sally cinnamon:
Objectively he's probably the best available.
The "he hasn't won trophies" thing is an interesting discussion point. If a coach has a CV of winning trophies it usually means 2 things.
1) He won them at a well run club like Wigan, Saints or Leeds where they have consistently good recruitment, top talent coming through the Academy, and
2) He is a good coach who knows how to handle big name players, develop young talent, run a good system, keep his head in big games
1 alone isn't enough. Lots of coaches have been to Wigan/Saints/Leeds and underwhelmed and got the boot. But what happens if you have 2 without 1? Millward at Cas. Noble at Salford. Monie or McDermott at London. The success doesn't translate.
Tony Smith is a good example of a coach who ticked the second box. Won 2 Super Leagues at Leeds, but got relegated at Hudds, and didn't do much at the two Hull clubs. Took over a Warrington side that was stacked with talent but had been underachieving under Cullen and Lowes and won 3 Challenge Cups. When the big stars retired or moved on it wasn't so good.
McNamara did an impressive job with Catalans. They were a strong side and he went through a lot of seasons, players coming in and out, and they were generally always competitive and well organised and looked like a real team. Does he tick box 2 above? There's a good chance that he does. But I think it's a moot point with us, because right now we don't tick box 1. So he might be Tony Smith at Hull rather than Tony Smith at Leeds or early days at Wire.
This is going to be the issue whoever the next coach is. So for me it's not about us "getting the appointment right". Without significant changes at the club the next coach will fail. Guarantee, 100%. He will be the source of blame on this forum, people will say its his tactics or team selections or man management, but it will all be a red herring distracting us from the real issues.
Good post.
2026 will be broadly in line with 2025 for us, assuming our 2 new props make up for the deficit in losing Vaughan. Stay injury free and we may make 5th or 6th but we are not challenging again whoever is coach. The chasm to Hull KR / Wigan and even Leigh would take a few seasons to close even if everything was right back stage.
So, what changes do you believe are required?
