B-Train
Kennel Immortal
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The Sun-Herald: Have you been counting down the days for this season to end?
Steve Folkes: The last home game and this weekend has been the only time I've thought about it. I've had teams to try and prepare.
SH: It sounds as though everyone but you has been worried about farewell tributes.
SF: I was criticised in that very poorly researched article in the Telegraph on the weekend about not wanting to go do a lap of honour and not wanting a video tribute. We had the video tribute and because the crowd was on the one side of the field there was no need for a lap of honour. I'm happy to go out quietly. The tribute on Sunday was good.
SH: Do you worry your critics will use 2008 to judge what has otherwise been a successful coaching career?
SF: There'll be some. It has been a difficult year obviously, and whether it has damaged my credentials, I don't know. That'd be unfair, I think. You would hope people looked at the broader picture and see in the 11 years I've coached here, we made the grand final a couple of times and won a comp. My winning percentage is 60 per cent and only Wayne Bennett and maybe Craig Bellamy are ahead of that. I'm happy with what I've achieved.
SH: Why did you see the season out?
SF: I'm a bit old-school. I had a contract until the end of this year. If I'd have thought someone could come in and do a better job I may have thought about it. No one asked me to stand down; the players were behind me, so I thought it was the right thing to do.
SH: Does the player power in the modern game make it hard for a coach to do his job?
SF: Not in most cases. There are some players who overestimate their importance. For example, Sonny Bill Williams approached our chairman George Peponis and pretty much demanded either [Willie] Mason went or he'd go. He made some allegations that I'm not going to go into but they were confirmed and [after Mason left] Sonny upped and did what he did. I don't know where those values or loyalties lie.
SH: Is it harder dealing with players now than 20 years ago?
SF: I think so. But that is the situation with professional sport all over the world. You cocoon guys in an unrealistic setting. They don't work; they come straight out of school into professional sport and they don't experience "life". Their managers or their club do most things for them. I'm not saying it is their fault - it's the by-product of modern sport.
SH: Has the famed Bulldogs culture - the fabric that kept the club together no matter what - gone?
SF: It is still there among the players. The players feel united. The team ethic is still to not put yourself before the team and maybe that is where the likes of Sonny and Mason fell away.
SH: The Dogs have always had that resilience to bounce back. Will they again?
SF: Oh yeah. There are some great young players coming through and they've also recruited well.
SH: Will Kevin Moore do well as your replacement?
SF: I think so. He's served his apprenticeship. He's been around a lot of coaches and he also knows the club well. He'll do a good job.
SH: Where will the game be in 10 years?
SF: Looks as if we'll have two referees. I saw that 11-a-side game in the under 20-s the other day, you'd have no guys playing over 100 kilos if that becomes the game. There is a lot they can do. A lot of people say the game is predictable and I reckon part of that is six of the eight games are played at night and the footballs aren't good for that. When the ball is slippery in a night game most coaches will say we just need to get out of our end, complete our sets and get to our kick. You can't blame them for that. The balls are good when they are dry, they're even good when they are wet. But the night dew makes them like soap.
SH: The other evolution is the Pacific Islanders. Do they need to be handled differently to other players?
SF: Yes. They have different beliefs. Everyone needs to toe the line as players but you need to understand there are differences in their upbringing and something you might say that's acceptable to an Anglo Saxon Australian may offend an Islander, and you don't want to offend anybody. We have a fair mix of cultures at Canterbury … but they get on really well. There is no clique.
SH: Did the Bulldogs lose a lot when they left Belmore?
SF: The cold hard fact about professional sport is if you don't make money you don't survive. We have a good deal with ANZ [Stadium] and for that reason alone it's unrealistic to suggest we could return to Belmore. We did an estimate five years ago and it was about $8 million to get it up to scratch. It has deteriorated even more since then, so the cost would probably be double that. No one has that money. In the perfect world Belmore would be great. While it'd horrify a lot of people I think the Bulldogs need to look at the Central Coast. I'd rather have a Bulldogs team on the Central Coast that I could support rather than not have one at all. There are nine teams in Sydney … the slice of the corporate and supporter pie is limited.
SH: What about your future?
SF: I'd like to have a go coaching somewhere else. In the 31 years I've been here I think we've made the finals 24 times. We've played in 10 grand finals and won six. I'd like to take that experience somewhere.
SH: Would you consider a job in rugby union?
SF: Absolutely. I played union at school, though the game has changed dramatically since then. Defensively, union is a few steps behind league. I'd have a bit to offer.
SH: You obviously value a contract more than some players. Do you consider Sonny Bill Williams's and Willie Mason's departures as regrets?
SF: It was disappointing they left. With Mason there was good reason why he was sacked and Sonny chose the way he went. There was nothing we could do about it. Disappointing and unsettling for the team, though.
SH: Mason said he didn't learn anything from you. Williams claims you showed no interest in him as an individual. Any bitterness aside, how do you rate them as players?
SF: Sonny is very talented, hopefully he won't be led astray and can fulfil his potential. Mason has a strong physical presence … I've read he hasn't played all that well this year.
Steve Folkes: The last home game and this weekend has been the only time I've thought about it. I've had teams to try and prepare.
SH: It sounds as though everyone but you has been worried about farewell tributes.
SF: I was criticised in that very poorly researched article in the Telegraph on the weekend about not wanting to go do a lap of honour and not wanting a video tribute. We had the video tribute and because the crowd was on the one side of the field there was no need for a lap of honour. I'm happy to go out quietly. The tribute on Sunday was good.
SH: Do you worry your critics will use 2008 to judge what has otherwise been a successful coaching career?
SF: There'll be some. It has been a difficult year obviously, and whether it has damaged my credentials, I don't know. That'd be unfair, I think. You would hope people looked at the broader picture and see in the 11 years I've coached here, we made the grand final a couple of times and won a comp. My winning percentage is 60 per cent and only Wayne Bennett and maybe Craig Bellamy are ahead of that. I'm happy with what I've achieved.
SH: Why did you see the season out?
SF: I'm a bit old-school. I had a contract until the end of this year. If I'd have thought someone could come in and do a better job I may have thought about it. No one asked me to stand down; the players were behind me, so I thought it was the right thing to do.
SH: Does the player power in the modern game make it hard for a coach to do his job?
SF: Not in most cases. There are some players who overestimate their importance. For example, Sonny Bill Williams approached our chairman George Peponis and pretty much demanded either [Willie] Mason went or he'd go. He made some allegations that I'm not going to go into but they were confirmed and [after Mason left] Sonny upped and did what he did. I don't know where those values or loyalties lie.
SH: Is it harder dealing with players now than 20 years ago?
SF: I think so. But that is the situation with professional sport all over the world. You cocoon guys in an unrealistic setting. They don't work; they come straight out of school into professional sport and they don't experience "life". Their managers or their club do most things for them. I'm not saying it is their fault - it's the by-product of modern sport.
SH: Has the famed Bulldogs culture - the fabric that kept the club together no matter what - gone?
SF: It is still there among the players. The players feel united. The team ethic is still to not put yourself before the team and maybe that is where the likes of Sonny and Mason fell away.
SH: The Dogs have always had that resilience to bounce back. Will they again?
SF: Oh yeah. There are some great young players coming through and they've also recruited well.
SH: Will Kevin Moore do well as your replacement?
SF: I think so. He's served his apprenticeship. He's been around a lot of coaches and he also knows the club well. He'll do a good job.
SH: Where will the game be in 10 years?
SF: Looks as if we'll have two referees. I saw that 11-a-side game in the under 20-s the other day, you'd have no guys playing over 100 kilos if that becomes the game. There is a lot they can do. A lot of people say the game is predictable and I reckon part of that is six of the eight games are played at night and the footballs aren't good for that. When the ball is slippery in a night game most coaches will say we just need to get out of our end, complete our sets and get to our kick. You can't blame them for that. The balls are good when they are dry, they're even good when they are wet. But the night dew makes them like soap.
SH: The other evolution is the Pacific Islanders. Do they need to be handled differently to other players?
SF: Yes. They have different beliefs. Everyone needs to toe the line as players but you need to understand there are differences in their upbringing and something you might say that's acceptable to an Anglo Saxon Australian may offend an Islander, and you don't want to offend anybody. We have a fair mix of cultures at Canterbury … but they get on really well. There is no clique.
SH: Did the Bulldogs lose a lot when they left Belmore?
SF: The cold hard fact about professional sport is if you don't make money you don't survive. We have a good deal with ANZ [Stadium] and for that reason alone it's unrealistic to suggest we could return to Belmore. We did an estimate five years ago and it was about $8 million to get it up to scratch. It has deteriorated even more since then, so the cost would probably be double that. No one has that money. In the perfect world Belmore would be great. While it'd horrify a lot of people I think the Bulldogs need to look at the Central Coast. I'd rather have a Bulldogs team on the Central Coast that I could support rather than not have one at all. There are nine teams in Sydney … the slice of the corporate and supporter pie is limited.
SH: What about your future?
SF: I'd like to have a go coaching somewhere else. In the 31 years I've been here I think we've made the finals 24 times. We've played in 10 grand finals and won six. I'd like to take that experience somewhere.
SH: Would you consider a job in rugby union?
SF: Absolutely. I played union at school, though the game has changed dramatically since then. Defensively, union is a few steps behind league. I'd have a bit to offer.
SH: You obviously value a contract more than some players. Do you consider Sonny Bill Williams's and Willie Mason's departures as regrets?
SF: It was disappointing they left. With Mason there was good reason why he was sacked and Sonny chose the way he went. There was nothing we could do about it. Disappointing and unsettling for the team, though.
SH: Mason said he didn't learn anything from you. Williams claims you showed no interest in him as an individual. Any bitterness aside, how do you rate them as players?
SF: Sonny is very talented, hopefully he won't be led astray and can fulfil his potential. Mason has a strong physical presence … I've read he hasn't played all that well this year.
