Once were Loiners wrote:
I think Smith could make a very good club manager, in the sort of role Hetherington has played for decades. Or in a central role at the RFL looking at the game as a whole. Suggesting he doesn't know his stuff when it comes to RL is ridiculous. But its really looking like he's not going to work out as head coach.
Just on Miller's kick, to me the responsibility is the half backs. Both Frawley and Croft can kick. Everyone knows Miller is flaky under pressure. They need to push him out of the way and take ownership of the situation. Miller to me reverts to his 7s days under pressure - high risk and all or nothing plays. The way to stop that mattering is to take the decisions away from him.
I agree with most of this. We lack leadership in these critical on field moments in games. Either it's the captain, the halves, or collective trust in everybody executing the game plan.
Regarding the captain, Smith is probably a good clubman and he's got a good RL brain, but he doesn't seem to be a good leader. He might improve with time, but we've had much younger captains who have been better (e.g. Iestyn, early 00s Sinfield). In fairness Stevie Ward should be doing this job. I don't have much more confidence in Handley, especially given his positioning on the wing, although he's a better player. Maybe Martin, Ackers or Croft would be better choices? Croft needs to be more involved, and maybe this is the way to do it.
The halves need to exert themselves more on the game and their teammates.
Croft summed it up nicely in his interview when he said the players need more belief. There isn't the collective trust in one another not to make errors in possesion, not to make silly defensive lapses, so about half the team are going into their shells and trying to do individual stuff (or take short-cuts) to get us out of trouble. The coach has some responsibility here, but we're lacking that mental resilience to carry into the last 15 minutes of games, when the pressure to crack and revert to lost sheep is at its greatest.
