HE might have served part of his apprenticeship under Michael Maguire, but Ron Griffiths and the former Wests Tigers head coach appear a study in contrast.
Maguire's fiery, intense persona was highlighted last year during the reality-TV Foxtel series Tales of Tigertown, during which, in one episode, he was reported to have dropped 113 expletives in 57 minutes.
Transitioning from that environment to coaching a team of women was potentially a minefield, but Griffiths said not once since he was handed the reins of Newcastle's NRLW outfit has he needed to tone down his approach.
"I coached under-10s, 12s and 13s with East Maitland Griffins," he explained.
"I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity with Michael Maguire as an assistant coach. I've coached local league in Newcastle, and I've coached here in the NRLW.
"But I haven't had to change the way I deliver my message.
"For me, I've probably had the same demeanour since I've coached from day one.
"One thing I would say about coaching NRLW, I've learned more in this 11-week period than I ever have as a coach."
Asked if there had been any instances when he needed to blow up at his players, Griffiths replied: "It'd be very rare for me to do that.
"I think personally I've spoken to some players and sometimes they feel like they need a bit of a jab to fire them up a little bit.
"But that's probably not the way I deliver my message.
"I'm certainly stern enough when it's required, but I believe there are other ways to get your message across without blowing up.
"But if I feel like, at any point in time, that any of our values are compromised, I'd certainly not change the tone, but change the way I deliver the message."
They say great coaches build teams in their own image, which would suggest the Knights are hard-working, ambitious and committed to the cause. Three years ago, after stints in charge of Maitland Pickers and Kurri, Griffiths basically created his own pathway into the NRL by approaching Maguire and volunteering his services for a season.
For the next three seasons he commuted from Maitland to Sydney for training sessions and games, while juggling a job in the mines and raising a family. He sees similar desire every day in the women he has steered into Sunday's NRLW grand final against Parramatta at Accor Stadium.
"A large portion of them have part-time or full-time jobs or study," Griffiths said.
"It was a deliberate decision by us that any players who came to the club, we wanted them to be working. Whether that was two days a week, it didn't matter.
"We wanted them to be able to do something. That way they weren't spending all day thinking about rugby league.
"They've got to have other interests in life.
"From our perspective, we've got players that work 40 hours a week, turn up here and train for four or five hours a night .... I think the big thing is their tough mindset. They're really grateful for the opportunity to be classed as an athlete."
