Mad Monday - Coaching Merry-Go-Round (2012)

Another early start to the season and the coaching merry-go-round has already started up.

We have always had this issue arise in the past but there has to be a point when we as must must sit back, take off the rose coloured glasses of which we see the players through and realise that maybe, just maybe, the coach isn't at fault.

After a demoralising loss in Townsville this past weekend, the rumour mill has been firing out talks of when Stephen Kearney will be sacked by Parramatta.

There has also been talk of Canberra coach David Furner being given 6 weeks to turn things around or else he too may face the axe.

Even over in England just tonight, St.Helens have sacked coach Royce Simmons after a slow start to the season.

Is the coach to blame? Well partly they are.

But if a team can't hold the ball, gives away stupid penalties and just aren't putting in the effort, then surely the coach should be given support.

Instead its the players.

Kearney has a team with inexperienced halves, missing their star player and has a big slow forward pack. Teams who can execute quick play-the-balls well will always thrive against opponents such as them.

Kearney isn't the first coach to struggle to succeed at Parramatta lately either. This says more about the players then it does about the coach. Yet still the coach is under pressure.

In 2011, Canberra were decimated by injuries to key players, most importantly their chief playmaker and test player Terry Campese. Find me a team that can string together a solid season when their chief playmaker plays just 3 minutes for the year.

And then there's Royce. He took an injury riddled team to the Grand Final last year. He had to fill the side with untried juniors who turned out to be mroe than capable. This year he has been cruelled by injuries once again. St Helens lost their last 4 games, but they were not belted, and against quality opponents have been steadily improving. But still he gets the chop.

If teams want to build a strong future and be dominant for a lengthy period of time, they need to have faith in their coach. Dumping a coach at the start of the year, just disrupts the club and the season completely.

Clubs have to stop focussing on one year of glory and think about long term success. The game is a business now. Companies can't run on one years worth of solid profit for several years. This is the problem the game faces as it moves forward.

Too many teams are using antiquated practices that were only viable back four decades ago.

Every club preaches about clubs being businesses yet they have no idea how to run a business.