Trial Run Far From A Pointless Exercise

Newcastle Herald

Saturday March 8, 2008

ROBERT DILLON

BRIAN Smith describes it as a stroll in the park compared with running the City to Surf.

It is, after all, only a trial match.

There are no competition points up for grabs nothing much more at stake for the Newcastle Knights other than a chance to work on their combinations and gain some match fitness.

The intensity levels may be a couple of notches below any of his 481 first-grade premiership matches at the helm of Illawarra, St George, Parramatta and Newcastle, but Saturday's pre-season hit-out against Cronulla at Cessnock is a busy night at the office for Smith nonetheless.

The veteran mentor allows The Herald to accompany him, first on the sideline and then in the coach's box, to provide a snapshot of the behind-the-scenes operations of the Knights' brains trust.

The coach clocks on early.

He watches Newcastle's Toyota Cup (under-20) and NSW Cup (reserve grade) outfits in action with his coaching staff before joining his NRL troops on the field during their pre-match warm-up.

As players limber up, Smith circulates and addresses them individually, delivering short instructions and reminders.

As they return to the dressing room just before kick-off, he leaves them to their own devices.

Asked whether he would be delivering a pre-match pep talk, he shrugs his shoulders.

"There's not much they really need to be told right now," he explains.

Rather than assume his usual vantage point in the coaches box, Smith grabs a headset and a seat on the sideline.

He wants to observe first-hand how efficiently the communication lines linking his assistant coaches, perched high in the stand, to his on-field message runners and players are functioning.

The match has barely kicked off when Smith starts barking staccato orders to trainer Michael Reid.

"Message to [player X] improve his contact. Put some shoulder into it," he said.

Soon after he follows up with: "Message to our middle players. Improve our retreat and get off our line quicker."

The Sharks spread the ball and score, and Smith immediately identifies the problem. His players have not numbered up in defence and are caught out again minutes later in almost identical fashion.

Soon there is another issue with which to contend: prop Dan Tolar is bleeding after a head knock and has to leave the field.

Smith replaces him with Matt White and immediately seeks confirmation of Tolar's status: "Will that need stitching? Get Dan stitched and get him back out here, ready to go again."

Dropped balls and penalties continue to hamper Newcastle's cause. At one point, Smith groans when playmaker Jarrod Mullen fails to find touch with a penalty, then he mutters "don't do this" when the Knights concede another penalty late in the tackle count.

Sharks veteran Brett Kimmorley scores to give his side an 18-4 lead, then there is further drama right on half-time when Knights fullback Kurt Gidley is smashed after catching a bomb.

Smith's assistants, his son Rohan and Rick Stone, are first to address players during the interval, providing technical tips on slide defence and ball security in the slippery conditions.

Then Smith provides his men with some reassuring words, stressing that there is no need to panic.

He sets them a challenge.

"This is a situation we're going to confront plenty of times during the year," he says.

"The tide's been going out on us. Something needs to happen to reverse that.

"The opposition are unlikely to roll over. We have to turn it around and build some pressure on them.

"Extend yourselves beyond what you're doing currently, and believe that if you do that, the tide will turn back the other way."

As the two teams trot back out for the second half, Smith returns to the coaches box and is informed that Gidley is still dazed from his heavy hit. James McManus fills in briefly at fullback, but soon after his staff report that "Gids hasn't missed a beat".

The Sharks score again, to make it 24-4, and things are starting to look ugly.

"That's soft," Smith exclaims soon afterwards. "What about that pass. Get it out in front of him."

But eventually, as he predicted, the Knights start to make in-roads.

Chris Houston reels off three or four consecutive tackles. Then McManus traps the Sharks in-goal.

Mullen scores, then centre Junior Sau, then Gidley, to reduce the deficit to 24-22.

"Message to Mullo, Gids and Chris Bailey," Smith barks. "Dummy and go, have a lash at 'em."

A minute later he issues another memo for Mullen: "Message to Mullo next set get closer to the ruck and kick it for Cooper [Vuna]."

Within seconds, Mullen has chipped for the left wing, Vuna catches it on the full and races 50 metres to almost score.

Seven minutes from full-time, Sau scores his second try to put Newcastle in the lead for the first time all game.

Smith issues a safety-first edict: "Play a power set, real calm and kick it long."

Bench forward Richard Fa'aoso, however, hasn't heeded this advice, losing the ball trying to slip an off-load.

"Tell Richie we're in front here," Smith orders. "Just carry the ball. No pass. Smash 'em down."

In the final minute, Smith sends out a message to "kill the game" then exclaims "oh no" when his team cough up possession.

On the last play of the game, the Sharks appear to have scored from a grubber kick, only for referee Shayne Hayne to rule offside.

The Knights are home, and in the coaches box there are handshakes and pats on the back. It's not a grand final, but it sure beats losing.

Smith says afterwards that the atmosphere is low-key compared to a competition game. Trials lack intensity and are an opportunity to observe and experiment.

He says when two points are at stake, coaching "is an extremely exhausting experience, trying to get everything within your head to function properly".

Game days when he can relax are few and far between.

"You love those days, when things just fall into place," he says.

"But over the years, it just gets harder and harder and harder. Most games these days the pressure is on from start to finish. So many games go right down to the wire."

Just like this one. Next time, of course, they'll be playing for keeps.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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