have to be about an attitude to defence.

Number one for missed tackles might just coincide with a slower moving and more uniform defence line. It would be great to know how many metres we have conceded in defence and a comparison with the rest of the teams. I am wondering, how many penalties we have conceded for 'inside the ten'.

 

[Waynesaurus]

I certainly do not necessarily think Kearney's record at Parra is a great indicator of his ability, he was a rookie coach, Parra are a basket case of a club and are pretty good at killing coaches.

Anyway reading between the lines this is beginning to look like Kearney may be the succession plan to take over once Wayne retires.

 

[Huge]

I certainly do not necessarily think Kearney's record at Parra is a great indicator of his ability, he was a rookie coach, Parra are a basket case of a club and are pretty good at killing coaches.

Anyway reading between the lines this is beginning to look like Kearney may be the succession plan to take over once Wayne retires.

You may be right with your last line but I read into it that he meant Kearney would again make a good head coach but at another good quality club. I think Kev Walters would have to be odds on though for the Broncos in 2017 with both he and Kearney doing their apprenticeships until then.

 

[KingWebcke]

Assistant coaching is a hard gig; unless you're in and around the side it's hard to know who is doing what. They tend to get too much credit when things are going well and automatically have to be a heard coach now! Or get bagged too much when things are going poorly.

yep, assistant coaches get judged by how the team is going even more than head coaches do. Kearney was copping it from all comers when things weren't going so well previously but a great season wipes the slate clean. I can only assume that he must be doing a good job if WB wants to keep him around

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Kearney, mate, I don't know what it is you're doing, but whatever it is, keep doing it. We were impenetrable tonight