He's a magician, that Tony Smith. Half a season with the comp's perennial underachievers and he's won a trophy.

A fine example of a tailored gameplan. Everyone expected Warrington to major on a forward battle led by Morley and Carvell, so he chose to get the ball wide, kick early, get the most out of Briers etc. A cunning genius to vary tactics according to the opposition and occasion.

Agreed it was expertly achieved.

I don't remember him winning it with Huddersfield mind ? And it's a pity his game plan was less effective when he coached England against Aus and NZ recently. Maybe this was because neither Hudds nor England had players that were as good as the opposition.

He is a good coach for sure but with Briers/Monaghan/Morley/Carvell and alike Wire should be winning things. What is does prove is that James Lowes and to an extent Paul Cullen are not as good at coaching as Smith.

Despite those taunts and abuse when Carvell left he at least got one thing right when he stated he was leaving to win silverware.

I hope he loses his medal.

Never a chance he would sign for Rovers then.

This comment about tactical genius is TIC. Smith is a far better coach now than in his days at Huddersfield and as you say has better resources at his disposal at Warrington.

Point being that he gets the most out of what he's got, and he's not had much control over that so far apart from bringing in Carney who's been injured and shipping out Gleeson. Smith had put together a plan to wrongfoot Huddersfield, used his resources perfectly and got the team mentally in the right area - pumped up but not overwrought - so they could implement the gameplan. The contrast with Agar is that obviously through injuries and whatever he doesn't have the same resources, but as an example, we have a class winger who'll chase lost causes all day and we never put in raking kicks to him and a gameplan that amounts to "If you see it, play it."

Can't say I'm pleased that Warrington won for a number of reasons, but well done to their board for stepping in to get Smith who is an experienced coach with some tactical nous.