Lowes was a great player for us but I fear he could tarnish that reputation by taking this job on. I hope he’s got some firm commitments from Green regarding assistant coaches etc. He’ll need all the help he can get. Possibly there isn’t an assistant announced because Lowes would want to choose them and he wasn’t confirmed until today. I think we need to be patient but I just hope he’s not doing this on his own for very long.
As far as his coaching record goes he had a go at Salford as an assistant where it went ok for a while but ended badly. There were a few stories doing the rounds about his interactions with fans at that time which didn’t sound like the sort of thing a well balanced man in charge would do but even the great Sir Peter Fox had run ins with supporters. His very brief spell at Warrington wasn’t great and that was with a much better set of players. Since then he’s been an assistant to Tony Smith (sounds familiar) and been head coach below elite level in union.
Has he got the ability and the brains to react to situations in a calm way rather than the emotional way? I remember him being held back from tearing Russell Smith limb from limb after the 2002 grand final. I hope he’s able to control that passion as a coach as you need more than passion to be a good coach.
It doesn’t fill me with enthusiasm. I was hoping more for Morrison who seems more level headed and has NRL experience and Championship experience. A 3 year deal seems a bit long too. We’ve been burnt in the past by giving a long contract to an inexperienced coach. Even Potter only got 2 years and he was miles more experienced than Lowes. That seems to me like a mistake from the board, I’d say 2 years with an option for a third.
Anyway, Lowes it is. I expect to see an improvement in attitude on the field at least. The bloke was a winner and we need a few more of them around.