I think Anderson and Potter were fairly similar coaches really. They both placed emphasis on defence and on a big pack of forwards, although it's fair to say DA had us better organised and in better shape. Potter has overseen a fantastic period for our youth development though, and hasn't quite had the squad or the luck with injuries that DA had in 2006.

One of the reasons we've struggled to win grand finals is that when you place so much emphasis on the pack, in ordinary games you tend to dominate most teams up front to the extent that your backs, even if they're not that flashy or well drilled, tend to get plenty of room to move and do their thing. The problem is that teams in finals are so pumped up that it's unusual for one pack of forwards to completely dominate (exceptions in 2007 and 2010 noted), so you're suddenly in the alien position of being reliant on great kicking from your halves and special plays from your backs. Under DA and Potter we've generally been unable to come up with that, apart from in 06 when our pack was just ridiculous and we had Jamie Lyon.

If you think back to the late '90s and early 2000's, Bradford, with their massive pack, were usually more consistent than us throughout the year, and would often murder us in league matches, but when it came to the big finals our pack generally matched theirs through sheer adrenaline, and then we had enough flair in the halves and threequarters to see them off. We have been the equivalent of that Bradford side since 2007, and it's no coincidence that that side and this one were both coached by disciples of the Brian Smith school.

If Royce gets us fitter and better organised in the halves and three-quarters (in attack and defence), that will be progress. Hopefully if the likes of Eastmond, Wheeler and Lomax stay fit and progress we'll see a bit more excitement as well.

Anderson's time at Saints certainly fell well. You had the best squad in SL coupled with all your top players being in the prime of their careers. Don't get me wrong he looked a great coach, but everything was their already in place for him. All he had to do was the add the finishing touches, which will have been no mean feat, so credit to him for that.

As for Simmons how can he be judged? He's yet to coach the team in a competitive fixture. Saying that if Simmons were to get Saints to the GF and win it ahead of Wigan and Wire who in my opinion have better squads, then perhaps that could be considered a better achievement that Anderson's GF win's, when taking into account the personal both had at their disposal.

From a Leeds fan's POV. Like a lot of others have said the likes of Long, Cunningham, Wellens and Lyon were really firing for Anderson in 06. Was it also 06 that Graham and Roby came through or 07? Either way, the luck with injuries and managing to keep a lot of the strike players fit all year played a massive part.

Under Potter you seemed play less expansive rugby? Or maybe that's just because they were big games and it was percentages when we met. But the way he has managed to bring the young lads through has been something else. When Foster went off last year at Salford after been targetted and not coming up with the goods, Potter never lost faith and kept improving areas of his game and he loooked well towards the back end of the year. Lesser coaches would have had him back in the U21s again for the rest of the year.

Will be interesting to see if Simmons comes in and does a similar job to Milward for a couple of years with the young lads and really build it all up. Sport always tends to go in a cycle! I think that's clear to see at Leeds too, Powell got the foundations, Smith came in and was very good for us continuing the development of young players like McGuire, Burrow etc. The came McClennan who carried on that success fo a couple of years and really seemed to build team spirirt. Now I think we'll see McDermott trying to blood a lot of young lads because the likes of Senior, Sinfield, Buderus, Ali, JP, Leuluai etc aren't going to be around forever.

I'm not sure he could have done any better, really! Was there anything left that we didn't win that year? Amazing. I guess there was only one way to go after 2006, wasn't there?


He seems to be doing ok at Leigh, and they are salary capped. I'm sure he's matured since his days with us and learned more through his experience with Saints and elsewhere.


Thing is, though, we have been getting to the Grand Final for years now. Our team was plenty capable of getting to the Grand Final; it's winning the bloody thing that is the problem. And Potter really did screw up any chance we had of that by his personnel choices and playing rosta. I mean, asking two players to play together who had never played together before, and one only just back from injury, at a Grand Final? Only a twonk of the highest order would do that. I can't forgive him that. It wasn't the only reason why we lost but damn it, it didn't help, especially after all the mix and matching of the season necessitated by injury.


We could barge, that's why, and only Wigan knew how to stop us. Which they did. It was also handy for Wigan that their coach had a tactical clue whereas ours was tactically clueless.


It was a difficult time for the squad. As for the young players, he integrated them well enough (although at that stage in their careers most of the hard work had been done by others who came before Potter) but that is pretty much all I am willing to give him.


Yup.


I agree. I didn't need to convince myself. Two seasons of it points to either the coach or the conditioner or both.


Saints fans aren't spoiled. The perspective is very different when you have watched accurate, fast passing; secure handling; speedy, attractive play; imagination with ball in hand; rock solid defence. Our goal kicking was off for a few years and that was really the only aspect of our game that improved, and that was because Foster started to play! Potter turned us into dumplings who could only score from 10m out. If Pryce wasn't on the field - and Pryce at present seems to be the only Saints player with enough guile and skill to pull off independent moves or at least remember set moves independently! - then we were pretty damn dull to watch overall during Potter's tenure. It is hard to see a good team undone, especially when you know the players are capable of more, and the chance of success drift away. But I'm quite sure most Saints' fans' expectations are now lower than they have been in years, I know mine are! So I'm quite sure few Saints fans will be making any kind of claims in the season ahead.


I hope so.

I'm probably missing the finery of good coaching, but Royce 'Sizzler' Simmons has got a better sounding name than all his predecessors back to Ellery so, on that score alone, I think he'll prove better than DA.

Just think of the headlines: Saints Rolls over Wigan; Royce over the Rovers; Saints' Winged Lad-ees win at Headingley.

I rest my flaky case.

Interesting thread, I think you have to judge Anderson not only based on what he did with the first team, but on the processes and structures he set up throughout the club, the benefits which were enjoyed by both Potter, and now Simmons.

Whereas previously under Ian Millward we had been a bit of a slap-dash operation, Anderson brought in a structure to the club that was, and is, as professional as anything in the NRL. On Anderson's first day at the club he arranged appointments with every single member of staff on the football side of the club to begin putting these structures in place.

Potter always gets a lot of credit for bringing through the young players but was always keen to point out that the work had been done by other people before him. Simmons commented that when he came over to interview for the position he was in awe of how professional the football set-up was.

What Anderson also did was bring a new culture, and fresh ideas, to the first team in 2005-6 and put his own mark on an already outstanding group of players. Our coaching co-ordinator that year Alan Wilson also got lots of credit from the players for his defensive coaching which sorted out our hitherto leaky defence in 2006. All in all I think Anderson's legacy at Saints was much greater than people realise and it's a shame that, with the lost Grand Finals, the trophy haul doesn't totally reflect our dominance in what was a great era for the club.

Well said Saint. I agree with all your post but this point especially.