RWU HQ – In the last couple of years we have seen certain aspects of rugby make its way to the grid iron, like
rugby-style tackling.
Well, this time we’re seeing a role-reversal take shape.
The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that the Wests Tigers of the NRL, are looking to fill a managerial position above the head coach, similar to the general manager in the NFL. This person would be in charge of talent acquisition, both players and coaches.
“To maximise efficiency you need to have collaboration and the head coach will still be part of the decision-making process,” Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe said, via www.smh.com.au. “But in saying that the very nature of a head coach is to worry about the short term, where the general manager would have a broader vision and make decisions based on what’s best for the sustainability and longevity of the club. That will ensure we don’t fall into a similar position with the salary cap that this club has in the past.
“I want someone who comes into my office every single day demanding we should be chasing this player or that player and coming up with solutions and proposals for how that can happen. It will be very similar to the American sport general manager role.”
By adding a general manager, head coach Jason Taylor would only be responsible for coaching aspect of the team. Instead of having to focus on both the day-to-day operations and the future, Taylor can operate in a win-now mode.
The general manager position is extremely popular in every U.S. sport. In some cases the head coach having complete power works, but it usually does not. New San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly was both the head coach and general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles this past season and things did not go all that smoothly.
“Anyone who harbors coaching aspirations wouldn’t be considered,” Pascoe said. “They would oversee the entire football department – from welfare to development to coaching and of course the high performance and innovation. I want to find an individual who has the capacity to really go outside the box and try and look for benchmarking and best practices that exist not just within our code but on a global level.
“I want this club to become the envy of all clubs and this individual will play a significant part in contributing to that.
And the thing to note is that this person will develop processes and procedures that will allow players to get the very best out of themselves and and the coaches to focus on coaching. The decision on players always has an element of coaching input, but the final decision won’t be with the coach. Inevitably coaches coach for a contract period, but we’re trying to build past a coach’s contract period.”
It’ll be interesting to see who Wests hires, and what his background is, and if other teams in the NRL will follow suite.
“We’ve started the process through Sports Recruitment International on Friday and we envisage to have someone in for the first week of February,” Pascoe said. “I want someone in by the trial up on the Sunshine Coast so they can get a feel for what happens on game day basis and get a feel for the list and coaching staff.”
That’s it for now! Stay tuned for a full review when Round 6 is in the books! Feel free to comment below, look for and “Like” our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter@: RugbyWrapUp, Junoir Blaber, James Harrington, Jamie Wall, Nick Hall, DJ Eberle, Jake Frechette, Scheenagh Harrington, Jamie Loyd, Cody Kuxmann, Karen Ritter, Ronan Nelson, Kaitlin McCabe, Kyle Phillips, Rocky Brown and Declan Yeats, respectively.
