This is spot on. In fact Agar is in full control of the coaching of the team. According to a team member, TS spends all the time on the training area with his mobile phone stuck to his ear (Quote).

Also it is a fact that the team are under strict instructions "to drive for the posts". This makes us the most predictable team to play against in the league.

I would love for us to part company with Agar, as this is the worst rugby I have witnessed from us in years, and yes I too would love to see Willie Poching back. It may not solve the problems right away, but we have to start playing more attractive rugby soon.

Smith doesn't get involved directly with coaching the players anymore... to be fair, he didn't used to do much back when we were a decent side.. He left that to Poaching, who worked with the senior players on the style of rugby. I believe Michael Monaghan was one of, if not THE driving force behind the way that side played and the attack structure... These days Smith 'monitors' the training sessions, which are 100% run by Agar.

In that case, why have Catalans been so god awful to watch and in freefall since he arrived?

Because they haven't been playing him.

Hilarious. The insinuation was that Monaghan was fulfilling a coaching role and TS input was negligible.

they have done everything but... he does great water

yea that was it.

Presumably Monaghan only started this coaching role after TS came in because we weren't doing much when Cullen and Lowes were here.

Or maybe it was because he was being played at halfback and he couldn't coach from there but once we moved him to hooker he was able to take over the coaching?

I must assume that the people stating they know what goes on with coaching staff must be directly involved in some way? otherwise sounds like a load of nonsense.

Or if you can see the training pitch from your upstairs window you can just watch.

FWIW I genuinely don't find it coincidence that our boring, predictable, passionless style of play went hand in hand with the arrival or Agar. We finished top of the tree in one of the poorest seasons of super league I have ever seen but also that that went in hand with the arrival of Sandow and his off the cuff playing style. Word had it he'd be told to stick to the plan but he'd just do his own thing anyway as soon as he got on the pitch. We don't have that in the team anymore.

If Wire are happy with TS taking a backseat role whilst his assistants run the show then fine. But at least part company with the 2nd in command and bring in some fresh ideas.

I don't mind loosing. Its part of the game there always has to be a loser. It's just the manner we're losing in. Boring, predictable, un-enthusiastic rugby. At least in the mid 2000's when we were awful we could still score points. We can't even do that now.

Today will be:

- Kick off.
- Patton/Livett/Gidley catches.
- Feeds a prop to take the first hit. 1st tackle.
- Russell Scoot. 2nd tackle.
- Evans Scoot. 3rd tackle.
- Patton first receiver with a short ball to a forward. 4th tackle.
- Stupidly overzealous 30 yard pass from right to left.
- Get caught with the ball. 5th tackle.
- Patton/Livett puts up a bomb to the corner.

Repeat throughout, never playing what's in front of us and throw in some knock ons, passes into touch and getting caught with the ball on the 5th.

In the final interview Tony will tell us we did lots of good things but for some reason nothing seemed to stick.

You heard it here first.

You forgot the charge down, they get 6 more tackles and score a try on 2nd tackle, cant believe you missed that lol.

Yep just as I thought watching out your bedroom window. Must give you a fantastic insight into the week at training.

Whatever we think of the team's current malaise, the style of play and who is responsible, let's not decry TS achievements of yesteryear.

Michael Monaghan was a slightly above average scrum-half, playing like a slightly below average one.
Lee Briers was a hugely talented player with several years of inconsistency behind him

Neither was a coaching genius, and neither, in terms of coaching, was responsible for the upturn in the clubs fortune. Tony Smith was. He took those two in particular and gave them a framework to express their ability in their natural positions. He also made Briers, and the club as a whole, vastly more professional and that was key in our upturn.

To suggest that TS turned up, went for a brew, read the papers and let Monaghan, Briers and Poching get on with it themselves is at best stretching plausibility, and also very disrespectful.

I'm afraid you're wasting your time. There has been a re writing of history of Stalinist proportions. Something that initially is mentioned as conjecture eg Smith does no coaching or Monaghan coached the team is then adopted as a fact. That "fact" is then used to develop a theory in an ever downward spiral. Any suggestion that it may not be all Smith's fault is met with the answer that you deliberately close your eyes to what is going on in the club "Happy Clapper" style.
If you try to point out an occasional positive in these worrisome times there is no hope for you...

Well said Captain Hook

'Just as I thought' bit weird that.

In any case. the point being was that 'that TS takes a backseat and lets his assistants do the work'. So, when you look at the training pitch and notice you can see the assistants doing all the work and TS watching. You don't have to be a nuclear physicist to work out from that situation that:

A) TS takes a backseat role in training.

and;

B) The assistants do all the field work with the team.

Anything else that you would like clearing up?


Or perhaps you'd like to inform me of how you know this doesn't happen and that the training is spot on and that we just aren't getting the rub of the green. Perhaps the endless sets of scoots and unforced errors are actually us going in the right direction.

I'm not a super league coach but you don't have to be Wayne Bennett to realise that since Agar came to the club we lost all the flair that made us an entertaining team to watch.

My original point asked for a discussion on whether assistants have more direct influence on the team than we'd like to think. this was supported by Poaching being at two different clubs and their style of play and winning ratio improving dramatically. Not once did I suggest that TS turns up and does nothing. Merely asked a question on whether he's taking more or a back seat role than usual. Because since Agar has graced this club with his presence, we have been awful to watch.

I think Tony can take the credit for when we played well and takes the criticism when we are not - like now. We stink.

So in your view what blame for the current predicament can we fairly lay at Smith's door?

W71 my response related to a post suggesting that Smith didn't do anything. As for "blame", I've always considered that a fairly pointless exercise. BUT the factors that account for our current predicament? In no particular order injuries, loss of form, loss of confidence appear to me to be major issues. Part of the coach's job is to try and instill confidence and maximise performance, to whatever extent Smith has not done so then that is where he can be criticised.
You will realise I have not mentioned player recruitment/retention. This is because I have no idea what constraints are placed on bringing in new players apart from the obvious and highly significant Salary Cap the effect of which can not sensibly be ignored.

We demolished Brisbane at home with a 100% completion rate in the 1st half. How does a team walk away from a game like that with 'loss of form and loss of confidence'?

Between that night and the Cas game something happened in house and the team still hasn't recovered from it.

Previously I have also suggested that the Brisbane game was seen as an "end" rather than a means to an end.Perhaps what happened was similar to post Final blues. I say "perhaps" because I don't know for sure and wouldn't pretend to have a definitive answer.

Ps I'm really hoping for an upturn in form soon as I'm spending far too much time posting on here...

Yes I could use a better word than blame - maybe "What responsibility should Smith shoulder for our current predicament" would be better.

I agree balancing the salary cap is a key skill and it takes time for a coach to allow churn and new talent recruitment to get the squad he wants, but we are into the 8th season now under Smith. Typical playing contracts are only 2-4 years long.

So let's look in detail at one of our key failings - that being the last tackle attacking option. It's so clear even rival board members post about it on here.
Now then do you think this is because the players are well schooled in attacking play options and have lot's of ideas on how to break down a defence but it's just their confidence preventing them doing so? e.g.) Does Evans posses the ability to beat a man but has crippling lack of confidence? Is confidence an issue with Cooper who has just come back from the toughest league in the RL world?

You mentioned form. If true why are we playing out of form players? It is clear that Jack Hughes is way off, yet has been an ever present. Is it because we don't have the succession?

Injuries - all sides get injuries. Even those at the top of the table.

In a nutshell, yes. In support of that look at the first half v Hull. However I can see merit , where there is a loss of form/confidence in reverting to a simple, relatively risk free form of basic attack to get the win and let confidence develop from a winning habit. I would suggest that last Friday showed signs of that.
But as my "signature" says these are my opinions, I don't suggest for one minute that they are any more valid than any others, I try to support them by showing my reasoning (which may well be flawed).
Truth is the only opinions that ultimately count are those of the Board.

I feel a bit dirty saying this, but...

Am I the only one feeling a bit jealous that Saints have a much-plaudited young Aussie coach who likes an attacking style of rugby, while we seem to have missed out now?

The longer this saga goes on the more I'm leaning towards a whole new fresh start... it's a risk but it surely can't leave us any worse than we are now?