League: Kemp wants to do a Mourinho

Tony Kemp

Despite being almost four months from the end of the season, rival English Premier League soccer managers threw in the towel last week and said the title was Chelsea's to lose. While the Blues might have Roman Abramovich's squillions at their disposal, they have also clearly benefited from the arrival of Jose Mourinho - a forthright, some would say arrogant, Portuguese manager.

While Mourinho is not likely to have heard of him - and with his dismissive attitude probably doesn't even care - Warriors boss Tony Kemp wants to be the Jose Mourinho of rugby league.

Kemp draws similarities between the two of them - young coach, couple of kids, disciplinarian, trying to bring the best out of disgruntled players - and hopes at the end of the NRL season he can also add winning the title to that list. Kemp is even putting together plans for a "study tour" to England at the end of the season to visit not only Mourinho and Chelsea, but also long-time Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Crystal Palace's Iain Dowie.

"What Mourinho, Ferguson and Dowie have done at their clubs is what I'm trying to do and they're the sorts of guys I want to talk to," Kemp says. "Mourinho went in and changed the whole environment of the club. I like that about the bloke and it mirrors what I'm trying to achieve here."

The similarities don't end there. The 37-year-old former Kiwis stand-off is very much in the football manager mould of coaching. He sets the tone and direction of the club and the style the team plays and allows those around him to implement it. He's handed those duties to former Warriors Ivan Cleary and Kevin Campion, who have joined the coaching staff as attacking and defensive coaches to work alongside the likes of Paul Ackland and Tony Iro in the backroom.

Some, like Graham Lowe, have been critical of this approach, saying it's a case of too many cooks spoiling the brew and eventually see Kemp looking over his shoulder, fearful of the ambitious Cleary and Campion. Cynics could even suggest Kemp is in a no-win situation. If he succeeds, it would be put down to the introduction of Cleary and Campion. If he fails, he'd be sacrificed to make way for one or both.

Kemp lets out a laugh at this suggestion. "It's not the case at all," he says dismissively. "I think competition is great and if my coaches are successful, then I'm successful. There's no way in the world I'm looking over my shoulder. If I had that mentality, then I would have hired the guy down at the local BP station as my attacking coach and the local farmer as my defensive coach."

After last season, when the club fell to second-last on the table, it's the BP worker and farmer the Warriors have to win back. A new season is approaching and a new feeling is in the camp, but the hurt of last year is not far below the surface. Kemp views this as healthy, saying that the players must use this as motivation. "We talk about it all the time because we do not want to go there again."

What they do or don't achieve will go a long way to defining Tony Kemp as a first-grade coach. He knows his reputation is on the line and it could make or break him but, in yet another parallel with the often maligned Mourinho, he will adopt a win-at-all-costs playing style.

It's why the club has adopted the word 'relentless' as their catch-phrase. Discipline and mental and physical strength could also be added to the list. "I'm aware of the pressures, but one thing I'm not going to do is sit back and let this unfold," he says. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure this club is successful and I know I will live and die by my results. But the culture I want to create is a winning culture - it is win at all costs. I'm sure everyone will be happy as long as we're successful."

While reticent to elaborate on what style of play the Warriors will adopt when the NRL season kicks off against the Manly Sea Eagles in March, Kemp says it will be based around "a New Zealand brand of football" and a "more disciplined style of football". These were areas that drew considerable criticism last term, along with the players' lack of fitness and it's also seen the introduction of a varied range of fitness work such as wrestling and beach training sessions.

Kemp enjoyed little success when he took over as coach from Daniel Anderson in June last year, accumulating three wins and 10 losses. The damage, though, had already been done and there was little he could do to inspire a physically and mentally bruised outfit.

This year he's eyeing a semifinal berth and believes the return of an invigorated Stacey Jones and the addition of particularly new skipper Steven Price and Kiwis captain Ruben Wiki will give the side a more balanced look. "I'm pretty happy with the side we've put together," Kemp says. "I believe we have a semifinal team and I think the team thinks they are semifinal quality."

The proof, as always, will be in the pudding, but if opposition coaches were throwing in the towel and handing the title to the Warriors before the end of the season, it would have meant a remarkable turnaround. It would also mean Tony Kemp had done one hell of a job.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY