What makes a good head coach?
As Leeds Rhinos continue their search for a new one, there are three key areas to look at. And I always feel coaches have to be good in all of them. One is having a good technical knowledge of the game and understanding and ability to communicate that to players. To come up with a technical plan that players understand and also, within that, the ability to upskill players: create drills at training that allow them to develop that.
Secondly, a coach must be honest and have some discipline about themselves. They have to be able to have honest conversations with people; you see far too many coaches fail because they are unable to do that about form and selection etc. That’s a paramount skill as a player as well.
But, thirdly, a really important aspect of selecting a coach is finding someone who is a people person. You need to be able to understand people, build relationships and be able to weave a narrative for players to get them to buy into where you want to take them.
To be good in all those areas is tough and candidates are few and far between. But, also, the thing that comes with Leeds is there’s a lot of pressure and expectations. In fact, coaching is probably only half the job: there’s a lot that goes on outside of it. Yet it’s one of the greatest jobs in rugby league.
As for who takes over, my opinion is it feels like Rhinos need a fresh set of eyes on the situation there. They need someone to come in with some outside ideas and to add to what’s already been built there as a culture over the last ten or 20 years. It does need freshening up and something else added to it. That’s the key for whoever comes in.
But, crucially, it’s about getting the right person for the job. If they can come in now, great. But if it has to be the end of the year, fair enough. Fundamentally, it has to be the right appointment for Leeds.
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