2014 Season Preview: Penrith Emus

by Paul Cook –

Penrith legend Teki Tuipulotu knew he was walking into a thankless task when he took up the reigns at the foot of the mountains towards the end of 2013. The former Tongan international was faced with a lack of players on the pitch and a shortage of funds off it, and spent last season trying to lay some groundwork for the future, with a vision of restoring the Emus to the halcyon days of the Scott Johnson era under which he played.

Finals football may be a distant dream but for now, making Penrith competitive in all grades on a weekly basis would be a major step in the right direction. Player retention and recruitment has been the focus in the off-season as the club looks to build greater strength in depth and while the results this year will ultimately define his success on both fronts, he is quietly confident of an improved showing.

Rugby News spoke to Teki about his hopes for 2014 and his long term aspirations for the club he holds close to his heart…

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On paper at least, last season was a downturn from previous years with no wins from Penrith’s 16 matches but does that tell the whole story?

“There’s a lot more to that story than the losses that we had. When I joined the club, we’d already lost about 13 first graders to other clubs so I had to deal with a lot of second graders. If we look at the bigger picture, it was a very challenging year for me last year and I had to look at the overall situation concerning the pathway for juniors to come through the academy, which is the pathway for the under 20’s and from the under 20s straight to senior grade.”

Former Emu Teki Tuipulotu is preparing for his second season in charge at Penrith – Photo: SPA Images

Ignoring the black and white of mere results then, what positives can you take from last year?

“The positives I can take are that a lot of these blokes have now played 1st grade that probably didn’t have the opportunity before. Also, we’ve got about a dozen colts that have come up to grade. They haven’t gone to other clubs, they’ve seen what we’ve done in terms of changing our professionalism out at Penrith.

“It’s not only about rugby, it’s about creating pathways and educating young blokes because, let’s face it, not a lot of them are going to make it in rugby. But in life in general, if they can get a good job or we can help point them towards a career pathway then I’ve done my job. Why? Because that helps their families and that helps themselves.”

It was your first year in charge, what did you find the hardest hurdle to try and overcome in coaching at Penrith?

“Obviously, other clubs have a budget and they can afford to recruit a lot of players, we don’t have that luxury. Good luck to those teams that have money, I don’t want to make that an excuse but it does help. If we had a lot of resources or if the money floating around was a bit more evenly spread or we had more sponsorship, it would be a big help.”

Has it been a harder task than you envisaged?

“Yes! I think if you asked a lot of the other coaches they’d say I’ve got the hardest job in coaching out here but I’m not going to complain, I just get on with it. Last year we laid the foundation and I had my hands in a cookie jar which contained everything, and I had to understand myself how the club was run. Once I understood that it’s about trying to get sponsors and taking care of the administration side of things as well as the rugby and then I can start to delegate and get people in place. That’s why I’ve added more coaches to the staff including Alan McDonald, who was the assistant forwards coach with Parramatta.  We also have Mark Horo, an ex-Kiwi rugby league international who is helping out with our defence.”

What did you learn about yourself as a coach?

“Maybe like a lot of coaches, I probably want to run before I can walk sometimes but you’ve got to have more patience than that, especially if you have a long term plan. We’re developing but each year you’ve got to get the runs on the board as well to make these guys stay. If we do that, sponsorship flies in, we get people that want to stay, we’ve got juniors that want to have a look at joining and hopefully, we get our top grade winning matches. That’s where I want us to be.”

Penrith: Ins & Outs

The side averaged over 50pts conceded per game, I’m guessing your defensive structures have been a big focus in pre-season?

“Absolutely, it’s one area we have to rectify. We have a lot of Polynesians out West and they love to attack but I have to get them to focus more on defence.”

What else has been a focus for you in training?

“Our defence around the ruck area, if we can control that area better, we can start winning games.”

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?

“I can only deal with what I can, a lot of coaches have rung me concerned about the draw but I don’ t really care, I’ll just deal with it.”

The NRC looms on the horizon, what are the pros and cons of this competition for club rugby?

“I think it could be very positive for a club like us. If there’s a franchise out West, I think Penrith will probably benefit from it more than most. so at the moment I think it’s a plus-plus for us. The NRC helps because if we’re trying to attract local players they will know that there is plenty of opportunities in rugby now – club rugby, the NRC and Super Rugby – or you can even go from club rugby straight to a contract in Europe.”

One to watch: Tuipulotu reckons Solomona Silipa and brother Wilson will be worth keeping an eye on in 2014
Photo: SPA Images

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?

“I should think so. It’s not really fair that a lot of clubs have 10 or 12 Super Rugby players to come back and all the other guys throughout the year have done all the hard work.”

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?

“We’ve already had a couple of referee’s come down to our training session so we can have a better relationship with them concerning a few grey areas. One is obviously the kick return then there’s offside and the ruck defence area.”

Players to watch out for in 2014?

“Nigel Vaifale and Daniel Arona are both young, exciting props. We have a scrumhalf called Notise Tauafao who’s played 20 times for Samoa and then the Silipa brothers, Wilson and Solomona.”

What is a successful season for Penrith this year – is it purely racking up a couple of wins or do you have designs beyond that?

“Hopefully, much more than that but this is only my second year and we’ll just take any win that comes our way. If we get one win, they get a taste of it and once that becomes a habit then what’s stopping them? It breeds belief, it breeds confidence and it changes the whole culture of the club. All of a sudden, everyone’s competitive, everyone wants to win and they all want to play top grade as well.”