No an assistant should be of sufficient quality to be a good assistant. An assistant role is different to a head coach role.


Well firstly they're not on an equal footing. McDermott is in charge so naturally his thinking will take precedence. Any good coach and leader listens to advice from anyone not just his assistants. They have regular meetings, why do you think McDermott just ploughs on regardless or that Eaton & Plume are cowed by McDermott?
I'd think that they'd act like normal human beings act and put suggestions forward and then debate it as a group and come to a decision with McDermott, as head coach, having final word.
I note you're missing Davidson out, do you think Davidson has had any impact on McDermott and how Leeds train?

As for Agar being on a comparative level to Tony Smith well that's like I'm saying I'm on a comparative level to Billy Slater because I once picked a ball up.

What makes you think McDermott needs to surround himself with yes men? And why would you employ someone on equal footing with McDermott? That would mean there are 2 head coaches. That would seem a disastrous way to run a team.


No he left in between the 2010 & 2011 seasons. And was a very different situation since McDermott was already named as McClennan's successor. I'd be all for us doing that whenever the club decides McDermott has run his course, sign a future head coach as assistant for a year under McDermott and then take over. But that's not what we're on about. We're on about a regular assistant who only has to be a good assistant, not a good head coach.

No I'm not, but then again I'm not the one accusing someone of protectionism just because you don't like his coaching set-up. One thing for people to criticise him for what they see on the field....but to baselessly accuse him of being more interested in saving his own skin than the club's best fortunes clearly shows an agenda against the man personally.

I also think people have jumped on the comment he made about Sinfield and Peacock doing some of the coaching in training and jumped to the exaggerated conclusion that they did it for the majority of the time.

For someone who is apparently mainly interested in saving his own back, he's always been insistent and quick to throw the credit for any success down to his staff and players and downplays his own role in a triumph......hardly the behaviour of a "my way or the highway" kind of guy who is mostly interested in looking after his own back.



And when I see Wigan I only see Wane, or Cunningham with Saints or Anderson at Hudds talking. Can't recall seeing their assistants doing the halftime team talking.

IIRC Brian McClennan was the stand-off and captain when the Auckland rep side beat the touring Great Britain team in 1990 containing the likes of Schofield, Davies, Lydon, Steadman, Golding, Skerrett, Betts,
Powell and Gregory.

Tony Smith played in the 1992 Australian Grand Final.

Chris Plume joined Leeds to work with the Rhinos community team before being promoted into the coaching set up.

There is absolutely no need for a top-class coach to have had a good - even a mediocre - playing career. Michael McGuire and Trent Robinson - to name a couple - certainly didn't. But then again the skill set of a coach/manager is entirely different to that of a player.

Whether Leeds's assistant coaches are up to scratch is another issue, but it's separate from whether they have the "respect" that comes from a high class playing career. There are plenty of examples where that "respect" has hidden coaching incompetence.

You are confusing an assistant with a deputy. Two quite different meanings and if they were on an equal footing they would be joint coaches.

Not content with your fixation with McDermott you are now having a pop at his assistants and in danger of becoming obsessional.

The assistant coach is the no 2 in the coaching set up - the deputy or has that changed since McDermott was Smith's/McClennan's assistant

Where am I having a pop at the assistants? What I am suggesting is the coaching set up needs more experience and quality.

The team is bottom of the league, its out of the CC cup and it suffered and embarrassing defeat in the WCC. I would suggest the coaching set up isn't delivering what it should. Am I being unreasonable?

There's a handful of posters who are incapable of being critical of the club and team. Not even season over after 92 days and bottom of a very mediocre SL ladder can shift them. It'll always be something or someone else's fault and out of the clubs control.

The coaching structure of the club has been changed so it all is managed by McDermott - that has never been the case at Leeds since the inception of SL. During that time the club produced the golden generation and a host a talent. That pipeline has dried up by comparison. The question is why change a formula that worked - if that isn't a case of empire building then I don't know what is?

I have no idea whether Sinfield or Peacock did the training I can see Peacock keeping a eye over the forwards.

You need to watch the SKY more closely what you see is the assistants talking to individual players - I never see either Plume or Eaton in that capacity - I see Plume carrying drinks and Eaton with his arms crossed in the corner?

Only this week McDermott says he is happy with things, no crisis - if you believe that and everything that he says in public you are more naive than I even thought possible.

He's not going to know any of that because he's a product of the SL era.

1990 Tour of NZ was an interesting one to say the least. GB won the Test series 2-1 and also beat NZ Maori. They lost several Tour games against NZ provincial sides though, including against Auckland and McClennan.

As for the 1992 Winfield Cup Grand Final, there were five ex-Leeds players who took part including Tony Smith.

Ian Kirke, Josh Walters and Gary Wheeler have all played in a GF....

Paul Sykes, Darryl Griffin and Scott Moore have all played international rugby....

....will that mean we can call their careers great in 20 years time?

Losses on the 1990 tour weren't surprising as it was a weakened touring team. At the time the surprise was they won the tests.

Weren't aware I was bestowing greatness on the playing careers of Smith and McClennan (I'm not familiar enough with either to do that) but I at least remembered them as players which is more than can be said of Plume. If you've got any memories to share then please do so.

You were questioning whether the Leeds players would have any memories of his playing career, not you or I, as the point was being suggested having knowledge of a coaches playing career was somehow significant.

I wonder how many players had knowledge or memories of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger's playing days. I wonder if Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez sat at home during the year watching clips of Ranieri.

But perhaps they do look back at the great Firenze side he coached and think this guy has been there before he knows what he is talking about? What words of wisdom can Plume or Eaton pass on based on their coaching or playing experience at the top level?

They aren't head coaches though.