Opinion

Geoff Toovey is the man for New Zealand

07 Jun 20, 12:38PM 0 Comments

Written by Oliver Kellner-Dunk

Photo by Getty Images

aamir

It seems that ever since the 2011 NRL Grand Final the Warriors have been in a rebuilding phase but have never been able to make that the next step.

After only making one finals series in the past eight years and the club being one of the favourites for the wooden spoon in 2020, the Warriors need some big changes.

The man to implement said changes should be none other than the man who took the Manly Sea Eagles to three finals series and a grand final appearance in his four-year stint at the Northern Beaches club, Geoff Toovey.

A former Australian and New South Wales representative, Toovey was a fierce competitor on the field who never took a backwards step. He brings the same mentality to his coaching and hates losing which is exactly the attitude needed at the New Zealand club.

If the “process” wasn’t working, he wouldn’t stick to it, he’d change it. The players that put the effort in one week but not the next would be tapped on the shoulder and let go or dropped to the lower grades.

A great man manager of experienced veterans, Toovey also knows how to mould the raw talent of younger players and sets the precedent for the level of hard work and effort that a first grade player must apply in order to be successful.

He would get the culture at the club firmly re-established, which in turn would bring the signing of players the club needs as they will find the move to New Zealand more appealing due to a new found confidence and a winning state of mind.

From the 105 NRL games he coached, Geoff Toovey has a 58% win ratio compared to Stephen Kearney who after being at the helm for 119 games with the Eels and Warriors, is sitting at a dismal 35% which is the lowest for any coach with three of more years tenure in the NRL.

Whilst It’s hard to blame a poor run of form on a coach, especially when things aren’t entirely their fault, it is fair to say that Kearney has been given ample time to turn things around at the Warriors and it’s now time for change.

It has long been said that being a great player doesn’t mean they will make a good coach, and this is proven with Stephen Kearney but Geoff Toovey was both.

Should the Warriors sign Geoff Toovey?
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