3 minute read
Coaching in the NRL can be a rollercoaster, best exemplified by where this year's five ousted mentors were sitting just two seasons ago.
WHERE THE NRL'S OUSTED COACHES WERE TWO SEASONS AGO:-
* STEPHEN KEARNEY
Was in the process of taking the Warriors to the finals for the first time since 2011, having found some form of consistency in Shaun Johnson and a way to win away from home. That form dropped in 2019, before a nightmare 2020 when COVID-19 struck.
* DEAN PAY
Had just taken over the most difficult assignment in the game with an ageing Canterbury roster that needed a salary cap makeover. Despite having no luck with Kieran Foran's injuries, the Bulldogs won four of their last six to finish 12th and show some promise. But slow starts in 2019 and 2020 ultimately sealed Pay's fate just as the cap began to untangle.
* PAUL GREEN
Finished a disappointing 13th after an unlikely grand final appearance just a year earlier. Injuries to Johnathan Thurston ravaged their season, but there was plenty of hope in the next group for Cowboys coming through. Unfortunately they never quite recovered from Thurston's exit and have struggled for form ever since.
* PAUL McGREGOR
Were virtually unbeatable for the first half of the season with the most exciting team in the competition. Never adapted to the slower ruck speeds when the NRL's crackdown on the wrestle eased later in the year and faded to be knocked out in the second week of the finals. Gareth Widdop announced that off-season he wanted to go back to England while Jack de Belin was stood down. The Dragons never recovered.
* ANTHONY SEIBOLD
Was the hottest prospect in the NRL after being named Dally M coach of the year and taking South Sydney back to the finals in his rookie year. When he swapped with Wayne Bennett amid the big coaching merry-go-round of 2018-19, most declared Brisbane the winners of all six clubs to change coaches. What resulted though was a nightmare, before Seibold eventually quit two years into his five-year deal on Wednesday.
