Coach for better or worse???????

Quote: BrisbaneRhino "We scored a few point net less than in 2006. Wow. We got hammered three times in 2006. By far our biggest defeat in 2007 was 38-14 to Bradford. The next worse was 18-2 away at Wigan. Shocking. All your 'points difference' summary says is we didn't hammer the lesser sides (who according to you don't count anyway) quite as much in 2007 as we did in previous years. My selective stats are as pointless as yours. The only 'stat' that counts is we won the GF in 2007.

Smith had to rebuild half the side between 2005 and 2007. Of the back division that won in 2004 Mathers, Calderwood, Walker and Bai had gone. Of the forwards Ward, McKenna, Furner, Poching, McDermott had gone. That's 9 of the starting 17. Smith managed to oversee a high turnover of players - which happened in 2006-2007, and get us back to winning the GF in 2007.

So to summarise

Some very good points here although some I would disagree with.

The idea that winning a championship with the best side in the league is all the more difficult because it hadn't been achieved for 30+ years doesn't stack up to me. The majority of that squad had come through the juniors add to that a couple of mercenaries in Ali and Furner and I fail to see where the baggage comes from.

The idea that he rebuilt the side between 2004 and 2007 again doesn't stack up - in any side there will be a natural evolution as older players are replaced by emerging juniors - this is the norm for every coach - nothing particularly special in that. If Wigan make the GF this season the side will have 5/6 changes from last season's GF side. Smith was fortunate to have inherited a talented crop of youngsters that all broke through at the same time and the majority of whom played in both finals - Sinfield, Burrow, McGuire, Diskin, JJB and Bailey.

Anyone who doesn't see 2007 as decline from 2004 - is missing a point IMO - only two losses will not be surpassed in the future whilst the salary cap remains in place.