Rugby League Coaching Manuals

With Brian Smith written by Gary Roberts - Remember the great Canberra Raiders side that comprised of Stuart, Daley, Meninga, Belcher, and Clyde? All those players had knowledge of each others’ plays and they had a sense of what each might do on the football field. Was that a ‘team instinct or a ‘team discipline’?

Brian Smith thinks it was a team discipline. “When Stuart took one step to the right sometimes all the key players went that way; if Daley went right, there was always a key player trailing on his left. At times when Stuart went to the right the players did not move but waited for the next play.

“There can be cues as in that sort of structure. For instance, players may say, ‘when we get to this part of the football field, these are the things that we should be looking for from each other.

“So if they are well coached, well drilled, well prepared and are disciplined they could seemingly be in a position where they are already communicating with each other on another level.”

Smith continued, “ Part of the challenge to coaches is to develop communication or decision-making drills that allows for the players to know where another player is going to be. You see it happen with players who have played together for some time. They develop a sense of knowing what each other will do under pressure.

“The Newcastle Knights developed a team instinct involving plays off Andrew Johns. The players have played together for some time, so it is fair to say that they are all aware of Andrew’s capabilities. He may just glance at them and they get the idea from his body position that something is on. It maybe from the oppositions’ markers or the field position but they have a sense of what he is about to do. So the team is well in front in anticipation.

That one glance might mean ‘Be ready, I am going to do something’,” said Smith

Is that team instinct or team discipline?

Allan Langer during his years with the Brisbane Bronco was the catalyst for plays in the oppositions ‘red zone.’ Team instinct or team discipline?

Brian Smith says that team discipline leads to instinctive play, but believes it starts by making better decisions.

He says of Parramatta’s 2001 team, “ I think they did become instinctive. It was born out of discipline, because we did things repeatedly at training and they became so relaxed at what they were doing. They were constantly making good decisions. They got to various stages during the year that they were seemingly all on the ‘one page’ in almost everything they did, and they were doing it for long periods in the game.

“Everything went so smoothly, but it didn’t happen in terms of team instinct. It was because we had practiced, where we wanted to go on the football field, over and over for several years, and they just got better at making decisions instinctively,” said Smith.

Click here for a short RLCMtv clip - Brian Smith NRL Grand Final Press Conference