rlThisrl.

Massive day in the history of the club.

I may be misremembering this but, in Barrie McDermott's book (which is excellent by the way, certainly compared to the likes of Long and Stankevitch) he tells a story about how, after matches, they used to go for beers. Apparently Smith suggested (didn't instruct) that they go for either a meal as a team or a swim. Apparently they still do it to this day.

Also recall Smith admonishing Adam Neal when Neal suggested at a forum that he wasn't part of the team as he was injured. Smith corrected him and said he was a very important part of the team and could contribute in other ways if he wasn't in the squad.

To pick up on another theme - going from assistant to coach rarely works. You go from being the players best mate, listening to them bitch about the coach to being the bloke who decides if they have a job, or whether they have to move house etc. Can't be too close to people so that they resent it when you make tough decisions.

Who is more important to you - Tony Smith or Simon Moran?

I would think him putting his hand into his pocket has been the biggest turning point you have had. You've still got the best coach in the league mind.

Simon Moran is vital, we all know it, but Smith has been the only one to bring it all together. Cullen couldn't manage it and Lowes couldn't despite an embarassment of riches.

That nearly made me laugh out loud! A few people will know why you posting that is funny!

Simon Moran.

Tony will move on at some point and we'll have to find another coach. There are other coaches out there and emerging all the time. If we are smart we might get one as good as Tony. Should Simon decide to move on though, there aren't other wealthy people like him queuing up to take over RL clubs so unconditionally and with so much passion for it. Look at the Bradford debacle.

I know enough about some of the things he did that prove it wasn't a case of culture tweaking or left to conscious choice. He put in some very hard and fast rules!

Notable that from that May 2009 HRK game we still have 11 of those players that make up our regular 19 man squad.

Agree - Simon Moran.

However are we as reliant on him financially as some think? He isn't funding losses at the club out of his own pocket because with his and others influence it runs on a relatively equal footing.

I guess the point a I am trying to make is that if he did move on it would be loss but with what he (and others again) have built it wouldn't start unravelling like at Bradford.