Long road ahead: Mick Potter. Photo: Anthony Johnson
Rookie coaches have guided their side to the NRL finals more often than not in their first full season in the top job.
Michael Maguire and Geoff Toovey did it last season, now Sydney Roosters' Trent Robinson and Wests Tigers' Mick Potter are hoping to emulate their feats.
However, Robinson and Potter had a rude welcome to their NRL careers, the Roosters being defeated 28-10 by South Sydney and Wests Tigers suffering the biggest defeat of round one being hammered 42-10 by Newcastle.
Tough start: Trent Robinson. Photo: Anthony Johnson
Fourteen of the 25 coaches who have made their debut in the NRL era since 1998 have reached the finals in their maiden season, however, the average winning percentage of first-year coaches is 45.97 per cent.
Maguire and Toovey took their respective sides to within one game of the grand final last season after 17 wins and 10 losses each.
Like Maguire, Robinson and Potter have enjoyed apprenticeships in the English Super League.
Former Cronulla coach Stuart Raper worked as John Lang's assistant in the late 1990s before taking on two head coaching positions in the Super League, later returning to coach the Sharks. He believes a stint in England is the best preparation for the rigours of the NRL.
"I think it's a very good option, some people don't agree with that," Raper said. "But you realise what a head coach role is [by] going over there. It's not just about coaching the team, there's the administration side of things like dealing with the board, the media, the fans and the personal issues of your players.
"Going over there gives you that grounding. Going from assistant coach to head coach in the NRL is like being hit by a Mack truck – everyone has questions, everyone has ideas. It can be full-on.
"I think Steve Price is a good example. It would've been difficult for anyone coming after Wayne Bennett, just ask Ivan Henjak. You never knock a job back when you get it, I'm sure Brownie [former Dragons coach Nathan Brown] would've preferred to do England then NRL, but he'll be a better coach for what he's doing [now]."
Former Souths coach Paul Langmack, who struggled for success with the unflattering side he led, believes it's difficult for assistant coaches to take over the top job.
"The players confide in assistant coaches," Langmack said. "They'll tell them when training is too hard and they look at assistant coaches as one of the boys. Players look at you differently when you're the boss. You become a bit like the enemy. The assistant coach counsels the players. They don't tell the head coach anything. That makes it hard for those coaches who switch jobs."
Robinson and Potter are taking over sides that missed the finals last year. Raper said first-year results were often an unfair reflection of the coach's ability. "The whole thing is about how you come into the job," he said. "Nine times out of 10 you're coming into a club that was struggling, that's why they got rid of the previous coach. The first year you are trying to rebuild and stamp your mark, but that takes a couple of years.
"You have the personnel the past coach had, but you're trying to instil your own style."
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