2014 Season Preview: Parramatta

by Paul Cook –

When Glen Christini arrived at Parramatta back in 2010, the club was at rock bottom both on and off the pitch. Saddled with debt, struggling to fill their lower grade sides on a weekly basis and humbled by an 11th place finish on the ladder. However, thanks to the superb work of Christini and his coaching team over the last three years, alongside the actions of a proactive board, the Two Blues club you see today is in rude health by comparison.

Working alongside Christini during his tenure was a fellow Kiwi – ex-New Zealand Schoolboys, Samoan Sevens and Highlanders player, Gerrard Fasavalu. After a highly promising start to his career that also saw him named as the IRB Junior Player of the Year in 2000, Fasavalu’s rugby dream was ended prematurely by a terrible knee injury, a setback he turned to a positive by completing his studies and achieving the non-too shabby feat of a triple major in classical mechanics, quantum physics and history.

However, rugby was his true calling and when Christini decided to head back to the home of the long, white cloud at the end of last season, Fasavalu jumped at the chance to emerge from his shadow and forge his own coaching path out at Granville. As Rugby News found out recently, his vision of the future for the Two Blues is far important than mere football…

******************************************************

Did you feel the time was right to take a head coach role when Glen Christini left, was it something you’d always wanted to do?

“With anything in life, you always aspire to better yourself and be the best in whatever you do. Coaching was a way for me to give back to the game that gave me so much and it was a natural progression. When Glen left and the opportunity came up I knew I was ready and had already developed strong relationships with the players over the years in my role as Assistant. With the experienced I gained as a player and as a result of being coached by some the greatest rugby minds in the world. I also felt I had an obligation to give back what I could and there’s no better time than the present to do so.”

Promoting from within rather than bringing someone in from outside has its advantages – you know the players, you know the systems and the game plans that have been used over the last couple of years. Does that mean we can expect only subtle changes to Parra’s style or are you taking a whole new approach?

“It’s a whole new approach. You’ve got to look at rugby from a holistic perspective and it’s changed a lot in recent seasons. There’s now a lot more emphasis on video analysis. However the principles of the game are still the same, you’ve got to lace your boots up, you’ve got to prepare well in terms of how you approach the game day (as well as training) and then it’s about fine tuning. I want to put some discipline and structures back in because some of the players haven’t been immersed in that environment so it’s a case of getting them to understand what’s required to step up. I’m also very big on playing to the strengths of our players and adapting accordingly.”

Gerrard Fasavalu makes the step up from assistant coach to head coach this year at the Two Blues and has set his focus both on and of the pitch
Photo: Pat Dunne & Debbie O’Connor

In your time with the club you’ll have come to understand the history of Parramatta and its desire to get back to its former glories. Is it something you’re acutely aware of and driven to achieve?

“Yes, and the players that we have now at the club, as well as the coaching staff all the way through the grades, the colts and the womens program, understand their responsibilities and their roles in us achieving this. The jersey isn’t guaranteed, players are only custodians of the jersey and by the time they leave the club, they have to leave the jersey in a better place from when they picked it up. It’s about putting pride back into local rugby and grassroots rugby and that’s where it starts really, it’s all about nurturing good men and women, not so much rugby itself. I find that rugby results are a by-product of being good people and of people feeling confident and satisfied in their lives more broadly.

“Rugby is only a small window in your life. What you learn in that time in rugby at Parramatta will hopefully help that transition into a professional working environment and into a career, or if players become better partners or better parents, then I find that that’s a win-win situation for me. It’s not so much about producing good players, it’s about producing good people.”

So, while you still hope for success on the park, your greatest reward is to see success off it?

“Yes, especially with this generation. You’ve got to put food on the table and clothes on your family’s backs, not simply take those things for granted. For some players, they have rugby as their no.1 priority, then family, then work whereas I have a rule and a philosophy in place now where it’s family first, work and study second, then rugby and that’s non-negotiable from my perspective. As I said earlier, I firmly believe the results will come naturally from players who are confident, supported and fulfilled in their lives.”

Under Glen, the side improved immeasurably in his first 2 years to reach finals footy in 2012 before taking a backwards step last season. You had a terrible run of injuries, particularly in the forwards, was that the main reason for the lack of progress or were there other contributing factors?

“It was a variation of things really, injuries are part and parcel of rugby and that’s a challenge for coaches, you can’t just rely heavily on your best fifteen, you’ve got to have depth amongst the ranks throughout the club. I find it’s all about player management, whether you can manage a player’s expectations from previous years to the here and now and work with the players you have on board, not rely on what was done before or on previous results. A lot of it was probably attitude and that’s quite easy for me to critique because I wasn’t in the driving seat at the time whereas now, people are going to critique me on those same aspects.”

We’ve seen Adam Coleman make his debut off the bench for the Western Force in the last few weeks and do very well and it’s great to see a Parra player other than Tatafu Polota-Nau involved in Super Rugby. Is it the aim of yourself and the club to grow more Super Rugby talent and do you think you have guys on board currently that could potentially achieve that?

“Definitely. I wouldn’t be in the position I am now if I didn’t believe in the players that we have at the club and that’s one of the things we want to strive for here, to encourage our players to reach those heights. From a coaching perspective, we’ve given them a three year time frame. If they haven’t progressed up to Super Rugby or gained a contract overseas in that time then it comes down to whether they really want it or not. That’s a challenge for us as coaches as well to give them the tools and the platform to launch their rugby career and their professional development. We do have exceptional talent at the club, it’s all a matter of fine tuning what the players need and working out where we can help them progress.”

Parramatta: Ins & Outs

How important for the club in terms of recruitment is having somebody like Adam in Super Rugby – it shows local kids that the Two Blues can provide a rugby pathway into a professional career?

“It’s a massive tool and it does show that it doesn’t matter what club you go to, if you work hard and you have the right attitude then you can push on to higher honours. It also shows the local guys that getting a Super Rugby contract and making these teams isn’t about the club you play for (which is some people’s perception) it confirms it’s about having the right attitude, training ethics and working hard and that this will not go unnoticed.”

It’s also good to know that the Waratahs are actively taking a greater interest in club rugby under Michael Cheika’s directive to try and unearth the next superstar?

“It’s great but we have to play our part in giving Michael Cheika a bigger pool of players to choose from, we can’t be poaching or buying players from overseas. If you look at New South Wales and it’s geographical make-up and the number of players playing in the Shute Shield, we should have enough quality to ensure that Cheika can pluck anyone from any club and they will be able to step up.”

There’s an earlier start to the competition this year, a couple of extra rounds and a six team finals series – are you happy with the changes?

“There’s been a lot of criticism about the format, but people just need to adapt to the changes and that’s the way it is. You’ve got to make the best of what you have and take any opportunities with both hands. We, as coaches, need to lead by example to show the players what needs to be done.”

The NRC arrives at the end of the year, what are the pros and cons of this competition for club rugby?

“The NRC will only work as long as there are players from all clubs getting an opportunity to play and showcase their talent. It needs to be well organised, it can’t be rushed. Like any business that’s starting off, you are going to have your tough times. The NRC might take some time to build momentum, but so long as there is progress, player development, and the competition is sustainable, then we’re on the way to having a lucrative product. We need to compete with the South Africans and the New Zealanders in terms of what they’re doing right. We need to take a blueprint from what’s worked for them, tweak it to our requirements, then run with it.”

With the Super Rugby final only two weeks before the Shute Shield grand final this year, those clubs with Super Rugby players will have less access to them depending on the relative success of each state. Can we expect a more level playing field across the regular season as a result?

“It should be more level but at the same time, I don’t really care whether Super Rugby players play or not. If they play, it’s a great opportunity for our boys to knock them over and prove themselves. I encourage our players to believe that their best rugby will come out when they play against the best. Whoever it is who puts on the opposition jersey shouldn’t matter, your standards shouldn’t be based on the opposition you play, it should be about what we’re doing, not them.”

Ex-Chiefs prop Simon Lemalu will bring a wealth
of experience to the Two Blues
Photo: Pat Dunne & Debbie O’Connor

What trends, if any, do you think we might see appearing in the way the game is played or approached by teams this year in regards to law interpretations – particularly at the breakdown?

“It’s hard to say at this point what trends might develop. However, I’d like to see consistent policing around the new scrum laws. I think it’s a fantastic change to the laws (with a few adjustments still required). It removes the ability of teams who rely heavily on their power and puts a lot more emphasis on the technical aspects of scrummaging. As always, as long as there is consistency in the way they are policing certain areas of the game, coaches are happy. If everybody is on the same page it makes it a lot easier for both teams out on the paddock and enjoyable for the spectators.”

Players to watch out for in 2014?

“To be honest, I’d like to leave that blank for now because only time will tell us who steps up to the mark. As you know, rugby is a team sport and as long as everyone fits into the framework in terms of what we are trying to achieve, we’ll go well.”

What is a successful season for Parramatta this year – finals footy will be harder to achieve with only 6 spots available or is that a minimum requirement?

“First and foremost, my ambition is to see the players doing the right things off the field, that’s the most important thing for me. Working, studying and being good husbands, partners or parents. I try and catch up with some of the players’ family members every couple of weeks to see how things are going or if there are any issues that we as a club can help with. Off the paddock, that’s success for me.

“On the paddock, we just need to take it one game at a time really, we can’t jump the gun and focus on finals football until we can start winning games regularly week-to-week. I’ll back and support our players every day of the week, there’s no point being in the competition if you don’t support or believe in the players that you have. We have the talent to do well as long as the boys have the right attitude and character and if we, as coaches, provide them with the necessary tools to harness their skills.”