Interesting topic. I don't think there is a best number of coaches to have, so I wouldn't go for a coach for this, and a coach for that. What I'd look for is a mix of skills (game management, defence, player skills, unpredictability, and motivational speaking) such that we had a "toolkit" that we could call upon depending on the situation.

At the moment I'd say we have the motivational speaking bit in McD, but not so much else. I'm not convinced by the other coaches, but don't really know enough about them to say really.

One area I'd set apart is the Academy, and I think that we should follow the concept Rhino-Mark outlined above. We should also have a defined playing style that all the team subscribe to, which embodies what the club think they are all about, a Vision for the company so to speak.

I think you need someone respected who can motivate the team and have the knowledge to build the team and choose a play style that suits the team best.

You then need some one with the playing skills and ability to teach those skills to the team, especially for the Hbs and spine players .

If you get that in one person great, if you need an assist coach, so be it. I prefer the latter as it adds a second voice, gives valuable training to possible future coachs

ATM, since Peacock and Sinfield we seem to have lost more than their playing skills but also the structure, leadership and play style we saw during the last few years.

Imo we are crying out for a Dunemann style player or one who could coach those skills into Lilley and Sutcliffe.

This. Why we moved away from something we did so right, just to suit someone else's power building I do not know. What a backwards move.

What coaching structure , at the moment we don't have one. That's why we finished up propping up the super league table .

Can't argue with that. We seemed to be hoping for a miracle play every time.

Head of Rugby
Head Coach
Assistant Coach
Assistant Coach

Head of Academy
Academy Head Coach
Assistant Coach - U19s
Assistant Coach - U16s

Head of Performance
Player Performance Analyst - 1st
Player Perfrormance Analyst - Academy

Head of Strength and Conditioning
S & C Analyst - 1st
S & C Analyst - Academy

Etc.

I don't think there's a set answer to this, but it is about having a range of skills in the back room staff. If you look at Wigan they have Wane, but IMO they played better rugby with Deacon as an assistant.

Not entirely relatable but I used to play in the forwards and when I've took up age group coaching there are some stuff that scared me to death, like kicking, until I found someone to involve who had this as part of his skill set.

But that's not to say that's always the case, good coaches not only put the right people, but they also can always learn themselves. Ryan hall gives a lot of credit to Bluey (a former half) for teaching him how to attack a ball in the air both to have a chance at scoring or feed a support player.

You can often get too caught up in a coach's former position to form an opinion on him.....note Morley's appointment.

Graham Murray at Leeds was famed for his aggressive pack but what position did he play? In the halves.

Would you say the best bit of Tony Smith as a coach is the centres? I wouldn't.

Assuming nothing has changed since I was last at Kirstall These are the people I can name off the top of my head as the clus has loads of coaches and assistant S C and Phsios.

I really dont see the point of this threads attack on lack of structure

Head Coach Mcdermott
Assistant Coach Chris Plume
Assistant Coach Barry Eaton

Head of Academy Simon Bell
Academy Head Coach Adrian Morley
Assistant Coach - U19s Johnny Wainhouse
Head Coach - U16s Mark Butrill
Assistant Coach - U16s Martin Wood
Head Coach U15s Dan Cooke
Assistant Coach - U15s Steve Hill

Head of Performance
Player Performance Analyst - 1st James Bletsoe
Player Perfrormance Analyst - Academy there is one cant remember name

Head of Strength and Conditioning
S & C Analyst - 1st Ian Kirke
S & C Analyst - Academy Ben Jones

Two many cooks

because there's none on the field. it's a shambles

Oh and there was me thinking with a thread title Coaching Structure we were talking about Coaching my bad, unless you mean Leeds are so poor they need n under 7s style coach on the field aswell

We are talking about our Coaching structure but writing a list of names nest to job descriptions doesn't show or prove a "structure" & given that we don't have one ON the field either id say it's failing from top to bottom.

Ok break it down

The list of names in my opinion does show there is a structure in place at Leeds, What I would question is it effective.

I'm not a Leeds fan so wont comment on the first team as I don't see them enough, I do have a connection with the 16s and can categorically say its one of if not the best.

The scholar coaches the SC team work incredibly hard and Mark Butrill has the respect of all the player( something I'm not sure Brian Mac does)

we agree then. the juniors have gone back to being brilliantly coached, but only since mac was taken out of the equation.

The u16's/u15's are fine & im hoping Morley taking over the u19's gets them back up to where Barrie Mc had them.
Wrt the 1st team "structure" its wrong purely because of who they have as overall Head Coach i.e Brian Mc. His assistants are either not good enough or ignored because once we were exposed last year none of em came up with a suitable plan to adapt to our situation either before or during games.
Finally when you see the likes of Ian Kirke on the staff as a conditioner & doing the warm ups then you are already behind.

thing is mate I agree with 99% but as for kirke, I have no idea if he's good or bad. plenty of average or even players who never made it have been brilliant in other roles

I just can't see an ex-player who had the heart of a pea & robbed a wage for at least his last 3yrs with us inspiring as a "conditioner" despite his own physique.

maybe not, you could be right but he's only part time. can't see he's significant really

If the coaches are great then the quality of the intake must be an issue - are we not getting the best players in to the system?

From Cuthbertson in the paper yesterday........“We have trained really hard. Most of it has just been getting fit, really. Most of the ball work stuff comes into play after Christmas. “It has been a case of getting all the boys up to scratch and we will start doing more team-based stuff now.”

That statement must come as a huge relief to all those fans who found the Boxing Day performance disturbingly familiar, to say the least.

They can all sleep easier at night now.

wonder when they started doing ball work last season?
august? September?

That should have been Peter Smith of the YEP's response.

Along with...

Did GH tell you to say that?