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'BUSINESS AS USUAL' FOR CUNNING COACH
By Wayne Cousins
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Like most things he does, Tim Sheens keeps his cards very close to his chest.
Professional, wise and cunning, Sheens had been discussing his future for some time with Wests Tigers CEO Stephen Humphreys despite reports surfacing that Cronulla’s Ricky Stuart would be at the helm in 2011 with the off contract Sheens moving on to the Rabbitohs.
In the end, Humphreys wanted Sheens. The Australian coach wanted to stay. In the end, it was a case of timing and finalizing the deal.
The right time came on Thursday night when Humphreys addressed the Wests Tigers Board at Concord Oval.
“We had a board meeting where we discussed it and I was really pleased the board endorsed my recommendation to extend Tim’s contract for another year to cover the 2011 season,’’ Humphreys told the media after Friday night’s win over Parramatta.
“He brings an enormous amount of experience and expertise to the club. He is the ultimate professional who represents our club extremely well which is a great benefit to us, both from a football sense but also in a commercial sense because Tim’s respect goes beyond football.
“Tim has created a great culture at Wests Tigers which has enabled us to go out and market ourselves very positively and he is a big part of that.”
Humphreys said Sheens – a four time premiership winning coach – was satisfied with the one-year extension. No other coaches were even considered. Sheens was the right – and only – man for the task of getting the Wests Tigers into the finals for the first time since their premiership victory in 2005.
“We put in a lot of effort into our planning and preparation for this year. The 2010 season is very important to us for a number of reasons and the last thing that we wanted was to be distracted by speculation or rumour about what was happening with the coach, so that’s why we were pleased to put that to bed,’’ Humphreys said.
“We are all now focused on creating success at the Wests Tigers.”
Humphreys said Sheens, who turns 60 in October, continues to re-invent himself and very much enjoys coaching at a club dear to his heart.
“I really don’t think it is an age thing with Tim because to be honest, mentally he is the youngest senior executive we have got around the place,’’ Humphreys said.
“He keeps himself very fresh. He is a ferocious reader and continues to learn about the game and ways to coach and manage people. He is all the time re-inventing himself and that’s why I think he has been so successful for so long.
“Tim has the respect of the players and he has been a big part of both attracting quality players to the club such as Gareth Ellis and Lote Tuqiri, but also a big part in retaining players such as Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Tim Moltzen, Blake Ayshford who have all signed on for long term deals. Keith Galloway was the most recent one.
“He is an enormous part of that. Having said that, we know we need to get success on the field as well. We are all very clear about the value Tim brings to the club but we are also acutely aware now the need to bring success to the club.
“Tim understands more than anyone that this is a results oriented business and whilst we have been in the hunt each year since the ’05 success, we haven’t just quite made it. We know we need to take that next step
“I think by Tim accepting a one year extension that he is challenging himself. I am sure that he is genuine in that if for whatever reason he can’t get us to that next step, well we will move on from there. Hopefully that is an academic situation.
“At the end of the day, once the board endorsed my recommendation, my conversation with Tim was very simple and straight forward.”
Although delighted with an extra 12 months at Concord, Sheens admits it now a case of ‘business as usual’. He has been at the helm of Wests Tigers since 2003.
“I want to keep working with this group. I asked for a year to work with this group. If I can’t get it to happen, then I won’t be here and I would stand down myself on that basis,’’ Sheens said.
“The deal just gives us a bit of room. We are not thinking this year about who is going to be coaching and the speculation which this season doesn’t need.
“If we are going to do anything this season, it is about everybody working together. That’s why it has been good in that a number of the guys have re-signed also. There is not going to be that speculation about players taking their mind off it.
“For me, it is just another year that I am pleased to be with the club. It doesn’t guarantee that I am going to be there and we still have got to do the job.”
As for the cunningness, captain Robbie Farah knew his coach had been in talks but wasn’t aware he had signed until Sheens announced it at the post match press conference.
“Tim is a coach that all of us as players respect and he is the reason why a lot of us have re-signed,’’ said Farah after shaking Sheens’ hand.
“For him to be here longer, it gives the club great stability and with all of the players that have re-signed, we have got a good core group of players and coaching staff here for a long time which will allow us to work on creating a bit of success around the club.”
After sharing a laugh with Farah, Sheens again showed his shrewdness.
“I had a coffee with Stephen Humphreys at 3pm before the game. It wasn’t one of those things you come out and announce,’’ Sheens said, smiling.
He paused briefly before delivering a classic comment with a huge grin.
“And had we lost, I wouldn’t have announced it at all”.
By Wayne Cousins
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Like most things he does, Tim Sheens keeps his cards very close to his chest.
Professional, wise and cunning, Sheens had been discussing his future for some time with Wests Tigers CEO Stephen Humphreys despite reports surfacing that Cronulla’s Ricky Stuart would be at the helm in 2011 with the off contract Sheens moving on to the Rabbitohs.
In the end, Humphreys wanted Sheens. The Australian coach wanted to stay. In the end, it was a case of timing and finalizing the deal.
The right time came on Thursday night when Humphreys addressed the Wests Tigers Board at Concord Oval.
“We had a board meeting where we discussed it and I was really pleased the board endorsed my recommendation to extend Tim’s contract for another year to cover the 2011 season,’’ Humphreys told the media after Friday night’s win over Parramatta.
“He brings an enormous amount of experience and expertise to the club. He is the ultimate professional who represents our club extremely well which is a great benefit to us, both from a football sense but also in a commercial sense because Tim’s respect goes beyond football.
“Tim has created a great culture at Wests Tigers which has enabled us to go out and market ourselves very positively and he is a big part of that.”
Humphreys said Sheens – a four time premiership winning coach – was satisfied with the one-year extension. No other coaches were even considered. Sheens was the right – and only – man for the task of getting the Wests Tigers into the finals for the first time since their premiership victory in 2005.
“We put in a lot of effort into our planning and preparation for this year. The 2010 season is very important to us for a number of reasons and the last thing that we wanted was to be distracted by speculation or rumour about what was happening with the coach, so that’s why we were pleased to put that to bed,’’ Humphreys said.
“We are all now focused on creating success at the Wests Tigers.”
Humphreys said Sheens, who turns 60 in October, continues to re-invent himself and very much enjoys coaching at a club dear to his heart.
“I really don’t think it is an age thing with Tim because to be honest, mentally he is the youngest senior executive we have got around the place,’’ Humphreys said.
“He keeps himself very fresh. He is a ferocious reader and continues to learn about the game and ways to coach and manage people. He is all the time re-inventing himself and that’s why I think he has been so successful for so long.
“Tim has the respect of the players and he has been a big part of both attracting quality players to the club such as Gareth Ellis and Lote Tuqiri, but also a big part in retaining players such as Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah, Tim Moltzen, Blake Ayshford who have all signed on for long term deals. Keith Galloway was the most recent one.
“He is an enormous part of that. Having said that, we know we need to get success on the field as well. We are all very clear about the value Tim brings to the club but we are also acutely aware now the need to bring success to the club.
“Tim understands more than anyone that this is a results oriented business and whilst we have been in the hunt each year since the ’05 success, we haven’t just quite made it. We know we need to take that next step
“I think by Tim accepting a one year extension that he is challenging himself. I am sure that he is genuine in that if for whatever reason he can’t get us to that next step, well we will move on from there. Hopefully that is an academic situation.
“At the end of the day, once the board endorsed my recommendation, my conversation with Tim was very simple and straight forward.”
Although delighted with an extra 12 months at Concord, Sheens admits it now a case of ‘business as usual’. He has been at the helm of Wests Tigers since 2003.
“I want to keep working with this group. I asked for a year to work with this group. If I can’t get it to happen, then I won’t be here and I would stand down myself on that basis,’’ Sheens said.
“The deal just gives us a bit of room. We are not thinking this year about who is going to be coaching and the speculation which this season doesn’t need.
“If we are going to do anything this season, it is about everybody working together. That’s why it has been good in that a number of the guys have re-signed also. There is not going to be that speculation about players taking their mind off it.
“For me, it is just another year that I am pleased to be with the club. It doesn’t guarantee that I am going to be there and we still have got to do the job.”
As for the cunningness, captain Robbie Farah knew his coach had been in talks but wasn’t aware he had signed until Sheens announced it at the post match press conference.
“Tim is a coach that all of us as players respect and he is the reason why a lot of us have re-signed,’’ said Farah after shaking Sheens’ hand.
“For him to be here longer, it gives the club great stability and with all of the players that have re-signed, we have got a good core group of players and coaching staff here for a long time which will allow us to work on creating a bit of success around the club.”
After sharing a laugh with Farah, Sheens again showed his shrewdness.
“I had a coffee with Stephen Humphreys at 3pm before the game. It wasn’t one of those things you come out and announce,’’ Sheens said, smiling.
He paused briefly before delivering a classic comment with a huge grin.
“And had we lost, I wouldn’t have announced it at all”.
