Staff Stephen Kearney V2.0

[Worried2Death]

I want to have my say on sk with the benefit of 2 years hindsight
Kearney ball was ahead of its time
The better teams now are focussing on keeping possession and set completion
Lower ranked teams like the warriors roll the dice early in a red zone raid and may only complete two or three tackles before trying a high risk play that often turns over possession.
The storm are happy to knock on your door for a complete set in the red zone knowing it will tire out the defence and that eventually exhaustion will set in.
With the 6 again rule really speeding up the game Kearney ball is what every team should play rather than throwing it around and playing footy.
He had to go though as we simply couldn’t recruit while he was here.
But you look at that team who he took to 8th in 2017
By memory it had Kata and fusitua and maumalo all leaking tries left right and centre yet due to johnson and Kearney ball we made the playoffs
History may remember Kearney more fondly than we felt about him at the time

I reckon if we hadn't lost Johnson he'd be remembered as one of our better coaches, looked like we were building something.

 

[Swanny]

I want to have my say on sk with the benefit of 2 years hindsight
Kearney ball was ahead of its time
The better teams now are focussing on keeping possession and set completion
Lower ranked teams like the warriors roll the dice early in a red zone raid and may only complete two or three tackles before trying a high risk play that often turns over possession.
The storm are happy to knock on your door for a complete set in the red zone knowing it will tire out the defence and that eventually exhaustion will set in.
With the 6 again rule really speeding up the game Kearney ball is what every team should play rather than throwing it around and playing footy.
He had to go though as we simply couldn’t recruit while he was here.
But you look at that team who he took to 8th in 2017
By memory it had Kata and fusitua and maumalo all leaking tries left right and centre yet due to johnson and Kearney ball we made the playoffs
History may remember Kearney more fondly than we felt about him at the time

I’ll oppose that view Wrighty, I think it’s more about what you do with the ball than just about completion rates. The team with the worst completion rate over the last 5 years? The Roosters. The team with the best completion rate this year? The Bulldogs.
I know that there is probably more analysis that could be done eg where on the field did they turn the ball over but 1 out running focussed on completion rates is just horrible to watch

 

[gREVUS]

I’ll oppose that view Wrighty, I think it’s more about what you do with the ball than just about completion rates. The team with the worst completion rate over the last 5 years? The Roosters. The team with the best completion rate this year? The Bulldogs.
I know that there is probably more analysis that could be done eg where on the field did they turn the ball over but 1 out running focussed on completion rates is just horrible to watch

as long as u acknowledge the special place that the roosters sit in the nrl. hell they just won a finals game with two tries that should have never been allowed. we all know it, with them the fix is most defn in.
who was second?
But overall i agree with you. i think of sk had kept Shaun Johnson they may have had a shot at top 4, but i could never see him getting them to a grand fianl win. he was to loyal, and not adaptive enough imo

 

[Gizzyfan]

The Rooster do not just give possession, a lot of their non completions are dur to attacking kicks.

 

[wizards rage]

I’ll oppose that view Wrighty, I think it’s more about what you do with the ball than just about completion rates. The team with the worst completion rate over the last 5 years? The Roosters. The team with the best completion rate this year? The Bulldogs.
I know that there is probably more analysis that could be done eg where on the field did they turn the ball over but 1 out running focussed on completion rates is just horrible to watch

Top 2 completion teams are outside the top 8
Bottom 2 completion teams are top 8

Completions seem pretty random and unlinked to the table.

 

[wizards rage]

The better teams now are focussing on keeping possession and set completion

Possession pretty much mirrors the ladder - it is THE stat and why penalties and 6 agains hurt so much…

We will not be top 8 with 46%.

 

[Panther]

Possession pretty much mirrors the ladder - it is THE stat and why penalties and 6 agains hurt so much…

We will not be top 8 with 46%.
View attachment 45151

Kearney’s high completion rates didn’t lead to more possession. If the Warriors complete a set and the opposition complete a set that’s 50:50. If you score you get the ball back and have more possession. Sharks and Tigers top 8 for scoring and possession. If you put pressure on the opposition 6 agains, penalties and their errors give you more possession too. Just completing is way too simple and not footy.

 

[snake77]

I wouldn't put Kearney up as a revolutionary coach ahead of his time because he concentrated on possession. High completion rates and playing safe football coming out of your half was the trend at the time. He tried the same at the Eels. Both of those sides he barely had sides that moved the ball.

Playing at speed and moving the ball effectively is more important now. I know he always talked about the process and building a foundation before expanding. The problem he didn't get enough wins at both of those clubs to get to that. He also wouldn't change his approach to get the wins.

Playing out your sets has always been important. It got more focus in the 80s when they brought in stats. Its got even more focus now because they talk about the percentage and hitting a specific percentage if you want to win.

 

[bruce]

History may remember Kearney more fondly than we felt about him at the time

Absolutely, but he still isn't a first grade coach, just ask any Parra fan, and they like the guy too. He is a very impressive individual.

 

[bruce]

Top 2 completion teams are outside the top 8
Bottom 2 completion teams are top 8

Completions seem pretty random and unlinked to the table.
View attachment 45150

It isn't just having the ball, it is what you do with it. The All Blacks worked that out years before the opposition.

 

[bruce]

I wouldn't put Kearney up as a revolutionary coach ahead of his time because he concentrated on possession. High completion rates and playing safe football coming out of your half was the trend at the time.

Mark Graham was the same, but he wasn't given the time to develop. Daniel Anderson got the benefit of Mark Graham.

 

[Gizzyfan]

Kearney is one of those guys who operates best as an assistant. Any Head Coach would love a strong minded assistant like SK. What he recognised here was that the squad was scatty and unfocussed and fundamentals had to be drummed into them.

The first CEO of the Warriors was Ian Robson who said they were in the entertainment business, and in general that is how they played. Kearney knows they are a results business and was trying to get that mentality in the squad. To a large extent that is still happening with Brown

 

[snake77]

Mark Graham was the same, but he wasn't given the time to develop. Daniel Anderson got the benefit of Mark Graham.

Graham's tenure did have bad timing. The Tainui ownership wasn't the most stable time with Lowe & his partner falling out with Tainui. Money running out. Then the timing of the players coming through they were coming of age and close to first grade ready when Anderson came in to provide the final touches. Like we have heard he was big on skills training.

From memory Graham did give a lot of guys a start. Kearney seemed too reliant on experience. Remember everyone had to be "above the line" which was the big selling point when he was hired. He was guilty of forgiving mistakes from the veterans compared to the young guys more so than clubs previous head coaches. He repeated that along with the mistakes he made at the Eels.

Something I've been thinking of is how bottom sides want to give a coach 3 years, sack them cause results repeat. Say the next guy needs 3 years. How many times have we seen the 3 years rebuild work? The Panthers were the most persistent example of a club rebuilding to a plan and even they swapped coaches a few times. Admittingly one they were in the top 4 and it was due a falling out with Gould.

Most decent coaches get results quickly or improve things quickly. Either through recruitment, they get more out of the squad they inherit, or they have good players coming through. The last point is a matter of timing.

 

[bruce]

The first CEO of the Warriors was Ian Robson who said they were in the entertainment business

The same guy when invited to an interview with the AUCKLAND Warriors caught a plane to CHRISTCHURCH.

Any half decent board would have offered him a cup of coffee... and then the door... on that alone.

He had been recommended by Ken Arthurson and the NSWRL so they felt obligated to take the dude.

 

[bruce]

He was guilty of forgiving mistakes from the veterans compared to the young guys more so than clubs previous head coaches. He repeated that along with the mistakes he made at the Eels.

True...he wasn't a first grade coach.

The Panthers were the most persistent example of a club rebuilding to a plan and even they swapped coaches a few times. Admittingly one they were in the top 4 and it was due a falling out with Gould.

I think that shows how difficult it is to rebuild a club. It sent Gould...and Cleary...grey.

 

[snake77]

he same guy when invited to an interview with the AUCKLAND Warriors caught a plane to CHRISTCHURCH.

That and the story Dekker used to say about the helicopter used to always make me laugh. Both are a waste of money but funny all of the same.

Local guys calls up "You won't believe what he's wasted money on now. A helicopter to Waiheke island"
Where are you?
"I just got off the helicopter"

That was an experience he wasn't going to pass up.

 

[snake77]

True...he wasn't a first grade coach.


I think that shows how difficult it is to rebuild a club. It sent Gould...and Cleary...grey.

Gould started going grey was funny. Remember him on the old Sunday Roast being orange then he went grey but it also looked like it was full of chemicals or had gone all hard and dried up. He said he stopped dying it. He looks a bit better now.

Coaching in Sydney looks a lot more stressful than coaching the Warriors when you look at Cleary.

 

[mrblonde]

And getting into a slanging match with Bennett won't help. Kearney would never have done that. His press conferences were incomphrehensible, for a start...

 

[demco]

A slow day here

 

[Mr Dragon]

Top 2 completion teams are outside the top 8
Bottom 2 completion teams are top 8

Completions seem pretty random and unlinked to the table.
View attachment 45150

All these different tables and we still don't make the 8