KEY POINTS:
Stephen Kearney wants to be head coach at an NRL club but right now he's content to wait until the timing is perfect because he's getting a brilliant grounding through his apprenticeship at the Melbourne Storm.
After 14 years as a professional player, including a premiership title with
the Storm in 1999 and now three as assistant to coach Craig Bellamy during what has been a golden period for the club, he's still learning.
"I'd be a hard man to please if I wasn't happy here," he said this week in the run-up to the playoff game against his old club the Warriors tomorrow.
"Three minor premierships and two grand final wins, it's been a great apprenticeship. I'm enjoying the opportunity to work not only with Craig but with the whole team at the Storm from the conditioners to the doctors."
It is the depth and width of back-up at the club and strong work ethic plus discipline off the field that has produced the run of success, Kearney said. "We all have a big part to play in preparing the players for the NRL."
Bellamy takes on board what he can use from others around him. Kearney feels the other assistant Michael McGuire, who came from the Canberra Raiders via the Adelaide Rams, will also be a top-grade coach one day. "Craig is very intense, Michael and I aren't so intense so it's a good balance."
They draw on the programmes followed by the strong Melbourne Aussie Rules clubs and the A-League Melbourne Victory. "Some of the AFL clubs and the soccer guys are at the forefront of sports science, we have a very good relationship with them. We are open to learning wherever we can. We try and find whatever we think will help the whole group improve." And it cuts both ways. They have hosted AFL coaches in their dressing room pre-game.
"Craig would be the first to admit we have a very good structure from the talent recruitment and development to high performance training and the medical team. Every team has them but we have a really good unit here."
Success also requires hard work and lots of it, Kearney said. He was always big on preparation, both individually and as a team, in his playing days and nothing has changed. "We are very particular in how we prepare, how we analyse our own performance and the opposition."
They keep churning out superstars like Greg Inglis and Israel Folau, seemingly from nowhere.
Scout Peter O'Sullivan was credited with spotting plenty of talent over a period of years but has now moved on to the Roosters. Kearney is making use of his old contacts in Wellington and the club will play a trial there in November to give local hopefuls a chance to display what they've got.
"Certainly we identify guys with plenty of talent but with the likes of Inglis and Folau anyone can see they are good. It comes down to hard work if you want to make the best of your talent on the field each week. We have some great athletes but talent alone will not help you play well every week."
The environment at the Storm, encouraged by senior players in Bellamy's leadership group, is one of knuckling down. The Storm bought wayward Auckland-bred halfback Arana Taumata recently after he'd been sacked for bad behaviour at the Roosters, Broncos then Bulldogs but Kearney feels the 20-year-old has a chance in Melbourne. "The issues he's had at other clubs, we feel they won't arise here. We run a pretty tight ship and there is no way any bad behaviour will be tolerated and he's been told that loud and clear. He has a chance at a positive outcome but it will only be positive if he puts in the hard work."
Kearney said the challenge that faced the Storm in 2008 was different to that of 2007. "We lost a lot of experience with Matt King, Clint Newton and Ben Cross going. At one stage during State of Origin we had 10 players and the coach away. But I feel we made some big progress during that time," said Kearney, who took over the reins while players were stood down from the NRL to prepare for the three interstate games. "We were well beaten by St George first time around but by the third game when we played the Eels it was much closer and we felt we should have got a result."
The Sydney media had Kearney all ready to step into the shoes of Penrith's Matt Elliot last week, Elliot said to be for the chop. But nothing happened and Kearney has a chuckle about the kite-flying, which was all wind. He confirms a goal to be top dog one day, but after signing a two-year deal to take the Kiwis through the World Cup and the four-nations series in 2009 he won't look at moving anytime soon.
"I wouldn't do that because I can't compromise if an NRL job came up now. If I moved I would be compromising the pre-season at that club and I would be compromising the Kiwis' season and I won't do that," he said. "When I go to another organisation I want to set the tone for how everything will carry on. It depends on the opportunity but I'm not in a rush to make that decision. It has to be the right decision and you have to get it right first time because there won't be any more opportunities if you don't."
He is looking forward to working with long-serving Broncos coach Wayne Bennett over the longer period of the World Cup in October/November after enjoying their partnership in preparing the Kiwis for the Anzac test in May.
"Wayne was very influential in that test. I was nervous as hell before we went into camp but he made me feel very at ease. I'm really looking forward to working with him again," Kearney said, confirming he had learned plenty.
They have discussed test prospects and despite the injuries to captain Roy Asotasi and boom second rower Frank Pritchard and the departure of Sonny Bill Williams for rugby, he believes the Kiwis will compete well. Some players _ and he names Manu Vatuvei, Jerome Ropati, Jason Nightingale and Brent Webb _ "Wayne and I can't wait to get our hands on."
Depth in the Kiwis forwards meant they were not concerned about choosing a pack capable of making ground.
"I'm well aware of what the squad is capable of. Any team that loses one of those three players [Asotasi, Pritchard and Williams] would miss him _ and all three, well ...
"But the pack is an area where we have depth and I'm sure the forwards we pick will make room for us to get the backs moving and that's all we need. I think it's a very good backline."
Some World Cup squad members of the Kiwis have been shifted around by clubs, Nightingale from wing to fullback at the Dragons, Sam Perrett likewise at the Roosters while Setaimata Sa has been in the centres and second row, hooker Nathan Fien shifted from hooker to halfback at the Warriors. "I don't care where they are playing as long as they are playing in good form. I don't want them changing their game, they were chosen in the squad because of what they were doing in the NRL and I just want them to keep doing what they are doing well.
"I know we will prepare well and if we prepare well we will play well."
It's the philosophy in action against the Warriors this weekend too.
