David Edwards
NormFittler Begins Reign With Unchanged Side
July 10th 2007 15:12
Brad ‘Freddie’ Fittler has taken over the reign of the Sydney Roosters yesterday, and have already begun to draw question marks after claiming that he was willing to drop players and “make the big calls” against his former teammates, yet in the same day announce an unchanged side for their next match against Cronulla.
The Roosters, who suffered their second biggest defeat in the club’s 100 year history losing to Manly 56-0 on Sunday, have been in a state of shock for the past few days. 24 hours after their dramatic loss to the Sea Eagles, coach Chris Anderson immediately announced his registration from the position, citing health reason for his leaving. Fittler was named as his replacement on Monday night, and whilst there has been some questions in regards to how he will perform with his former side, he has taken a strong stance by naming an unchanged side to face the Sharks this week.
Whilst Fittler has claimed that he has a massive task ahead of him, he has made the point that the ladder is not the main target for the remaining eight rounds of the season, but rather refitting the club as a stronger side in the competition whilst undertaking the caretaker role.
With this being Fittler’s first role in charge of any side in the national competition, many former players have come out in support for his appointment. Former teammate in the New South Wales squad, Andrew Johns, has stated that despite the huge toll that coaching will take on him, his life experiences within the game will help him in the position dramatically. Whilst former teammate and now skipper working under Fittler, Craig Fitzgibbon, has damned the critics of his position.
“He’s going to put his own stamp on the team and hopefully a positive one... Whoever said he is not going to make the tough calls probably does not know him well. From playing underneath him when he was captain, he was more than happy to give you a baking if you’re not doing your job.”
It is indeed a baptism of fire in Freddie’s first role at the helm. Not only have the Roosters experienced one of their worst seasons in their long rewarded history, but after the second biggest defeat their side has ever experienced, Fittler has set the standard by announcing an unchanged squad, believing that the turmoil that the club has experienced since their woeful game on Sunday is reason enough for the side to change their style.
“You’ve got to approach it as a fresh start. We’ve got a good chance to put it behind us and move on and try and change things. Some games we weren’t that far off and others we looked a bit of a rabble.”
“Everyone has to take a bit of responsibility.”
There is no doubt that many people will be seriously watching the Rooster’s match this round as they square up against the Sharks, and it has the potential of being a catch 22 for the club. If they Roosters do pull of the impossible and win, whilst many people will be looking more positively towards Fittler’s appointment, they might be expecting a lot more action to come out of the Tri-colours in their remaining games for the season. If they lose, whilst many supporters will point out it was the same side that could not win for Anderson, you can expect that Fittler will be put under extreme pressure in swinging the axe the next week in trying to find the winning combination for the Roosters.
But of all the options of naming his squad a full 24 hours after being promoted to coach, Fittler has taken the wisest, and also the safest option. Naming the same squad, he can focus on working on the tactics that the squad uses on the field and trying to focus on some winning plays. There is no doubt that it would take a miracle for the Roosters to win, but whilst this week might cause an upset or two, despite the result it would be a fool to think that the same squad will be lining up in any further matches for ’07.
This week is essentially a free pass to Fittler to test the water, but if the Roosters slump like they have experienced in previous matches this year in the next eight weeks, Freddie’s coaching career might experienced one of the rockiest starts and up and coming coach can ever fear.
Until next time, sports minds.
The Roosters, who suffered their second biggest defeat in the club’s 100 year history losing to Manly 56-0 on Sunday, have been in a state of shock for the past few days. 24 hours after their dramatic loss to the Sea Eagles, coach Chris Anderson immediately announced his registration from the position, citing health reason for his leaving. Fittler was named as his replacement on Monday night, and whilst there has been some questions in regards to how he will perform with his former side, he has taken a strong stance by naming an unchanged side to face the Sharks this week.
With this being Fittler’s first role in charge of any side in the national competition, many former players have come out in support for his appointment. Former teammate in the New South Wales squad, Andrew Johns, has stated that despite the huge toll that coaching will take on him, his life experiences within the game will help him in the position dramatically. Whilst former teammate and now skipper working under Fittler, Craig Fitzgibbon, has damned the critics of his position.
“He’s going to put his own stamp on the team and hopefully a positive one... Whoever said he is not going to make the tough calls probably does not know him well. From playing underneath him when he was captain, he was more than happy to give you a baking if you’re not doing your job.”
“You’ve got to approach it as a fresh start. We’ve got a good chance to put it behind us and move on and try and change things. Some games we weren’t that far off and others we looked a bit of a rabble.”
“Everyone has to take a bit of responsibility.”
There is no doubt that many people will be seriously watching the Rooster’s match this round as they square up against the Sharks, and it has the potential of being a catch 22 for the club. If they Roosters do pull of the impossible and win, whilst many people will be looking more positively towards Fittler’s appointment, they might be expecting a lot more action to come out of the Tri-colours in their remaining games for the season. If they lose, whilst many supporters will point out it was the same side that could not win for Anderson, you can expect that Fittler will be put under extreme pressure in swinging the axe the next week in trying to find the winning combination for the Roosters.
But of all the options of naming his squad a full 24 hours after being promoted to coach, Fittler has taken the wisest, and also the safest option. Naming the same squad, he can focus on working on the tactics that the squad uses on the field and trying to focus on some winning plays. There is no doubt that it would take a miracle for the Roosters to win, but whilst this week might cause an upset or two, despite the result it would be a fool to think that the same squad will be lining up in any further matches for ’07.
This week is essentially a free pass to Fittler to test the water, but if the Roosters slump like they have experienced in previous matches this year in the next eight weeks, Freddie’s coaching career might experienced one of the rockiest starts and up and coming coach can ever fear.
Until next time, sports minds.
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