Interesting story from today's SMH; worth reading for Smith's comments alone...
By Roy Masters
A season without reason, with blow-outs and 50-point turnarounds, or is there some logic to rugby league scorelines?
The performances of Melbourne and St George Illawarra in round 21 appear to define the 2001 season, with huge turnarounds during the past two weeks.
Yesterday, the Storm defeated premiers Brisbane 32-28 after being thrashed 54-10 by Parramatta the previous week.
St George Illawarra reversed the previous week's 34-10 loss to North Queensland with a 28-6 victory over Penrith.
Wests Tigers, after being humiliated 64-0 by Melbourne in round 18, have turned their fortunes around with three successive victories, including a 38-6 win over the Northern Eagles on Saturday night.
Another major form reversal came from the Warriors, who, after successive losses, triumphed 34-8 over the Bulldogs, ending their streak of five wins.
These clubs, together with the Eagles, who recently went seven weeks on a win-loss cycle, tend to create the impression rugby league is on a roller-coaster ride.
Tell that to the Roosters, who have lost five in a row, or Cronulla, who have won six in a row.
Still, only Parramatta seem immune from the "up one week, down the next" syndrome, and yesterday's 62-0 humiliation of North Queensland enhances their reputation as the doorman of the blow-out club.
It is, therefore, a useful exercise to offer Eels coach Brian Smith three reasons for the familiar scorelines we see each week and attempt to determine how he has quarantined his club.
The most obvious reasons are: 1. Not enough good players; 2. The soft lifestyle of the modern player; 3. The 10m rule.
"I agree with all three," said the straight-speaking Smith.
"The player drain to the United Kingdom and rugby union has had more impact than we previously thought.
"We didn't break out in boils when we lost a stack of senior players to the UK but it all adds up.
"If each club loses one senior player it loses a lot of hardness. Senior players can sustain performances better than young ones, who get into the yo-yo thing."
Former players blame the soft lifestyle of today's full-time players, who don't have to rise at 6am and work two jobs.
Smith, a former teacher, argues this softness is a reflection of society generally and not exclusively related to football.
He cites the school system, the breakdown of the family unit and the absence of role models as reasons players cannot endure in adversity.
He said: "Many of today's players do not have the experience of setting out to achieve something and getting there by hard grind, day after day.
"For some, their schooling has been a disaster. There is less discipline at school, therefore young blokes are not being pushed day after day where, at the end of their schooling, they can turn to a Mr Chipps and say, 'I'm glad you pushed me'.
"Many young players in the National Rugby League have got to where they are on talent but you need more than talent to sustain a career in the NRL. You have to learn the discipline of what it's like to work hard."
The third culprit is the 10m rule, under which teams appear to develop momentum to a point where it becomes a great roaring wave of points.
Smith said: "If you are a bit down on form, this rule can punish you very severely. You could cover up your sins when you were only five metres apart."
Of Parramatta's supposed immunity from blow-outs and half-century turnarounds, Smith said: "We're not exempt from it.
"We went win-loss for the first six weeks and it could come back to bite us on the bum. But we are very aware of it and, therefore, tend to be prepared."
Smith's practice of resting players and not announcing his starting line-up until the eve of a match is obviously designed to keep them on a mental edge. At most clubs, a win guarantees the team is unchanged, yet Parramatta have had only one loss since round seven and Smith has frequently stood down players and changed his team an hour before kick-off.
The win-loss cycle at some clubs may be related to players walking off the field after a victory confident they will be in the team next week, not preparing well enough and ending up on the wrong side of a blow-out.
A 29-week season means slumps and form reversals are inevitable but the canny Parramatta coach obviously prepares his players over a seven-day period. It's a Smith's Weekly many NRL coaches will soon be following.
By Roy Masters
A season without reason, with blow-outs and 50-point turnarounds, or is there some logic to rugby league scorelines?
The performances of Melbourne and St George Illawarra in round 21 appear to define the 2001 season, with huge turnarounds during the past two weeks.
Yesterday, the Storm defeated premiers Brisbane 32-28 after being thrashed 54-10 by Parramatta the previous week.
St George Illawarra reversed the previous week's 34-10 loss to North Queensland with a 28-6 victory over Penrith.
Wests Tigers, after being humiliated 64-0 by Melbourne in round 18, have turned their fortunes around with three successive victories, including a 38-6 win over the Northern Eagles on Saturday night.
Another major form reversal came from the Warriors, who, after successive losses, triumphed 34-8 over the Bulldogs, ending their streak of five wins.
These clubs, together with the Eagles, who recently went seven weeks on a win-loss cycle, tend to create the impression rugby league is on a roller-coaster ride.
Tell that to the Roosters, who have lost five in a row, or Cronulla, who have won six in a row.
Still, only Parramatta seem immune from the "up one week, down the next" syndrome, and yesterday's 62-0 humiliation of North Queensland enhances their reputation as the doorman of the blow-out club.
It is, therefore, a useful exercise to offer Eels coach Brian Smith three reasons for the familiar scorelines we see each week and attempt to determine how he has quarantined his club.
The most obvious reasons are: 1. Not enough good players; 2. The soft lifestyle of the modern player; 3. The 10m rule.
"I agree with all three," said the straight-speaking Smith.
"The player drain to the United Kingdom and rugby union has had more impact than we previously thought.
"We didn't break out in boils when we lost a stack of senior players to the UK but it all adds up.
"If each club loses one senior player it loses a lot of hardness. Senior players can sustain performances better than young ones, who get into the yo-yo thing."
Former players blame the soft lifestyle of today's full-time players, who don't have to rise at 6am and work two jobs.
Smith, a former teacher, argues this softness is a reflection of society generally and not exclusively related to football.
He cites the school system, the breakdown of the family unit and the absence of role models as reasons players cannot endure in adversity.
He said: "Many of today's players do not have the experience of setting out to achieve something and getting there by hard grind, day after day.
"For some, their schooling has been a disaster. There is less discipline at school, therefore young blokes are not being pushed day after day where, at the end of their schooling, they can turn to a Mr Chipps and say, 'I'm glad you pushed me'.
"Many young players in the National Rugby League have got to where they are on talent but you need more than talent to sustain a career in the NRL. You have to learn the discipline of what it's like to work hard."
The third culprit is the 10m rule, under which teams appear to develop momentum to a point where it becomes a great roaring wave of points.
Smith said: "If you are a bit down on form, this rule can punish you very severely. You could cover up your sins when you were only five metres apart."
Of Parramatta's supposed immunity from blow-outs and half-century turnarounds, Smith said: "We're not exempt from it.
"We went win-loss for the first six weeks and it could come back to bite us on the bum. But we are very aware of it and, therefore, tend to be prepared."
Smith's practice of resting players and not announcing his starting line-up until the eve of a match is obviously designed to keep them on a mental edge. At most clubs, a win guarantees the team is unchanged, yet Parramatta have had only one loss since round seven and Smith has frequently stood down players and changed his team an hour before kick-off.
The win-loss cycle at some clubs may be related to players walking off the field after a victory confident they will be in the team next week, not preparing well enough and ending up on the wrong side of a blow-out.
A 29-week season means slumps and form reversals are inevitable but the canny Parramatta coach obviously prepares his players over a seven-day period. It's a Smith's Weekly many NRL coaches will soon be following.
