I repeat every club has explayers in coaching mentoring positions.
Rookie coach Keiran Foran aiming to bring premiership winning team mate Brett Stewart on board with his new coaching team.
Some people actually believe that is what builds culture in a club having players that have had success wearing the jersey and remain connected to the club.
I don’t think anyone is arguing that having successful ex-players involved is a bad thing. Every club does it, and there’s obviously value in having people around who understand the jersey, the history and what success looks like.
The point is that simply bringing back former players doesn’t automatically create a winning culture. Culture comes from the standards being set now - coaching, recruitment, development, accountability and performance. If Brett Stewart can genuinely add to that, then great for Manly, bring him in.
But there’s a massive difference between using successful ex-players to help build the future and constantly looking backwards hoping past success will somehow recreate itself. The best clubs can respect their history without being trapped by it.
Culture isn’t a reunion tour. It’s built through elite standards, smart recruitment, accountability and winning.
Respect the past, absolutely. But if “building culture” means constantly digging through the old boys’ phone book trying to recreate the glory days, that’s not culture - it’s nostalgia.
Winning clubs build forward. They hire the best people for the job, not the best people from the scrapbook.
The past should be something you’re proud of, not something you keep resurrecting because the present gives you nothing to celebrate.
