Are coaches stifling stars?
They promise you the earth but then end up taking you through hell.
Some coaches, that is, and no more so than in the elite and/or professional arena.
Sportspeople often come under enormous pressure but the prudent among them will always be themselves.
They often take a back-foot stance, fighting perceptions and aspiring to prove other's opinions are way off the mark.
Ball in hand, they will attempt to conjure something out of nothing to show critics they have erred in jumping to conclusions.
In many instances, that can be the catalyst many desire to fuel their ambitions.
But in other cases, it is to their detriment and can often make or break their career.
Blokes such as Benji Marshall, Ma'a Nonu, Israel Dagg, Ben Tameifuna and Joseph Parker will attest to that.
The perceptive coaches often encourage the "be-yourself" gospel as a starting point, on acquiring myriad talent.
The adroit players will, no doubt, be mindful of straying on to the treacherous path of arrogance or, the good Lord forbid, ignorance.
In many respects, coaches are there because they have established an analytical template of sorts to enable players to incrementally refine their collective skills.
That Sir John Kirwan enticed Marshall to the Blues with the lure of $1 million is an interesting case study.
It has shades of what New Zealand rugby did with a cross-coding showpony called SBW not that long ago.
Kirwan has stuffed up, really.
But shouldn't Marshall, and everyone else who rubberstamped the deal, be equally culpable?
Absolutely. Whatever the public persona, Marshall must deeply regret that decision.
He isn't a showpony and money probably never was the sole motivating factor.
Kirwan failed him. It had nothing to do with the process, as such - you know, take him down to ITM Cup level to stimulate and nurture those dormant rugby union and sevens proficiencies.
No, it was simply Kirwan's inability to thrust an exciting - almost erratic - player in his Blues backline as a potent weapon.
The burning question is does Kirwan - an All Black winger from yesteryear who did the job by crossing the line with blinding speed - know how to?
He could have helped with a plausible: "Just be yourself and we'll do all we can around you to see if things work."
No, instead there was a reluctance to even experiment with Marshall in the face of a rash of defeats on the road.
To throw him into the equation in the dying minutes, as a basketball coach would a "garbage man" to clean up on the court, was pretty feeble and unreasonable.
You somehow get the feeling Nonu, Dagg and Tameifuna have been grappling with demons of a similar ilk.
Nonu is making the right noises this Super Rugby season.
Ditto Tameifuna, although All Black selectors thought otherwise of the former Hawke's Bay Magpies utility who can also hang tough between props.
I saw Big Ben at a Fight for Life charity boxing promotion in Auckland before last Christmas and he had admirably shed kilos to step into the ring against Brisbane Bronco Sam Thaiday.
Conversely, Dagg has remained dormant for the most part of the Crusaders' campaign.
Is the Magpie fullback in a similar predicament to someone who simply needs to go back to finding himself?
There's nothing sadder than watching Reds halfback Will Genia reduced to collecting the ball at the base of the scrum and punting it over the opposition backline.
Once a darting Wallaby pivot touted as the world No 1, Genia certainly doesn't look like someone who even smiles at at the man in the mirror let alone asking him to change his ways.
Presumably devoid of flair and imagination, the short stuff has been reduced to a Super Zombie painfully going through the motions.
As an astute but unassuming cricket coach often advises batting and bowling talent in the Bay: "If you have to go out, go out on your own terms, not those of someone else."
It'll be interesting to see what will happen to Parker.
The New Zealand heavyweight professional boxer is everything that encapsulates youthful exuberance.
His trainer, Kevin Barry, desperately wants him to "go the distance" in boxing parlance but the amiable Parker simply can't help getting into a brawl when the tempo gathers momentum.
Some detractors are adamant someone as ring savvy as Brian Minto is what it'll take to teach Parker a lesson.
On the other hand, fighting bums isn't an option and keeping his bank account ticking over is equally imperative.
Can Parker be himself?
That could also come down to the advice his minders give him.
Police reported minimal issues as marches brought central Hastings to a standstill.