Rugby League: Graham versus his old mentor

It is one-all as the student takes on the mentor, Mark Graham versus the guy he rates the best coach going, Tim Sheens, in a vital showdown for both in Townsville tonight.

That is a big call from Warriors coach Graham given that he also worked under Bob Fulton at Manly, Graham Lowe at Manly and North Queensland, and Peter Louis at North Sydney before taking the top job at the Warriors.

"Those others had different qualities - they were coming to the end of their careers, whereas Tim was still there. He's the top of the tree as far as I'm concerned," said Graham, already with a 0-24 loss in Auckland and a 40-14 win in Townsville against his old club.

What makes Sheens so good, given a less-than-impressive record in Townsville?

"He's technically outstanding. His understanding of the game is tremendous.

"He has great organisational skills and he's very in-depth in the planning department. I learned plenty," Graham said.

So Sheens will have dissected his team, decided where to attack and given the Cowboys specific instructions on how to run each play-the-ball in each grid, Graham knows, and he knows something of what to expect "up to a point."

Graham's record as assistant coach at Townsville was not that hot either: two finishes in the low quarter of the ladder.

The club had struggled to attract first-grade players at its start six years ago, then when Super League came along and paid out big money to get big names, some were not all that committed to the cause and others "thought they were first-graders but they weren't. They were very hard to handle."

Then there is the heat, the travel, and the laid-back lifestyle.

Graham believes the Cowboys are more of a team now, more committed.

He said: "Every year they basically go out and buy a new team. They're going OK now, just ask the Eagles [beaten 50-10 three rounds ago]."

But last week was a shocker for Sheens' team, a second consecutive 6-28 loss. It was the manner of it, though, that made him spit the dummy.

Jeremy Schloss knocked on from a simple restart, fullback Tim Brasher played the ball to no one four metres out from their goal-line and Timana Tahu simply picked it up and dived over.

Sheens gave his side a big serve, saying their reserve-graders would have beaten them at Newcastle, that the senior players had not tried hard enough, that you cannot afford simple mistakes like those.

He mellowed somewhat after watching the tape, cut back on planned team changes, and "put the fear of God into some of them, some of them that deserved a second chance, but this is the chance."

The Cowboys' management remain firmly behind Sheens despite his declining record.

"Anyone who knows the game couldn't doubt what he knows about it," said spokesman Tim Nugent, deflecting criticism of team changes, poor buys, and finishes that read last in 1997, 16th of 20 in 1998, 16 of 17 last season.

Sheens on his coaching philosophy: "Teams evolve, and you've got to buy, sell, promote and demote.

"The good coaches versus the poorer coaches are usually sorted out within three years of being given a chance to identify talent. If you can identify and work that talent you get results."

Graham is not querying Sheens' moves, just plotting to undo them.

He has asked Stacey Jones to move about the park a bit more, wants a hard start, a big kick-chase game that will take play to the Cowboys' end, and plenty of pressure on Noel Goldthorpe and Paul Green as they try to return it.

Both coaches know it is player attitude that will win or lose this and every other game for them, and that there is precious little they can do about that from the stands.

Sheens' coaching record: Penrith 1984-87, Canberra 1988-96, Cowboys 1997-2000. 393 games for 211 wins, 172 losses, 10 draws, 54 per cent winning average.

But he had three premierships with the Raiders in 1989, 1990 and 1994 and left with his average at 68 per cent; at the Cowboys: played 66, won 18, lost 45, drawn two, average 28 per cent.

Mark Graham: 34 games for 12 wins, 20 losses and two draws, 38 per cent.

Cowboys: Tim Brasher (c), Damien Smith, Julian O'Neill, Paul Bowman, Graham Appo, Paul Green, Noel Goldthorpe, Shaun Valentine, Brett Boyd, John Buttigieg, Robert Relf, Mark Shipway, Jeremy Schloss; interchange Geoff Bell, Peter Jones, Glenn Morrison, Greg Bourke.

Warriors: Scott Pethybridge, Lee Oudenryn, David Myles, Nigel Vagana, Henry Faafili, John Simon (c), Stacey Jones, Talite Liavaa, Robert Mears, Joe Vagana, Ali Lauiti'iti, Scott Coxon, Jason Death; interchange: Shontayne Talite Liavaa, Robert Mears, Joe Vagana; interchange Shontayne Hape, Tony Tuimavave, Monty Betham, Jerry Seuseu.