On current (team) form, our coach has an interesting predictament, between now and the time Luai is back.
Historically, the idea has always been to build around
Jarome Luai. However, when a player is earning $1.2 million per season, influence must be immediate and visible. The club needs him to lead, to influence. They need him to deliver in moments that shape games.
His abscence (and the team success) has me thinking about how coach Marshall will view his return and inclusion into the lineup.
In a
broader context, whether a star player should automatically return to the starting lineup during a winning streak is a complex coaching dilemma with no single right answer, though experts and sports psychologists often suggest that team performance and chemistry should take precedence over individual status.
There is no doubt that our coach has BEGUN the to blend a combination of effective roles, without necessarily singling out a specific player or role within the club, including his own. I dare say that we are STARTING to understand that a great team is not top down, more flat than anything. Everyone from the head coach to the last reserve on the bench has full understanding of what a winning combination looks like...from pushing the first team in practice to taking control of the game in crunch time, to making strategic and appropriate substitutions throughout. And it starts with the culture initiated by those leading the team.
Do we see Luai as part of this process OR perhaps a star in his own right but one that is foreign to this (current) constellation? If the premise of the WT sitting second on the ladder is that we are winning, and playing a good brand of football, can we exclude the Luai factor, and perhaps consider other immediate reasons such as better team dynamics and flow, better focus and responsibility amongst individual players, and perhaps a little “chip on the shoulder” mental toughness by players on the team hoping to prove critics wrong that they really can win without their star? (Twal, Doueihi come to mind)
. Or maybe the success witnessed with Luai out should be attributed to great coaching, as the stakes are that much more increased for the coach to make the best of a tough situation.
This is a good "problem" to have. Getting it right may well play a part in how succesful the West Tigers will be this year.
Regards to all.
