Reports are that if Bellamy leaves for the dragons then senior players have backed smith to be the first player since Lewis to take on an official captain/coach role. It's probably just the media blowing an off the cuff remark by slater or Cronk out of the water but it would be interesting if it eventuates. We know he has the knowledge and ability to coach a team but is the game too fast paced for a potentially 80 minute hooker to do both without his own personal game and on a smaller level everyone else's game being damaged.
there hasn't been a captain coach since reserves got replaced by interchanges has there? there couldn't be.
Yeah you can't be a flat out captain coach anymore imo, need someone running the bench at the very least. Someone like Smith could be a co coach or something, bring in an old head like Folkes to run the bench during games. Only way it could potentially work would be if the captain/coach was on the bench himself and filled that 20-30 minute relieving back row role, even then it's a big stretch. Could be a good way around the salary cap though, name a captain coach, claim 500k as a coaching payment and bring in another coaching assistant that pretty well runs the show.
It's not like Cricket where you have plenty of time to think without much happening around you. I don't think it would work, but I'd love for them to try it.
Nah no way. Could see him stepping up in a unofficial assistants role but not head coach. Bellamy supposedly agreed to re-sign today anyway.
Agree ...that's the only way it could work successfully. It would have to be a partnership. I s'pose this all stems from comments about Smith running the training sessions and Bellyache runs the video.