Quote: Northernrelic "Perhaps - but homegrown Bristish coach, only recently appointed after picking up a team suffering a slump in form comes top of the league in his first full season. The only problem is if he continues to do well then we might see out top coaches joining the players in the rush to the Oz beaches?'"
My main gripe is that the Coach of the Year is chosen before the Grand Final. I don't have a problem with them picking the MoS before the GF, doesn't really matter that Brough wasn't playing today.
But the top coaches are all aiming to win the GF. Baloo had a very good season but if he was only aiming for the league leader's shield then he had a much easier job than Wane, Smith and McDermott. And to win the CC as well makes Wane's right to the award indisputable IMO.
I think there's probably a feeling that coaching Wigan is much easier than coaching the Giants. But Wane did a magnificent job in replacing his half backs with two seemingly inferior players and still improving the team. Tomkins apart there are aren't that many superstars in the Wigan team.
In year's to come I think this season's award will come to be seen as an aberration, like Endacott winning it in 2000. But only because they made the decision a week early.
