State of the Game

The Rugby League Coach Podcast– new episode OUT NOW!  

In this episode...  

Why Des Hasler is NOT the problem at the Titans and also, why Kevin Walters is a GOOD appointment for the Kangaroos.  

This is also the STATE of the GAME response podcast after we asked for your opinions on several game issues.  

Level up your coaching game with Episode 138 of the Rugby League Coach Podcast!    

Hosted by Lee Addison, owner of rugbyleaguecoach.com.au  and author of Rugby League Coach - new book OUT NOW!

➡️Lee has coached at NRL clubs, World Cups, Elite High Schools and so much more in a 26-year career

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-rugby-league-coach-podcast--5572032/support.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Welcome to episode what one hundred and thirty eight of
the Rugby League Coach Podcast. We're in season three of it,
and my name is Lee Addison and I am the
owner of Rugby League Coach dot com dot au, an
author of a book that came out this year called
Rugby League Coach Thirteen Game Changing Conversations to Transform your Coaching.

(01:24):
Not like last week, I called myself leoner if you
remember this a little bit later on is the State
of the Game podcast. I put out messages on the
social media channels at Rugby League Coach on Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, etc.
To ask for your opinions on several issues in the game,

(01:46):
and I know there'll be more discussion that will come
as a result of this podcast. Today, I am only
going through the issues that you commented on on social
media and will add my points now. I am going
to add a point before we even start on my
journey in this business, which is now in its eighth year,

(02:09):
particularly when I started to do clinics at different clubs
or coach mentoring of different coaches, or coach seminars at
different clubs. Occasionally I hear stories of other clubs in
that community, either positively thinking or saying, oh, le, he's

(02:33):
done a great job with that club, let's get him
too our club, or I hear the exact opposite, which is,
oh he's associated with that club. We're not dealing with
somebody from that club. So I want to make something
very clear, and I have no doubt that I'm living
rent free in some of the heads of the people

(02:54):
who are saying this kind of thing, I do not
give are flying you know what about your petty club
politics in whatever area, whatever town, whatever city, whatever country.
My motivation is to help coaches, clubs, players officials everywhere

(03:22):
who want to be helped. Many of the clubs and
the coaches and the players who get in touch with
me are ones who want to improve, which means they
are not up their own backsides thinking that they know
it all. Unlike many of the people who make these comments.
I have not spent all my time at one club

(03:46):
and have never ever left a club. I have moved around,
whether that's right, whether that's wrong. What that means is
that I have a bigger picture of the game as
a whole. So please do not use your moral compass
to judge me. And my integrity. Don't go out there

(04:11):
and stop my potential for working with other coaches, other
players and other clubs with your petty, small minded crap
that you carry on with in and around your football environment.

(04:32):
Don't apply that to me because all that means absolutely
nothing to me. Do you understand that's the end of that.
This week, there will be three hours worth a podcast
out there for you, and I think for the rest
of the season you're going to enjoy at least three
hours of podcast each week. Now, as you know, I

(04:53):
put out plenty of free content. This is something that
changed during the COVID era era. A lot of people
put out free content and I was one of them.
And all I ask is that if you don't want
to come into business with me, if you don't want
to do if you don't want to coach seminar, or
you don't want to be mentored by me as a coach,
or you don't want to get the online resources that

(05:16):
are at Rugby League coach dot com dot au and
it's sister courses page, but you do enjoy the free
content on YouTube, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, I
would just ask you potentially to buy me a beer. Now,
what I will say about this beer is I've not
had a beer for three and a half weeks, so
I don't know when I'll have my next one. But

(05:36):
if you want to buy me a bee, please get
in touch admin at Rugby League Coach dot com dot
tay you or on socials at Rugby League Coach, or
go to the website coughco double F dot double E
forward slash Rugby League Coach, And that is a website
called buy Me a Coffee, except I've changed it to

(05:57):
buy me a beer. So the podcast format over the
next few weeks. Obviously every Monday morning five am Australian
Eastern Time, the Rugby League Coach podcast comes out, and
that goes out Sunday evening in England and Europe. And
therefore it's designed for everybody to listen to on a

(06:18):
Monday morning, whether they've won, lost or drawn again that weekend,
and also to start your week and something to listen
to while you were in the car going to work
or on public transport. On Wednesdays, every fortnight the Ashes
Rugby League podcast comes out. So last Wednesday was the

(06:41):
Ashes Fortnight and once again I want to apologize for
the sound from me on there. So occasionally I don't
put my thing in the whole properly, and as you know,
sometimes when you don't put things in the whole properly,
funny noises can emanate. And that is exactly what happened

(07:04):
last week. It sounded like I was underwater at times,
but people have enjoyed the podcast. If that's the first
podcast you ever listened to the ASHES podcast, it's not
like that every week. This week will be the first
of our Coach Stories podcasts. These are designed to get
the stories of coaches from every single level. So so far,

(07:25):
I've interviewed a under seven's coach, I've interviewed an A
grade coach who's going into a REP system, and I've
also interviewed the first one that you will see oh
sorry here this week. Chris Rows, one of the coaches
I mentor. He's an elite development coach in the UK
and has been for over twenty years. So I want

(07:47):
you to forward names of coaches who you think are
deserving of being highlighted, or indeed highlight yourself. Please email
admin at Rugby League Coach dot com dot au or
get in touch on socials at Rugby League, coach Facebook, Instagram.
I'm also on TikTok on LinkedIn on YouTube. Go to
the YouTube channel. There's plenty of free content on there,

(08:12):
but messages please only to Facebook. That's the only place
I regularly check. I asked for your thoughts on various things.
The RISE program in Australia, junior comps not being competitive
until thirteen's fourteen's kids not tackling or being allowed to
tackle until eight years old, your thoughts on agents and

(08:33):
RL expansion, development fees for juniors, administration of the sport
and whichever area geographically you were in or whichever level
of administration you wanted to talk about. Player development pathways
was another issue that I raised. It's very interesting what
popped up in that particular or in that type of

(08:57):
subjects anyway. Coach education and development pathways was another subject,
and crowd behavior at junior games with yet another. Now,
the other point I want to make is the State
of the Game podcast will be today. You'll hear that
later on in this podcast, and I'll talk about my

(09:18):
thoughts on those on those issues, but I just want
that to be the start of the conversation. Okay, Then
the third podcast each week, I tend to be on
the Loose Carry podcast from Zero Tackle. I think you'll
find occasionally I won't be on that and quite often

(09:39):
on with people like Jamie Soward, but I'm regularly on
board with Darren Parking, the analyst from Zero Tackle, and
the host Phoenix Trinidad, so you'll catch me regularly on there.
That tends to come out on a Monday afternoon evening
Australian time. So that's your Tuesday sorted if you want
something else to listen to. So your Monday, Tuesday and

(10:02):
Wednesday are pretty much sorted. So if you for some
reason want to listen to my stuff three times a week,
you've got no excuses. There's plenty for you. If please
let me know. Let me know if you're catching up
to these rugby league coach podcasts. Somebody was talking to
me last week. They said they listened to a couple
of years ago and tried to catch up. And the

(10:24):
reality is this format, which is about a year and
two months old, has been the most popular, and these
are the ones that tend to be ageless with plenty
of coaching tips in Zero Tackle is where you get
most of my NRL related chat in terms of players
and news and which coach is likely to get sacked, etc.
Whereas here it's more about the tactical and coaching lessons

(10:46):
from them. If you want to be mentored by me
directly one on one, or if there's a few of
you want to get together to be mentored together, then
I'm doing great deals now. Basically, you can get the
rest of this year free if you come on board
for a year, or we can spread out the monthly
payments accordingly. If you are listening to this podcast earlier

(11:07):
in the week, you need to make some kind of
purchase with me, be it my book or be it
anything from Rugby League Coach dot com dot aufold slash
Shop or a coach mentor package before third first of July.
Then you will go into the draw to win two

(11:28):
flights accommodation, two times flights accommodation test match tickets for
Test one and two for the Rugby League Ashes in
England this year.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
And I am a.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
Week or two away from making the announcement about the
Kangaroo legend that will be joining us on that trip. Yes,
Rugby League Coach is doing an Ashes tour to the UK,
and also there'll be lots of rugby league events in
and around their clubs in the UK. Please get in
touch because I intend to do some work while I'm
over there, particularly in the second week when we're up North,

(12:02):
but also in London. Clubs in and around London please
reach out. And as many of you know, I consult
and help a lot of clubs and coaches, particularly if
they have no small minded idiots who think politically rather
than big picture. Any who, when I put out the

(12:23):
State of the Game request, somebody who are know well
asked me to have a dive into the Illo Warra
rugby League who apparently have gone through three or four
general managers in the past five years. And this person
suggests something is wrong. So anybody in the illow or

(12:43):
a rugby league if you can shed any light on that,
please get in touch at Rugby League Coach Facebook and Instagram.
I mean at Rugby League Coach dot com. But au
is the email. Kevy Walters selected as the Australian coach.
I am not convinced he will be a poor choice.
I mean everybody is looking at the job he did

(13:04):
at the Brisbane bronc Holes and remember they did have
an upturning fortunes, so Seabold won them so to speak.
The Wooden Spoon and Walter's gradually got them up from
there to the point that they got to a Grand
Final and were a Bees appendage away from winning it. Also,

(13:26):
he inherited the Queensland team off malmon Ingram won his
first two series and during that time, you know, Malond
is not stupid. He knew that the Big four of
Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Kronk and Jonathan Thurston were
going to retire over the next few years, so he
managed to get some wins there. And I think the

(13:50):
selection of Kevi as Kangaroo's coach was met with the
meh the reaction and totally understand that, but let me
explain where I'm coming from. I think keV struggles. He
don't forget as a coach. I study the game, probably

(14:13):
different to a fan, and I try and be a
fan sometimes but not very good at that. And therefore
I see patterns in teams and I see patterns in players.
I think with Kevy he struggles when the scrutiny and
analysis kicks in from opposition coaches and the media. So

(14:36):
any sporting event, right, So you can dominate anybody in anything,
whatever sport you think of anything, but your opponent will
adapt to try and fix that. And you should never, ever,
ever doubt that your opponent will adapt, change tactics, or

(15:02):
study you more so that they can stop you. And
I think that's where Kevin struggled. However, I don't think
he'll need that skill as Kangaroo's coach. And another skill
that he was probably lacking was improving his own players.
Remember how Reece Walsh in particular seemed to fade away

(15:23):
somewhat in terms of form. Ezra Man was maybe another
and there was also some disciplinary issues in him around there. Again,
these things won't necessarily be important if he is the
Australia coach. He's got to keep them happy. So I've
been on lots of these tours, and I've been privy
to a lot of Kangaroos players and their experiences on

(15:45):
these tours, and the last thing players want when they've
had a tough NRL season or indeed Super League season,
is to have another intense three or four weeks. And
this is where the English and the British and the
past have got it wrong. The English tend to have

(16:06):
a very intense attitude towards rugby league full stop, and
I think or I believe that that intense attitude has
seen them tail off at the back end of series
or tournaments historically because they're up all the time mentally

(16:31):
and physically, and also they get too nervous the pressure
gets to them. Everything I've seen from Kevy is about
the players being happy, and it's about relationships with the players,
and I don't re iven remember even when players spill

(16:53):
things on podcasts when he was the Broncost coach, they
were at pains to say what a great bloke he was,
and also they felt comfortable enough to say those things
about Kevy. They basically said, he's not a great coach,
but he's a great fellow.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Basically.

Speaker 2 (17:09):
Okay, Well, first of all, players aren't or young players
in particular, aren't the best qualified to say what a
great coach is or a bad coach. But they certainly
know how you make them feel. And I guess I'm
very confident Kevy will be an inspired choice, if I'm honest,
And even though his coaching record is mixed, it's actually

(17:35):
better than a lot of mixed coaching records, here's one
more Origin series than Craig Bellamy for example, and Laurie Day,
and I think it's important to acknowledge there's a lot
of good in there. So a grand final appearance two
Origin Series wins a big apprenticeship as assistant coach at

(18:00):
Melbourne Stone Broncos head coach at Catalan Dragons. I've probably
missed some places there too, So even though many will
be uninspired by the choice, I actually think he's going
to do Australia really proud and like I said, if
you want to join us this October in the UK

(18:20):
with a fully organized tour thanks to Born travel, message
us on socials at Rugby League Coach or email admin
at Rugby League Coach dot comver te you sorry if
I've bummed on some of the other things and explaining
things at the start of this podcast. Now this is
going to be content heavy for the For the rest
I do apologize.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
I do that sometimes.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
State of the game, I asked, how do you feel
about rugby league not being competitive until under thirteens before
I go into the responses on social media. Personally, I
believe that all we are doing is putting sticky tape

(19:01):
on the problem. Parents and coaches all count the score,
even though it's so called not competitive. I don't know
any coaches or parents that don't count the score, and
I don't know any coaches and parents who aren't aware

(19:23):
of where they would be on the ladder if there
was one. I also believe that we need to teach
our kids the importance of dealing with the twin imposts
of winning and losing. And I think this is just

(19:44):
a cop out and what I'd also want to know,
because our game is very good at saying, oh, studies
have shown yet the academic integrity and rigor gone into
some of these studies is quite frankly pathetic. Take this

(20:06):
from somebody who's got a few degrees and things, and
then what we haven't seen is what the results are. So,
if you've been playing as part of a competition or
coaching in part of a competition that's not been competitive,
are you telling me the player sorry, the parent behavior

(20:27):
has got better? Where is the statistics? Where is the
proof that this Where is the evidence that this move
has made the game better and made kids welfare better?
Peter Head, who's a great comment on socials on Facebook

(20:49):
that rugby league coach so good. I actually put some
of his quotes in my book. He said, blame the
coaches and parents for this. They are ruining kids sports
for the people it's supposed to be for kids. I
see kids get less than ten minutes of game time
because it's all about winning for some whilst the coaches
son never comes off. The things that happen on a

(21:09):
Saturday morning are embarrassing. So Peter just raised another problem.
So surely the game can mandate that if there's a
twenty player squad, everybody in that twenty should get at
least x amount of game time, and surely this can

(21:33):
be monitored. Surely. David McKinnon said it quite simply, what
a joke Walls tack on socials. I know, hope you're
doing well, well said, it's a joke. With right training,
they should be able to tackle right And if we

(21:54):
continue to not teach our kids the humility of losing,
then we will continue to have a generation of spoilt
Brat's not everyone can win. There has to be losers,
and this is a reason why I use it losing
all young players to touch.

Speaker 1 (22:10):
Guy Drew.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
I'm fine with no Premierships or semis, and I agree
with you. Guy. Actually, however, he said, I don't see
the issue with keeping score from say nine's up, and
I don't see the problem guy with a first past
the post ladder. So like the English Premier League, if
you win the most games, you finish top. If you

(22:32):
lose the most games, you finish bottom. And Guy said,
everybody keeps score anyway, I think it's more important to
grade earlier, if not players teams. This would be made
easier by keeping score, and it prevents one sided games
that people are trying to avoid. Guy also said, sorry, Drew,
sorry I've repeated his quote. Hearing the words that I'm reading,

(22:54):
maybe I need my glasses on. Drew Neeland said it
should get brought back a few years to perhaps under
eleven and up being competitive. You have less talented, confident
kids getting creamed by some big units, and under twelves
you have some clubs that unofficially stack their sides versing

(23:14):
other clubs that distribute the talent properly amongst the aid
group often ends in massive mismatches, and sometimes the weaker
side don't even get out of their own thirty meters.
The entire game. That's awful, and I must say for
our English listeners, I only have heard the phrase versing,

(23:35):
so team A are versing team B. I only ever
heard that when it came to Australia. I don't even
know if it was a real phrase, but the ods
is using. Rando Wang said, I coach under twelves this year.
It's good because there's no pressure to win, so I
can concentrate on making sure everyone gets the ball. Kids
can make mistakes and learn. There's no pressure on the

(23:57):
ref to make the right call every time. They all
know the score anyway, they have since under nine. On
the other hand, I feel for kids because they don't
experience the increase intensity of finals or winning or losing
a premiership. So Rando's saying it takes away the pressure.
And I'm really happy Randal that that's the experience you're having,

(24:19):
But I sort of feeling that quote. You've also contradicted
yourself by saying that kids know the score anyway, but
then the kids that make the errors have the cop
out if you like. I'm sorry to use such a
blunt term that the result actually doesn't get counted. And

(24:39):
you've also said you don't think it's sorry you feel
sorry that they don't experience the increase intensity of finals
or winning and losing a premiership, and I agree with you.
They are big issues. Robbie Ryan, seeing the way that
so many parents, supporters and even volunteers carry on at
junior games, I think it's sensible right now. I'd lad

(25:00):
to see scoring introduced from under ten woods. Oh no
finals until thirteen, so I think most people think it
can go lower down, Linda Smith.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
I think being.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
Non competitive until thirteen is ridiculous. There At high school
by eleven twelve years of age, kids keep scoring no
matter what age they are. Sport teaches many things, including
to how to win and lose, so plenty of great
comments there. The next question I asked was thoughts on

(25:33):
player development and pathways, and some of the subcontext to
that were is it a fair pathway? Does the cream
rise to the top, does everybody get a fair chance?
My answer to that is no. So I believe Australia

(25:53):
Rugby League in Australia misses so many players and it's
becoming even more city centric. Quite simply, Darren Clark, teams
need to be capped to twenty players, only having twenty

(26:14):
four plus players looks great for the club, but developing
players on enough game time it doesn't work. So players
are missing out to truly get a chance to develop,
if you get me. So sometimes when I read these messages,
it's exactly how it was written on Facebook, and even
some people who are great spellers, and I think I've

(26:34):
just written a book for God's sake. Facebook's typing interfacesn't
easy sometimes, and I have more errors sometimes in posts
when I've put them directly to Facebook. So Darren basically
thinks cap the number of players in a squad, Bobby
Walker not sure if they still exist. That's a development

(26:55):
pathways for you to check out, as it could lead
to political funds to support with coaches twice of more
a week. Sorry mate, I don't get that. And then
he said police citizen boys' clubs used to have available,
used to have availability for any youths with trouble or without.
And he talks about Jim workouts, benefits to families, kids'

(27:17):
futures and avenue towards a footy club or even in
our realm fitness and encouragement. Sorry, I don't understand a
lot of that message. Michael Galvin, there is a lot
of politics in the pathway systems. Yes, their is, Michael.
I have seen in both the Illo Warra and Group
seven competitions, this as well as the West Tigers Pathways

(27:38):
and Development competitions and the Group's six competitions. Selectors go
and watch games just to make it look like everyone
is looked at, but most of the players that get
picked for REPS are mostly picked before that the selectors
even look at anybody. For example, a repside was named

(27:59):
about sixty seventy percent of the players picked were in
one team that plays under thirteens, and that team had
not won a game all season. And he said at
the end, if that's not a rig selection process, what is. Well,
you know, once somebody who I referenced in the book,

(28:19):
and that's all I'm gonna say. A year earlier was
a representative coach and picked most of his team for
that representative team. This was under eighteen. This was elite stuff, right,
and ignored two thirds of my team that had been

(28:44):
undefeated for two years. And two weeks later my team
played his and the score was fifty four six towards.

(29:04):
Michael continues, I said in the older age groups. If
parents have them money to put their kids into schools
like Westfield Sports High, Saint Greg's or any other so
called rugby league sports schools, those players get picked over
kids whose parents can only afford public high schools. Michael,
you know Westfield is a public high school, don't you.
Saint Greg's is the fee paying school, but Westfield isn't.

(29:28):
So the whole rep selection system, selection development pathways in
all areas in New South Wales and possibly Queensland can
depend on what high school you go to. I know
that the Broncos had favorite schools when I was in
the school game. I'll say that Jackie Iisen said development
is lacking. We have kids in their sixth year that

(29:49):
can't even tackle or know the basics of rugby league.
Clubs are failing the kids. Is it the club's failing
the kids or is the game failing the clubs? So
we give out a coaching like this has been out.
We give out coaching licenses and then leave coaches to it.
And that's why I exist, because coaches need mentoring. So

(30:11):
just because you get a driving license doesn't mean you
can drive. It means somebody's sat in a car with
you for thirty minutes and decided you can drive safely
doesn't mean you can drive And the last time I checked,
not many tests take you on a busy motorway. Never
happened to me anyway, and I'm pretty convinced it still
doesn't happen in England now.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
Any who.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
I then asked for your thoughts on administration of the game,
and remember that could be for any geographical location, or
any level of the sport you wish to talk about,
or any level of administration. Nathan Gamage, one of my
old assistants at manly Se Eagles. Hope you're doing well, mates, said.
Centralized Junior development model run A centralized unior development model

(30:56):
run by the NRL, so clubs don't attempt to skirt
minimum spends development and welfare in areas that are important
to the game at lower levels. Also allowing more targeted
spending in areas of need rather than finding out after
the fact that certain competitions and areas are struggling or
under siege from other sports. Also streamline governing bodies to

(31:20):
remove us versus them mentality and self serving attitudes to
promote working to a singular goal worded a bit interesting
that one. But you talk firstly, Nathan about a centralized
junior development model. They are trying something like that now. However,

(31:41):
the States have a lot to do with that too.
In a recent article on zero tackle dot Com, I
argued that without Penrith's junior development system, James Tedesco moving
from West Tigers to the Roosters, and the Treboyevich family,
New South Wales would be in an awful lot of pain.

(32:04):
So that's one club, one family, and one player. Take
those people out and that that accounts for about forty
three percent of New South Wales selections over the last decade.
You don't have that much left, do you. So that
is a big problem in rugby league state versus national interest.

(32:29):
And unfortunately rugby league didn't get a commission forty years
ago like the AFL did, and they don't think centrally
down The way a lot of clubs will be thinking
is that in a year or two or three, Peter
Landis and Andrew ad Bill won't be around. They'll be

(32:51):
using those guys to their advantage right now because they're
giving them what they want, but they will think they
will be left standing. And clubs tend to think about
their own development. I also don't know if there's enough
money around to put into that centralized development system that

(33:12):
you were talking about. Also, we used to have a
centralized development system. It was called the school game. And
one thing about schools is everybody is mandated to go
to school until at least year ten. Legally, that means

(33:33):
every kid in a country player can have the opportunity
to play rugby league at school if they offer rugby league.
Then in the late seventies mid to late seventies, the
leagues brought in the Harrold Matthews and SG ball systems
in New South Wales. In the last decade and high half,

(34:00):
I think in Queensland they've brought in the Cyril Cornell
and Malmoninger competitions. But prior to that everything was coming
through the schools. And the good thing about teachers, whether
they're great rugby league coaches or not, they've all been
trained and therefore that avoids the scenario where a player

(34:26):
is only focused on the club development pathway might be
getting coached by a parent who's had not had much training,
no offense to them, and then gone to a club
where everybody is competing dog eat dog for jobs and
they think short term. And that's something else I spoke

(34:46):
about in the Zero Tackle column, how coaches aren't employed
at Harrow, Matthews or SG ball level for ten years.
This is your job to develop these kids for the
next ten years and and work as part of the pathway.
That doesn't happen you get six months, so results become important.

(35:09):
I interviewed no Crusher Klil for the Ashes podcast that
will be out in one week and a half, and
we joked on that podcast how Noel came into the
coaching box with me when I was a junior coach
at Manly Seagulls because we'd lost the first three yet
they told me it was all about development of players.

(35:31):
So this is the problem. Robbie Ryan said that ninety
percent of their attention is applied to the top ten
percent of the sport. Great quote, Robbie. I think what
you're saying is ninety percent of the NRL's attention. Tell
me if I'm wrong. Nick Simms, authoritarian attitudes by many,

(35:52):
not all, seemingly no room for adult con sensual communication.
If disputes arise, I'm going to butt in them. I
think you're talking about district administration here. I certainly know
that the Brisbane Rugby League, for example, will often post
up something on their Facebook channel, and if it's something

(36:16):
that they think might get some negative blowback, they'll turn
comments off. Also, everything I have heard visa v transfer
disputes and the conversation that comes back from local leagues
is quite frankly disgusting. That's another topic. Anyway, back to

(36:38):
Nick's point, he said, myriad of mine are off the
field rules resulting in fines. I get we need rules
because we play mostly in and with working class, tough,
rough areas, but we need to cut the red tape
and go back to letting the kids play for fun.
And I hate to say it because I'm not a
big fan of the actual game, but when when we

(37:00):
go to Union in winter, it's largely a far more
relaxed atmosphere and off the pitch. Great great points to then,
Nick rob morton. Most administrators have no idea what's happening
at local levels. He said a bit more, but I'm
going to cut Rob off there because I totally agree

(37:23):
Byron Badmowski Rowski. How the transfer rules apply for certain
clubs and not others makes no sense.

Speaker 1 (37:33):
Blake Nev.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
People in paid roles dictate to volunteers and the actual
people who get the kids on the field. I've found
so much wrong with our game at grassroots level, so listen.
I've said this constantly on this podcast. Our local leagues
sometimes act like they are running North Korea, running some
kind of dictatorship, and they need to calm the f

(37:57):
down up the front door. Paul Beardy Thompson a list
of problems, but one that comes to mind. I've been
coaching for twenty five years, got full accreditation Level two,
now known as Senior Club Coach. I was told that
I need to do the community coach accreditation if I
was to coach an open women's team, and my Senior

(38:19):
Club coach is only for junior reps or higher. So
pretty much all my accreditation I've done over the past
twenty five years is now worthless unless I coach junior reps.
You know what, buddy, the things they are doing with
the accreditation system are so pathetic. I could tell you
stories about my dealings with them, and they are so

(38:44):
convinced that it's only rugby league that matters. And I
have this argument all the time. Teachers are more trained
than virtually, well, virtually every single administrator runs a game
quite frankly, and they may not have had that much

(39:05):
industry experience in rugby league. But the reality is the
industry of rugby league is the NRL, a little bit
of Q Cup and a little bit of a Grade.
The rest of it is a volunteer sport, so it's
mostly not an industry. I could do another podcast just
on that stuff, Cassie Godfrey said. The issues I have

(39:28):
found is that committees usually get together with their mates
who will do as they say, have the people suck
up to them, which they love. Then have the people
who challenge them and the way they do things, they
block them, ban them, bully them and get you out
of the club. If you pay the most in sponsorship
to have kids in the Division I teams, or suck

(39:48):
up to the right people, you are good. If you
challenge it, you're done so true. If you stand up
to anyone bullying, you get tarnished with the brush. Your
kid gets targeted. The worst problem is that some rulespply
for some and not others. And in general the rules
by the Junior league are black and white, but most
situations are actually gray. The hard working, honest volunteers who

(40:12):
have the best interest of kids at heart often can
outstand to sit and watch the fools running the club.
It's really sad for the kids. Jackie Iisen said she
was on a committee where members had no blue cards.
There was fraud, wrongdoings, dodgy shits, corruption, no care for
the players. Kangaroo court breaches are called a conduct, bullying,

(40:33):
hiding money, unbelievable, unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (40:41):
Trav mcderby said, no new saddle of rugby League have
no idea. They made daily coach. How did that work
out for you effing clowns? He actually said the real word,
but I'm proud that I've only ever used the f
word once on this podcast in five years. I think
Josh Donovan said the game is run by corrupt dinosaurs.

(41:04):
So much money is wasted annually. Yes, yes, yes, and
then he adds until he accept Sydney's not the hope
of rugby league anymore. They will never truly be a
national competition, you know what, Josh. Twenty years ago, I
thought they were starting to accept that, and I think
it's actually got worse. It's gone well, even more Sydney centric.

Speaker 1 (41:24):
Again now.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
I then asked about the question about what people think
about kids not being allowed to tackle until under eight.
Keisha Coggill said, are we not signing our kids up
to play rugby league? If we wanted them to play
US tag, then we would have signed them up for
US tag, right, So, Kaysha, before I go even further,

(41:46):
my opinion on this no tackleic thing. Number one, we
are teaching the kids so many bad habits. They are
reaching out for tags, Their feet are far away, their
bodies are far away. They're reaching out for tags, and
when it comes to learning how to tackle, they have
to relearn all these skills. When you are a kid,

(42:07):
you are a sponge and any new skills you learn,
you learn very quickly and they are the first time
you learn them. So we are getting this slightly wrong. However,
the Tackle Safe program does teach safe tackling. I understand that,
but the repetition comes from this tag that we're playing,

(42:28):
so there's a problem. Secondly, I agree with Kaisha's point
that kids are being signed up to play rugby league,
not US tag. I think that every club should have
the choice at sixes and sevens they sign up to
play rugby league. If some of the parents and some

(42:50):
of the players don't want to play tackle, they make
that clear until under eight, and then every game they
meet with the coach of the opposition and they agree
whether it's going to be tag or tackle. And I
think you can do the same with a development competition

(43:11):
and a competitive competition as well. In rugby league, you
can split the year. You can have a development and
a competition competition. Robbie Ryan, the problem is kids new
to the game from eight upwards that haven't completed tackle ready.

(43:32):
There's good coaches that conduct it or something similar themselves,
but there should be a requirement for players. And I
agree what you're saying, Robbie is that we need a
tackling license, okay, and I'm totally in agreement with that.
Whenever you put out a system like this, there's always
a loophole in it somewhere, and they've obviously not thought
that through. Not every kid starts rugby league at six.

(43:53):
I started at thirteen, So where was my tackle ready program?
Cavan Ellison. I'm just about to start coaching are under
sixes training games over in the UK and can't help
but think of the issues we're going to have when
it comes to introducing tackling at age ten. I know
it's all to do with reducing concussions, etc. But with

(44:16):
proper coaching it should never be an issue. I agree
Cavin Cavan Again, where's the proof that this is stopping concussions?
Reducing concussions? Also, why are we so obsessed with just
the head? What about below the neck? I always talk

(44:38):
about this, so we're doing everything we can to stop concussions,
Yet we're happy for NRL players and Super league players
to endure everything below the neck, and we say that's
just part of the game. Yet these people when they
retire are going to struggle to walk. I work with
a coach who played NRL who had two hip replacements
before the age of thirty, and he walks around in

(45:02):
lots of pain. What's he going to be like when
he's forty fifty sixty if he doesn't get the right
medical help. Luckily for him, he's got a brain. Some
rugby league players aren't the brightest and they don't know
anything else apart from football, and they can get themselves

(45:22):
in all sorts of mental trauma as a result of this.
And I shouldn't have suggested they don't have brains, because
they do, they just have different brains. Felicity Harbor under
sixties and sevens a tag in our area of Queensland.
Sevens do a tackle ready program. Before the end of
the season, I saw many under eights and nine kids

(45:44):
with better tackling techniques than older kids in juniors. And
I don't doubt that, Felicity, because somebody actually properly taught
them how to tackle. So it's not the fact that
they only played tag, it's the fact that they were
coached in how to tackle. That's im and every coach
should know how to teach how to tackle. Taori Mason,

(46:06):
as a professional armchair coach, both have skills we need
to inherit. It's the attitude or approach we must take
to understand pain and pleasure. Are you prepared to what
could happen? I don't get that, Alex Man, while you
need to get them when they are fearless and can
learn the right technique to go hand in hand with
that failessness so as they get older and bigger, they

(46:27):
can control themselves tackling and being tackled. Kai said, they
need to be taught the basics of tackling right from
the start. Nick Hart said, I disagree with kids not tackling,
and disagree even more strongly with a push for some
to increase the age before they start tackling. Peter Head,

(46:48):
the real question or issue is is what tackle technique
is being taught? George White, it's a no brainer that
tackling techniques should start to be introduced and taught us.
Who's a player decides to have a crack at playing
the game, and the younger the better. Absolutely, mate. Rip Taylor,

(47:09):
well known veteran coach, said one hundred percent right, So
he's toin the party line with the game. Leelee said,
I think it's ridiculous. Jackie Ison also pointed out you
can play US tag for ninety dollars a season, but

(47:31):
Rugby league is two hundred dollars plus. All of you
said teach kids how to tackle. I asked you about
an RL expansion, and what makes me laugh about expansion
is nobody does the costics. They just throw out places.

(47:52):
Christian Marlow said, I think it should stock with Perth
for at least ten years. I like that PNG is ambitious,
but a worthwhile project. Christopher Sanders Hawaii is the twentieth franchise.
Christopher Sanders doesn't have a real photo on and never
accepts my request to come on this podcast, but comments

(48:13):
quite assertively but fairly, Hawaii is the twentieth franchise and
Titans to relocate to Darling Downs and Warriors to christ Church.

(48:33):
Matthew williams PNG team is a disgrace and nothing more
than a money grab from the NRL, and he wants
it to fail swiftly, and he says relocation before more expansion.
Too many teams in the stolen thro all of each other.
In Sydney, he said, either relegate the weakest or give

(48:58):
huge incentives to the strong to occupy a new territory.
He asked for a new New Zealand team, a second
New Zealand team. Union is teetering over there and league
has actually gained traction strike while the iron is hot.
And he also says I'd like to see the NRL

(49:19):
purchase a super league. I'm not gonna talk anymore about
any of those Scott Grimes. A bit later on said
our scouts aren't doing their jobs. You won't convince me
that there isn't potential superstars concreting driveways or mowing lawns
that have slipped through the cracks. On Scott, I asked

(49:47):
you about the junior appeals junior transfer appeals process. Matthew medlin,
My experience in New South Wales is good and a
lot of clubs, coaches, parents and players don't understand the
rules and processes. That's good to hear, Matthew. Another Matthew
says it's a necessarily evil that needs improvement in how
it is implicated. Jackie Ysen said it's disgusting. Our experience

(50:12):
this year was appalling. Byron Badmurowski said this year a
whole team was transferred across just to make a super team,
and this club continues to do it and gets away
with it every time. I will go through everything from
development fees to any other issues that you comment on

(50:34):
socials next week, because what I want to talk about
now is Deaz Hasler. I exchanged pleasantries with Dez this
week and celebrated and congratulated him on his five hundred game,
which had won against the Warriors. Myself, I worked under
Dez Hasler at Manly Seagulls, and funnily enough, you know

(50:56):
I copped one of his sprays when I left, But
you know that hatchet as well and truly buried. And
Dez is one of those people. I think quite often
his bark has been worth at worse than his bite.
But he's obviously a certain vintage of person who tends
to air his thoughts loudly sometimes. So there was something

(51:22):
of a spray last week. They called it a spray.
He was just telling players to get out the showers
quite aggressively from what I saw. He's been at the
Titans two years, and quite frankly, they've gone backwards only
a little bit because it wasn't there, weren't that high
when he got there. So des was a winner, but

(51:45):
now that label is being questioned. When Justin Holbrook had
the Titans in twenty twenty two, they were in thirteenth.
They were in eighth a year before, but they were
in thirteenth in twenty twenty two. They were averaging thirty
points a game in conceded. Guess how many they can

(52:09):
see now average about thirty points. Again, Dez has an hard,
hard edge, and there's certain types of players that win premierships.
Think of Manly when they were winning premierships, think of

(52:30):
the storm most of the time, think of penryth think
of the Dogs under Desk two. There was probably eight
to ten players in those squads that were real hard nuts,
that were tough defenders, solid performers week in week out.
The Titans have had a team for years where there's

(52:54):
some players who just either forget to tackle or can't
tackle for at least half a game. They're greater attack,
not consistent in defense. They've had that for the years,
and that all comes down to recruitment. And the reason

(53:15):
the Titans fail despite everybody thinking they should be higher,
is because everybody just looks at the attack. I can't,
for the life of me, think Dezers all of a
sudden become an old school coach that can't coach football anymore.

(53:35):
I do believe that the way he addresses certain players
has gone down like a lead balloon at the Titans
at times, But the fact that that was allowed to
leak out tells you everything you need to know about
the problems that the Titans. Des always dealt with me fairly.

(53:58):
Didn't always like how it can came out, but he
barked at me, but he never bit, and all the
players loved him, and my relationship with him now is
still good. Despite his toughness, does always attacked the act
and rarely the actor. So what I mean by that is,

(54:19):
if somebody does something wrong in your team, you don't
belittle that person. You have concerns with the act. You
have concerns with the way they did things, not with
them as a person. And that's an important distinction. It
DAEs to succeed at the Titans, he needed time to

(54:44):
bring his type of player in to build a tough,
title challenging squad, and all results apart from Warriors the
weekend suggests that he has exactly the opposite of that
right now. I've seen desi backing systems up close at Manley,
and I watched them at the Dogs, and he was
trying to put them in place at the Gold Coast Titans.

(55:07):
But those defensive systems are worth jack if players just
fall off tackles and the team has regularly not had
the capacity to build pressure in a game, complete sets,
kick down fields, tackle, tackle, tackle without giving away penalties.
I find it ironic that after beating the Warriors this weekend,

(55:29):
that's what Dez said he was happy with. They finally
learned how to do that. But for the vast majority
of the last ten years, they've been the absolute polar
opposite of that. So the club, to me, has turned
Hasler into a a nearly wooden spoon coach. It's only
twenty twenty one where he guided Manly to a top

(55:50):
four berth, and if it wasn't for the messy departure,
I think his stocks that Manly still couldn't be any higher.
So I don't think the aging process is that quick.

(56:12):
I don't think the game moves on like people think
it does. A few rules just change, that's all. There's
no way des has lost all his coaching powers since
twenty twenty one. A little old school, maybe a little
loud at times, absolutely but lost all ability to coach
a football team. And it's not so stupid that he

(56:33):
doesn't know if people are upset with him. So I
think the Titans need to look at the players they get,
the recruitment and the culture. I hate that term, but yeah,
the Titans defense has been a problem for as long
as I can remember, and even when they were winning games.
You know, you win a game thirty four to twenty four,
you need to look at your defense. When I think

(56:56):
back to my time at brook Vale, the team was
full of tough cookies, but also people that you wouldn't
have a problem introducing to your wife, your mother, your kids,
and have. In the article I wrote, I said, imagine
j Tavoievitch Times ten and Craig Bellamy has a similar

(57:17):
thing at the store. A very astute Judji was close
to Dez told me before her ball was kicked this
year that the Titans will either finish in the finals
or get the wooden spoon. And it looks like he
might be right on one count. And teams like that
are greater attack but don't have the defensive resilience and

(57:38):
that is the problem at the Titans. Removing des alone
will not fix this issue.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
Part of me.

Speaker 2 (57:49):
That was a political heavy podcast this week. There's a
bit of coaching in there too, but please send any
questions about coaching or rugby league or anything to at
Rugby League Coach on Facebook, Instagram, admin at Rugby league
coach dot com dot au on email. I love your work,

(58:10):
Take care listen out for coach stories this week. More
and more content coming to you to close this season out.
Go to rugbyley Coach dot com dot au, forward slash
shop and have a look at our products, See you later.

Speaker 1 (59:01):
Some sun Spot