Very true. He is an experienced coach who seems to have very good short term success.
My memory might be failing me but I do remember may rumours about him losing the dressing room at the Broncos (a lot like what is happening with Pay atm) way before Bennet came along.
At Penrith everyone wanted him gone, the Board and Gould just couldn't agree on who to replace him with.
He just seems like a guy who comes in and has short term success and then gets on everyones nerves. Maybe the guy we need until the end of next year and we can find a long term coach.
Just reading more on this.
Gould and the Panthers board wanted Cameron Ciraldo in the role of coach. Griffin had had some of his staff walk out on him, and Panthers acted fearing they were going to lose players. Yet the team was winning and digging deep in games.
Gould poked his nose into the team roster, wanted Panthers to move on Moylan in favour of securing James Maloney. That was all done in front of Griffin and undermined him.
Gould was also talking with Ciraldo about how the team should be coached, behind Griffins back.
Here's what Griffin said regarding it (He = Gould).
"He just needs to be in control. Gus runs the club — and I say that with all due respect to everyone out there — but he runs the club. He makes all the decisions. So now that I'm not there, it's probably a breath of fresh air from that end [for Gould]. I don't think there will be too much happening without his input."
Griffin said Gould's claim that the coach had lost the dressing room was merely "spin" to justify his sacking to the Panthers board.
"I can handle getting axed but suggestions that I don't get on with the players is absolute rubbish," Griffin said, backing up what star playmaker James Maloney said on Tuesday.
"I've had a great relationship with the players ... I've spoken to most of the players on the phone. I've had some nice text messages."
Dubbed by his ex-boss as too "old school" to continue coaching Penrith, Griffin is adamant he did the job Gould head-hunted him to do — and more.
"Whether I'm old school or not, there's a hell of a lot a head coach has got to do these days to build a club to be able to produce a result every weekend. To be able to manage staff, to care for young players and to be able to build a roster from within, it takes patience and it takes a lot of time. When you grow something from the ground up, it takes a lot of care and takes a lot of attention to detail in all areas — strength and conditioning, sports science, skill acquisition. They're young players that are playing first grade for the first time so there's a lot of welfare that goes on. So I'm proud of what I did there."
