Cameron Munster and Harry Grant Reveal Dream Kangaroos Coach

Queensland captain Cameron Munster has endorsed his former teammate and NRL great Cameron Smith as a top candidate to take over the head coaching role for the national side. Smith is firming as a strong favourite to become the next Kangaroos coach - after Mal Meninga stepped down to coach the Perth Bears - after Brad Fittler's surprise decision to drop out of the race.

Fittler confirmed he was committed to his media roles and wasn't prepared to take on the Australian coaching role with the Ashes tour coming up at the end of the NRL season. Smith and Kevin Walters are now believed to be the leading candidates for the role, with the international schedule starting in October.

Smith already opened up about his interest in the role, but admitted he had similar reservations and would have to weigh-up the commitment. While Smith has not met with any Australian Rugby League official about the role, he has already received a glowing endorsement from some of the game's best players.

Smith is one of the most decorated players in the history of the game having played 42 State of Origin games for Queensland, 56 Tests for Australia and 430 matches for Melbourne. And Queensland and Kangaroos five-eighth Munster has praised his former Melbourne Storm captain as the right man to take over the job.

Smith considered one of the best minds in the game and Munster believes his ability to translate his knowledge onto the players would hold him in good stead for the coaching job. "His credentials and resume is probably the best that the game's ever seen," Munster said in State of Origin camp.

"When he talks, you listen. If you don't know Cameron Smith, you will eventually when he talks to you. He's got that aura about him. He's a bit like Mal. I know he's a Queenslander, but he'll pick the best possible squad for the Aussies that he thinks is going to get the job done. There's no better person than Smithy to get the job."

One of Smith's best attributes as a player was reading the game as he controlled the game from the ruck. And Munster said there was a simplicity to his tactics that would help some of the game's elite players.

"He just keeps it simple for players. It sounds stupid because everyone probably dissects rugby league and makes it this big geometry lesson or some mathematical equation," Munster said. "Realistically it's just simple ... run hard and tackle hard. I know that sounds silly at times, but that's what Smithy's done. If it was a bigger game, the simpler the game plan. That's all you need to focus on. The big things will happen eventually."

Current Storm No.9 Harry Grant was Smith's understudy for a number of years in Melbourne, before getting a chance to take over the role when his captain retired. And Grant feels Smith would elevate the game of players such as Nathan Cleary and Payne Haas when they learn off him in Kangaroos camp.

"He's seen how different people operate over the years but I think what he will do is bring so much knowledge," Grant said. "There is also that element of education and learning for some of the best players in the game that want to keep developing. You think of guys like Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Payne Haas, Nathan Cleary … I'm sure they are going to look at Cam Smith and want to play under him and learn from him."

RELATED:

  • Gorden Tallis responds after Billy Slater tipped to make sad decision

  • Fresh push for change as anger over Walsh and Kiraz selection grows

While Smith is receiving plenty of praise from his former teammate. Walters also is reportedly in the race. One of the factors working against Smith is he has no experience as a head coach, but previously worked as an assistant to Billy Slater with the Queensland State of Origin team .

Walters has recently coach the Broncos having taken them to the 2023 NRL grand final. Althouttgh he was axed the following year after the Broncos failed to make the top eight. Both have media roles and would be expected to drop some of their commitments if they take the Australian coaching job.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Sport Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/cameron-munster-and-harry-grant-make-call-on-who-theyd-love-to-have-as-kangaroos-coach-230529598.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Much Could Intel Save by Harnessing AI for Marketing?

Image
Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) is pushing meaningfully to the upside this morning following reports that the struggling chipmaker plans on outsourcing marketing to artificial intelligence (AI). The multinational has partnered with the Dublin headquartered Accenture Plc (NYSE: ACN) that plans on using AI to replace many of INTC’s marketing jobs. Intel’s move is reportedly a part of its broader commitment to lower costs and cruise swiftly toward profitability. At the time of writing, Intel shares are up some 23% versus their year-to-date low. Intel to save millions from using AI for marketing INTC is convinced that tapping into Accenture’s AI technology will help efficiently transform data into information, personalize customer experiences, and automate processes over time. The semiconductor behemoth hasn’t disclosed the kind of costs it expects to save from its team up with ACN – but it’s reasonable to assume that they’d be in the ballpark of hundreds of millions. W...
Read more

John Farnham’s Heartwarming Family Bonds Revealed

Image
As news breaks that John Farnham has become a grandfather for the first time, we take a look at the much-loved and supportive family members of The Voice singer. Read on for all the details… Who is John Farnham’s wife? John Farnham was just 22 when he first laid eyes on the woman who would become his wife of over 50 years. Jillian Billman, 17, was a dancer, John was the King of Pop. The pair were performing in the 1971 musical Charlie Girl and from the second he spotted her, he recalled, “I was history.” Not that she was equally as besotted as her future husband. “It took me about three months to get a kiss,”John would tell 60 Minutes in 1993. “We started to go out together and it naturally happened. It was just something that happened.” It didn’t take long for John to propose. “A lot of people don’t believe in marriage,” John told a reporter at the time. “I personally do. “I look forward to married life. I’ve always fancied myself as a fami...
Read more

What AI Can Really Do Now: 6 Key Lessons for Mastering Artificial Intelligence

Image
I'd be happy if by the time I retire, we have [ artificial intelligence ] systems that are as smart as a cat," Yann LeCun , Meta 's chief AI scientist, Turing Award winner and one of the founding fathers of deep learning, tells as part of an ongoing series of conversations about the future of AI , "and that retirement is coming fast, by the way, so I don't have much time." LeCun sees the extraordinary promise of AI on the horizon. But so far we haven't seen this degree of success. While venture capital and corporate investment pours billions of dollars into AI dream factories promising revolutionary transformations—whether it's curing cancer or finally taming the email inbox—a stark reality persists: Most artificial intelligence initiatives collapse under their own ambitions. The gulf between technological marvel and practical utility resembles a paradise island ringed by shipwrecks—the quest for supreme omniscience has left th...
Read more