Hugh McGahan: A recipe for disaster

COMMENT


It must have slipped past a few people, but did anyone pick up on the comments of Daniel Anderson last week? The question we've all been asking was answered by the Kiwi coach in his comments on television during the broadcast of the Great Britain vs Australia fixture. Why has the Kiwi team performed so poorly in the second half of its last two encounters (excluding the French game)?

We've been trying to explain the sudden change in tactics or motivation of the team after halftime. They go from being full of confidence, with a no-holds barred attitude, to a team that is directionless, emotionless and one that has lost its memory of the previous 40 minutes.

Daniel Anderson was a guest on the English commentary. At halftime of last week's game, the question was posed to him how he thought the British team were performing. He said: "They are in front, they don't have to score any more points, they just need to stop the Australians from scoring", or words to that effect.

To me, this gave an insight into his thinking and obviously it was a message he passed on to his Kiwi team at halftime. Don't worry about scoring, just stop them from doing so and you win the game. This comment would explain the drastic change in the approach and attitude they brought to each of those second halves.

The team basically played defensively, without a thought to extending its lead and ultimately controlling the game. This defensive recipe will always lead to disaster and is a mode most teams go into when they hit the lead with only a few moments left on the clock. They try to maintain their lead and play safety-first football. In contrast, the opposition tend to throw caution to the wind and employ whatever tactic they can to break the defensive line.

Try stopping this type of play in normal circumstances and you'll find it hard to combat; try and stop it with a defeatist attitude and it is impossible. Many a war has been lost where armies hold their ground and try and prevent the enemy from breaking their lines, especially when the enemy launches a counter-offensive after retreating, which they always do.

The tables turn very quickly and we saw this with the Kiwi team in this series - the team turned from champs to chumps.

It has been said that the NZRL will be conducting an investigation or debrief into the results of this series. If so, I will be very keen to see the outcome.

Media speculation has it that despite still having a year on his contract, Daniel Anderson will be under pressure to retain the role of coach. This may well be true, but as I mentioned long ago, Daniel is a professional coach and will have been looking at opportunities in both England and Australia. The Kiwi job is a fill-in, until he gets a fulltime role elsewhere.

Whatever happens, let this be a lesson to coaches - do not adhere to tactics where holding back is a form of attack to win a game.

Maybe the fight-to-the-end spirit of the Silver Ferns is what is required in our Kiwi team if they are to regain respect.

Although I do not agree with this trip being a development tool for players, there has been one highlight - Louis Anderson. This boy is a player of the future and I look forward to viewing his progress. With his brother Vinnie, the Warriors will be well served.

I'm not sure if coaches have settled on a position for either of them yet, so before they fall into a utility role, find them a position before other clubs come looking. I say this because these boys need a permanent position to become comfortable in, or they will become restless and disillusioned. If this happens, we'll lose them.


- THE HERALD ON SUNDAY