Eamonn Tiernan is the NRL Editor at foxsports.com.au and he writes Extra Time fortnightly.
Just after the Knights have been spanked by the Storm 48-4 again in 2021, Craig Bellamy pulled apart his former apprentice Adam O’Brien.
“Don’t waver from your approach. You know what it looks like, stick to it.”
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When it occurred once more the next season, this time a 50-2 drumming, Bellamy doubled down.
“You’re a good coach, the results will come.”
In truth, O’Brien misplaced the primary 5 clashes in opposition to his mentor by a mean of 26 factors per recreation earlier than a breakthrough win in Round 21 this season.
Now the coaches are on a finals collision course after O’Brien managed to sensationally resurrect Newcastle’s season.
The Knights have charged into finals on a nine-game profitable streak, however rewind simply three months in the past and membership officers have been sounding out choices to switch O’Brien.
That was again in June when Newcastle’s season was stuttering, with the Knights slumped in 14th on the ladder with simply 5 wins from 15 video games.
It was additionally simply two months after O’Brien’s mom, Maree, died of a mind tumour after being recognized earlier than the beginning of the season.
In the weeks main as much as her dying, O’Brien was juggling his teaching commitments and nearly each day journeys to Sydney to be at his mom’s hospital bedside.
Maree was a fierce supporter of her son, and a fanatic of whichever membership O’Brien was teaching within the NRL, a journey that started on the Storm.
O’Brien began out with Melbourne’s under-20s facet earlier than working his means as much as turning into Bellamy’s assistant for 5 years, which included a premiership in 2017.
Another title adopted on the Roosters in 2019 earlier than O’Brien was handed the reins at Newcastle the subsequent yr, who hadn’t performed finals since Wayne Bennett was on the helm in 2013.
O’Brien – the coach who rose from rugby league obscurity into one of many recreation’s high jobs on the again of arduous work – instantly confirmed religion within the employees round him.
Alex McKinnon was a type of, with O’Brien instantly backing the Knights participant turned head of recruitment.
“One of the best traits of Adam is he’s able to empower his staff,” McKinnon informed foxsports.com.au.
“He drives high standards but he empowers those around him and expects you to make good decisions.
“I remember when I started (under him), I was 28 years old and head of recruitment and he backed me on everything.
“(Assistants) Blake Green and Rory Kostjasyn, he backed them. Blake Green had never coached before but he empowered him.
“It’s a good trait that has allowed his own coaching to evolve. He’s taken the risk – coaching and football means so much to this guy and he doesn’t have the name. He’s not a Ricky Stuart, a Benji Marshall, a Cameron Ciraldo, he doesn’t have the name attached to it, this is his only shot.”
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Bellamy is infamous for being the primary to reach at Storm headquarters every morning and is commonly the final to go away – a trait O’Brien has replicated in Newcastle with the coach usually within the constructing earlier than 5am.
O’Brien would be the first to confess he’s made errors in his 4 seasons as a head coach and adjustments have been required to realize their present success.
Contrary to standard perception, it was Kalyn Ponga’s choice to maneuver into the halves and didn’t come from the coach.
What was O’Brien’s name was the one to drop England worldwide Dom Young in Round 4 after a poor efficiency in opposition to the Dolphins.
It lit a hearth underneath the celebrity winger and when Young returned to first-grade he scored 21 tries in 20 video games to interrupt Newcastle’s single-season document.
It’s been a historic season for the Knights who’ve simply offered out a 3rd recreation in a row this Sunday after they host their first closing in 23 years.
BIG, BAD, BOLD BRONCOS
Matty Johns usually recollects that when he performed the legendary Broncos sides of the Nineteen Nineties, they have been so boastful that even the water boy seemed down on him.
But Brisbane premiership participant Corey Parker says it’s an integral mindset of all profitable sides – and he believes the present Broncos have adopted it.
“There was a period of time there where I thought the Broncos were showing too much respect to their opposition, which is why they were down (the ladder),” Parker informed foxsports.com.au.
“But I don’t see that in Brisbane at the moment and what I mean by that is the good teams show disrespect at different stages.
“When I was playing for Brisbane with Gordie and Locky – and even in 2015 – at no stage in games did you ever feel like you were going to lose, and that’s swagger.
“Melbourne had that arrogance, Penrith have definitely got that arrogance, and you need it. When I’ve been part of successful sides I’ve found you’ve got to have an arrogance about you.
“A couple of years ago I watched the Panthers walk across Suncorp Stadium and Jarome Luai was holding a big speaker and they had a spring in their step and I thought to myself: ‘that’s a team that is going places.’
“That was just based on their swagger and their arrogance and they went on to win the next two comps and are looking down the barrel of three.
“But Brisbane are now definitely in that spot where they can unsaddle them.”
Before the Broncos get to the Panthers, they’ll want to finish a shedding streak in opposition to the Storm at Suncorp Stadium that dates again to 2009.
Brisbane have misplaced 14 straight video games in opposition to Melbourne, however Parker doesn’t imagine that can be an element this Friday evening.
“The actual guys playing haven’t really been a part of that (losing streak). The person who has been at the Broncos the longest is Corey Oates and he’s not playing this week,” Parker mentioned.
“While there’s this external noise about Brisbane not beating them at Suncorp for 14 years, blah blah blah…. Adam Reynolds has been there for 5 minutes, same with Ezra Mam, Reece Walsh and Billy Walters… they haven’t endured it so I don’t think it’s a thing within the four walls.
“The team coming into this game on Friday is a completely different team… this team well and truly has what it takes to beat the Storm this Friday.”
RICKY’S RAIDERS READY TO AMBUSH
Raiders legend Mal Meninga is tipping a Ricky Stuart ambush in Newcastle on Sunday.
Canberra have gotten no Corey Horsburgh, no Josh Papalii, no Seb Kris and no one giving them an opportunity.
But is that simply the best way Stuart likes it?
“Yep,” Meninga chuckled to foxsports.com.au.
Meninga and Stuart are thought of two of the best Raiders gamers of all time and gained three premierships on the membership collectively.
The Green Machine’s most up-to-date title got here in Meninga’s closing first-grade recreation means again in 1994, and most pundits have been writing them off ever since.
Canberra may not have gained one other premiership however they’ve been batting above their common ever since Stuart returned to teach in 2014.
They’ve made finals 4 of the previous 5 years and shocked the Storm in Melbourne in an elimination closing final season.
Now the Raiders are again on the street within the first week of finals and again at lengthy odds, with Newcastle the raging favourites to win in entrance of a sellout crowd.
“Everybody will be thinking they’re no chance – except for the people in the organisation,” Meninga mentioned.
“They’re underdogs but finals footy is a different ballgame. It’s all about who can handle the pressure and the Raiders have been there and done that, in recent times as well.
“My expectation is they’ll play really well and hopefully they will, but it’s not a week for hoping. It’s a week for getting your hands dirty and being willing to scrap and do everything you possibly can to help your teammates get the win.
“Talking about motivation – it’s finals. They made the eight when nine other teams didn’t and they’re not just there to make up the numbers, they’re there to compete and they will.”
It shapes as Jack Wighton and 18th Man Jarrod Croker’s closing recreation for the Raiders, however Meninga mentioned Stuart gained’t have the concentrate on the membership veterans.
“You start to get distracted if you’re looking for reasons to win,” Meninga mentioned.
“I can tell you from my last game that it wasn’t about me, it was about everyone preparing to give everything they had to win that game – and we did.”
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
