You'll give yourself an ulcer
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Rumour has it Kid Dynamite has been renamed Kid Kryptonite by the International Rugby Coaches Association...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Chris Dutton
March 2, 2011 - 12:16PM
Andy Friend after being axed by the Brumbies yesterday. Photo: Karleen Minney
The ACT Brumbies have denied player power brought down the axe on Andy Friend's coaching career.
But former Brumbies flyhalf Rod Kafer says the player-driven culture in the ACT should be mirrored by other Australian teams, not shunned.
Friend was sacked from the final season of his Brumbies contract yesterday.
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Tony Rea takes the reigns at the Brumbies yesterday. Photo: Marina Neil
Chief executive Andrew Fagan took responsibility for the decision.
However, Friend's demise largely came about because of growing player disharmony with the head coach.
"Players have a large role in everything because they're the most valuable asset to the organisation," Kafer said. "It's natural, in fact, it should be encouraged. The Brumbies get tainted with this player-driven culture, but it's probably no different if anything maybe a little bit worse than everywhere else.
Stephen Hoiles, one of three members of the Brumbies' on-field leadership group, at training yesterday. Photo: Marina Neil
"What you need to remember in 15 years of professional rugby, there has only been one Australian team to win the title, that's the ACT Brumbies. Perhaps it's an opportunity for other organisations that if they wish to be successful, maybe they should look to their players a bit more. Maybe that's the lesson."
Friend's sacking came as a shock to most because the Super Rugby season is into just its second round and the Brumbies have one win and one loss. But after being confronted by the team's senior players, Friend decided to let his assistant coaches step up and fade into the background at training.
It is different to the situation to the one that saw the Brumbies players take control of the team while David Nucifora was the coach in 2004.
Nucifora was told he would not be reappointed at the end of the 2004 season, but continued in his job while the players ran the team.
Friend is no longer around the Brumbies. Tony Rea has taken over for the rest of the season.
Brumbies attack coach Stephen Larkham looms as one of the most likely candidates to fill the head coaching job next year. The former ACT flyhalf is in his first year of coaching after finishing his playing stint in Japan.
Canberra Times
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...302-1be1l.html
Originally Posted by travelling_gerry
"...Players have a large role in everything because they're the most valuable asset to the organisation..."
"...confronted by the team's senior players..."
Ahha...the real reason is revealed. Bet no one saw that coming.
Damn... my sarcasm doesn't work online without the smilie faces
Go The Force!
"People are comparing this to what happened in 2004 (when then coach David Nucifora was overthrown by his senior players who then went on to run their own show as the Brumbies stormed to the Super 12 title) but it's a completely different set of circumstances and a completely different player group," Fagan said.
Not entirely. Matt Giteau was part of both player groups. Indeed, along with club captain Stephen Hoiles and Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom, he now is a member of the official team leaders' group.
On Tuesday, following Friend's dismissal, he was being pilloried on rugby websites for his alleged role in his coach's downfall.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...-1226014523962
Yeah, sorry. the player group that was discontented with Friend includes one player who was dicontented with Nucifora and took part in an overthrow, Was discontented with John Mitchell and took part in an attempted overthrow and was apparently discontented with Robbie Deans (but might not have had enough clout to effect an overthrow)
Jazza might want to wait for evidence before blaming him, but there will be no public evidence of anybody's involvement, so I'll continue to speculate......and that speculation points directly to a ringleader.
C'mon the
Since the axing of Nucifora the Brumbies have been underachievers. May they continue to so until they change the attitude of their players. To quote an AFL term "the tail can't wag the dog."
Well, all I can say is that regardless of how folk felt about it at the time, I am so glad we have our coaching set-up settled. I can't even imagine what the speculation would be like if all this was happening over east in the same year Mitch was leaving.
Ashley-Cooper: ‘It wasn’t me’
RugbyEnews.com.au
Wed 9 Mar 2011
WALLABIES UTILITY back Adam Ashley-Cooper has denied he was responsible for former Brumbies coach Andy Friend being fired.
According to reports, it is believed his contractual situation with the Canberra-based side was behind Friend’s downfall last week.
Earlier this year, Ashley-Cooper re-signed with the Australian Rugby Union until the end of 2013, but did not put pen to paper with the Brumbies. Instead he signed a conditional contract with them which gave him a grace period to decide whether he wanted to move to another Australian franchise.
He admitted the identity of the head coach for next year was one of concerns he had about re-committing to the Brumbies.
However, he was upset that his contractual situation had been attributed to Friend’s downfall.
“It [the coach] is part of anyone's negotiation process and so is to question what is happening beyond the individual contract,” said Ashley-Cooper.
“It [whether Friend would be coach next season] was a question raised, but my decision is not solely based on that. To hear those comments last week was certainly upsetting, but I can't control them and it didn't affect me one bit.” (Apart from the getting upset bit...)
As the players’ representative, Ashley-Cooper was asked to relay their concerns about Friend to the ACT Rugby Union board prior to his contract being terminated.
The 26-year-old was also part of the five-man senior leadership group which confronted Friend before the season about his coaching style and the mixed messages being delivered to the team
Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said he made the final call on Friend's future, but the coach's failure to get the senior players on side was believed to be a major factor in his demise.
The franchise has already started their search for a new coach and it is believed former Springbok mentor Jake White has expressed interest in moving to Canberra.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
So are we chasing coops?
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We should. But I doubt we are.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Epic fail if we're not!
Come west coops! You'd fit in nicely here!
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