Super League is blessed with some top tier coaches whether it is the emerging talents of Matt Peet at Wigan Warriors and Paul Wellens at St Helens, or someone like Rohan Smith who has made his name elsewhere before joining Leeds Rhinos or the likes of Ian Watson at Huddersfield Giants, Daryl Powell at Warrington Wolves and Paul Rowley at Salford Red Devils who have bags of experience, it seems there is no bad coach in Super League.
But one city seems a little greedy as it has two tremendous coaches. At Hull KR we have the brilliant Willie Peters whilst across the river stands arguably Super League’s greatest ever coach in the shape of Tony Smith.
Smith started at Huddersfield but made his name at Leeds Rhinos leading them to Grand Final glory in 2004 and 2007 as well as the World Club Challenge in 2005.
In 2004, he equalled the record for fewest defeats in a Super League campaign and is the only coach to only lose two league fixtures in a Super League season longer than 22 games.
In 2009 he took over Warrington Wolves and made them challengers instantly lifting the Challenge Cup in 2009, 2010 and 2012 as well as leading them to Grand Finals in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
He then joined Hull KR and is now at Hull FC.
He has certainly earned respect during his coaching career and his former player Jamie Jones-Buchanan was full of praise for him:
“I am infatuated with him as a coach. The way he carries himself, his body language it reminds of how he was when he coached me at Leeds Rhinos and he gave us confidence and the belief to back up our teammates,” he said on Sky Sports.
“He is like a coaching guru. He really does remind me of his days at Leeds.”
He also made a bizarre link to Star Wars as he likened him to a Jedi:
“He’s like a Jedi isn’t he? He has some Jedi mind tricks. The way he feels calm and he passes that onto his players.
“That seven game losing run, the players will have been burning up inside but he remained cool and passed it onto them.”
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