Gary_Bakerloo
New member
**Mick Potter may have just entered rugby league's version of the ninth circle of hell**
MIDWAY through the unveiling of Mick Potter as the new coach of the Wests Tigers, chief executive Stephen Humphreys was asked if Potter had been the first choice.
Talk about a loaded question. Potter was stunned.
"How can you ask that question?" he said with a grin, looking at other reporters. "I'm sitting right here. I've got feelings."
Welcome to the jungle, baby. While Potter might have been the best available choice, he may well have been asked if the Tigers were his first choice.
A talented but underachieving side, with headstrong players in Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah having too much to say, with a board apparently split right down the Balmain-Wests divide, and a footy club rumoured to be struggling financially.
Throw in the increasingly messy imbroglio with Tim Sheens and you wonder if Potter had just entered rugby league's version of the ninth circle of hell.
Fortuitously, he's seen far worse. In July, Potter was made redundant as head coach when the Bradford Bulls were placed into receivership.
Those close to him told him to abandon the Super League and return to Australia, yet Potter stayed on, without pay.
"You start a job, you finish it," he said.
Potter then guided the Bulls to the brink of their first play-off spot for four years, despite the dire financial predicament.
"I think I served above and beyond what I needed to do there," Potter said yesterday. "I felt obliged to do that. It has made me a better coach. The reasons I want to coach aren't financial but because you love the game.
"You love to teach players some things and you love to test the players out and get the best out of them."
Humphreys flatly disputes the Tigers have financial issues, although they remain unprepared - or unable - to pay out the rest of Sheens' contract, which is close to $1 million.
Potter will also be one of the lowest paid coaches in the NRL on a deal said to be worth about $250,000 a season.
Sheens returns from annual leave next week and the Kangaroos coach seems unlikely to accept the offer of a development role.
"That ball is in his court at the moment," Humphreys said of Sheens' future. "As you know, we remain keen for Tim to play a senior role with us overseeing our development activities. Tim is considering that as well as some other possibilities. We continue to talk."
Asked if it was tenable to have Sheens stay on, with Potter now driving the bus, Humphreys said: "I think it can. It wouldn't want to be a role looking over Mick's shoulders. It's a completely separate role in our business that I have talked about. That will be up to Tim.
"I would hope and expect that Tim and Mick would have some dialogue about the team. We would be foolish not to try to tap Tim's experience here in that regard. At the same time I know Tim would want to give Mick all the space he needs to get on with his job."
Despite the uncertainly, the upshot for Potter is that he's being paid for this one.
MIDWAY through the unveiling of Mick Potter as the new coach of the Wests Tigers, chief executive Stephen Humphreys was asked if Potter had been the first choice.
Talk about a loaded question. Potter was stunned.
"How can you ask that question?" he said with a grin, looking at other reporters. "I'm sitting right here. I've got feelings."
Welcome to the jungle, baby. While Potter might have been the best available choice, he may well have been asked if the Tigers were his first choice.
A talented but underachieving side, with headstrong players in Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah having too much to say, with a board apparently split right down the Balmain-Wests divide, and a footy club rumoured to be struggling financially.
Throw in the increasingly messy imbroglio with Tim Sheens and you wonder if Potter had just entered rugby league's version of the ninth circle of hell.
Fortuitously, he's seen far worse. In July, Potter was made redundant as head coach when the Bradford Bulls were placed into receivership.
Those close to him told him to abandon the Super League and return to Australia, yet Potter stayed on, without pay.
"You start a job, you finish it," he said.
Potter then guided the Bulls to the brink of their first play-off spot for four years, despite the dire financial predicament.
"I think I served above and beyond what I needed to do there," Potter said yesterday. "I felt obliged to do that. It has made me a better coach. The reasons I want to coach aren't financial but because you love the game.
"You love to teach players some things and you love to test the players out and get the best out of them."
Humphreys flatly disputes the Tigers have financial issues, although they remain unprepared - or unable - to pay out the rest of Sheens' contract, which is close to $1 million.
Potter will also be one of the lowest paid coaches in the NRL on a deal said to be worth about $250,000 a season.
Sheens returns from annual leave next week and the Kangaroos coach seems unlikely to accept the offer of a development role.
"That ball is in his court at the moment," Humphreys said of Sheens' future. "As you know, we remain keen for Tim to play a senior role with us overseeing our development activities. Tim is considering that as well as some other possibilities. We continue to talk."
Asked if it was tenable to have Sheens stay on, with Potter now driving the bus, Humphreys said: "I think it can. It wouldn't want to be a role looking over Mick's shoulders. It's a completely separate role in our business that I have talked about. That will be up to Tim.
"I would hope and expect that Tim and Mick would have some dialogue about the team. We would be foolish not to try to tap Tim's experience here in that regard. At the same time I know Tim would want to give Mick all the space he needs to get on with his job."
Despite the uncertainly, the upshot for Potter is that he's being paid for this one.
