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That's My Voice - Australian Rugby league News
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globalrugbyleague - Mon, 21 May 2007 13:38:00 GMT

Images of frustrated Panthers coach Mathew Elliot tossing a bin at half-time a few weeks ago got me pondering two questions. 1.Will garbage rage become the next big problem for the NRL to address now that the obstruction issue has been tackled?
Secondly and more importantly is the game doing enough to relieve the stress that coaches of underperforming teams maybe experiencing?
While you can’t prevent teams from losing let alone performing badly, surely to goodness something has to be done for those poor men upstairs who look like they’re not having much fun.
When these coaches are really venting their spleen, would you try and tell them ‘it’s only a game?’. I wouldn’t.
This season we’ve seen it all.
We’ve had Chris Anderson slamming his fist down on the desk, RS breaking radio sets and now Mathew Elliot re-define the term ‘taking out the trash.’
Our favourite coaches have got the best seat in the house, probably a box of goodies to munch on and virtually free access to unlimited autographs from their favourite NRL stars.
Yet they are still prone to emotional explosions just as vociferous as the tantrums chucked by Dr Leo Marvin in the film What About Bob?.
Clearly the stress balls aren’t working and a new chill pill needs to be found.
I think I’ve come up with the solution. They’re called ‘Three Minute Angels.’
Basically, the staff (or Angels) go around to establishments (originally just pubs/hotels) of various clients and offer 3 to 5 minute massages.
The massage recipient then pays the Angel what they think the massage is worth. Trust me, winning a game is worth a lot to the mentors of all NRL teams.
Winning games can often come down to how productive the half-time pep talk was and I’m not sure a stressed coach sends out the best signals to his players.
Former South Sydney coach Shaun McRae once said that shouting and screaming simply suggests 'you’ve lost control' and no coach wants to infer that to his team. Otherwise the players might begin drumming into their minds that the game is also lost.
The situation is this. We have some of the most intelligent men in our sport pursuing there dream job and yet at times they look like they’d be happier digging ditches for a living.
This is not healthy.
Chronic stress (stress that extends for a long period of time) it seems is part and parcel of coaching, given that most contracts are usually three-year deals.
According to the University of Ottawa in Canada , this type of stress can lead to ulcers, heart disease, colds and my favourite, Asthma.
On the University’s website, it says that some people suffering this type of stress “ might feel depressed or incapable of getting through the day.”
Are we really going to sit back and wait for the day to come when the coach of a team of losers doesn’t turn up to training because he feels he won’t be able to get through another drill?
Why do coaches take up an occupation that brings with it so much baggage?
That’s simple. They want to have a cold bucket of Gatorade full of ice thrown over them at the end of the season when they collect their first or sixth premiership.
But is that trophy really worth the side-effects that go with it? That’s a contentious debate worth having I think.
Instead of sending coaches to the sin-bin for littering at half-time, let’s prevent the problem of stress instead of finding punishments for it.
If a head coach is not having much luck in the NRL, put him in Premier League and let his assistant -take over for a week.
This will recharge the batteries of the exhausted head coach and it could be the difference between losing 1 game and 10.
It sounds crazy and is definitely a revolutionary concept but it sure as hell beats getting punted with a year left to go on your contract while the fans walk away with more reasons not to renew next year’s membership.
Still things could be a lot worse for Matty Elliot. He could be coaching Clinton Schifcofske in a Rugby Union team that just got beaten 92-3.
This Just In…. It seems the Sydney Roosters are fighting a war on two fronts at this goes to press. Firstly, they are battling to find consistency on the field. And now they’ve got a potentially explosive problem with one released player claiming this week that others want to catch a one way bus out of Bondi Junction.

Gold Coast bound Josh Lewis – who only played in 1 first grade game this season – told a journalist this week that former teammate Jamie Soward (currently playing halfback for the Newtown Jets) also wants to POQ.

“Definitely. I know Jamie isn’t enjoying his footy as well,” Lewis said. “When we were playing Premier League, although we enjoy playing together, his head was down.” Should Soward leave and he would be snapped up very quickly given his terrific ability to set up tries off the back of some terrific kicks in general play, he may not be the only one.

Our sources tell us that another high-profile Rooster is going to Belmore to replace a current Canterbury star. Soward shouldn’t have to leave the Roosters. His form in Premier League warrants a return to the NRL.

The suggestion we keep hearing from Roosters fans is that they want Soward at five-eighth, Mitchell Pearce at halfback and Braith Anasta back at lock. Makes sense if the Roosters are serious about retaining Soward . - Read More, Here