Attitude Must Change Or New Coach Won't Matter For Parra: Finch
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday October 23, 2008
PARRAMATTA halfback Brett Finch says it won't matter who the club gets to replace Michael Hagan as coach if the players don't improve on their poor attitude from last season.
Finch put the heat on the team following Hagan's decision to resign, with one year left on his contract, on Tuesday. He said Hagan spent last season taking bullets for a side that consistently performed well below its potential and it was time for the players to stand up."'Hages' protected players all year," Finch said yesterday. "He could have unloaded on the players plenty of times at press conferences, but he took a lot of the criticism instead, when he didn't deserve it."We pushed Melbourne all the way for a place in the grand final the year before, and Hages didn't change anything for this year. It wasn't the coach or a lack of talent in the team that made us drop, it wasn't the game plan or the tactics, it was because our attitude became poor."Nothing will change next year unless our attitude changes. If we don't do that, we'll just be wasting our time. Our problem is not a lack of talent - our problem is that we didn't work hard enough and we didn't apply ourselves well enough last season."The biggest indication of our attitude not being good enough was our goal-line defence - we let in way too many soft tries. We weren't unlucky to miss the finals - we didn't deserve to make it. We didn't play well enough. The club and the fans expect a lot more, and we've got to give a lot more next year."Finch said after witnessing the strain such a disappointing year put on Hagan, he wouldn't be surprised if more coaches reacted to the demands of the job by giving it away."I think it's going to happen more and more in the future," he said. "During my time in the game, the scrutiny and the pressure on players, coaches and clubs has gone up tenfold. We've already seen players walk away, and with the scrutiny getting more intense, I reckon we'll see more coaches do it."Hages said he had been doing it for a decade and realised he just didn't want to do it any more. As a player, you see from close up how hard a head coach's job is these days, and Hages made a lot of sacrifices. I think it takes a man of great character to admit it's not for him any more and walk away, rather than continue half-hearted."Eels second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh, who is holidaying in Bali, also defended Hagan against criticism over the team's slide to 11th place. "It was great working with Hages," Hindmarsh said. "It was an enjoyable couple of years. He's a great bloke and definitely someone I respect, and I'm looking forward to catching up with him for a beer and a chat when I get back."Former New Zealand Warriors and St Helens coach Daniel Anderson, who began his coaching career in the lower grades at Parramatta, remains the hot favourite to get the job. Anderson has registered his interest with the club, but can't be interviewed until he returns to Sydney from a US holiday on November 4.Finch said he didn't feel it was right for him to comment on whether Anderson was the man to take the Eels forward, since he had not played under him or even met him. "All I know is that Daniel is held in high esteem at Parramatta," Finch said. "He's one of a number of good candidates."David Fairleigh, who, along with Eels Toyota Cup coach Matt Cameron, will start Parramatta's pre-season preparation on Monday after being Hagan's assistant, said yesterday he would not let the speculation about Anderson put him off going for the job. "Absolutely," Fairleigh said. "I want to coach first grade, and I've indicated that to the club ... I'm very keen."
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald