All smiles before the axe swung
The King’s men fought but a secret meeting had already sealed his fate
NEIL Henry is chipper
About 9am yesterday, he is chatting and laughing with his coaching staff and players as the Titans get together for their first training session after a weekend off.
About 10 metres to the playing group’s right, star player Jarryd Hayne has only a trainer with him, stretching.
Two of the squad’s senior players – Kevin Proctor and Jarrod Wallace – had just finished endorsing their coach to the media, stressing “he’s the right man for the job”.
Little did any of them know the Titans board had met in private two days earlier to seal Henry’s fate.
A year after taking the National Rugby League club to its first finals campaign in six years, Henry was yesterday officially axed as head coach.
He still had a season to run on his contract.
Chief executive Graham Annesley made the announcement after telling the playing group.
He dismissed suggestions Henry was sacked solely because of a feud with marquee player Jarryd Hayne, who sensationally said a week earlier that he and the coach had not spoken for days in the lead up to a game and he would walk if he wasn’t wanted.
Henry denied reports he issued the club an ultimatum to choose between him or Hayne.
When pressed on why Henry was flicked, Annesley said: “There is a view that this is a player-driven outcome, well, if it was a player-driven outcome, Neil would still be the coach.
“I’ve got no doubt that the players that came to see us were absolutely genuine.
“The fact is that there were a range of issues – not only player opinion – that played into the decision and that was a consideration for the board but not the only consideration for the board.
“Clearly, the issue of the management of all of our players will be a key consideration in the search for a new coach.”
Club insiders and sponsors have speculated on Henry’s plight. Some said several players were dissatisfied with the coaching staff – a claim publicly scotched by senior members of the team – and that Hayne was being used as a scapegoat.
They also suggested it was easier for the club to pay out the final year of Henry’s contract – around $400,000 – as opposed to Hayne’s $1.2 million deal, and that the coach had lost the trust of ace young half Ash Taylor.
The Titans declined to hose down any of that late yesterday.
“I know in the media it’s been focused very much on a head-to-head issue between Neil and Jarryd but that was just the catalyst that brought the issue to the fore and meant that it needed to be addressed before the end of the season,” Annesley said.
“There were wider issues, many of which I can’t go into.”
Foundation Titans football manager Scott Sattler said the saga had put the Titans “on their knees”.
“A little bit like the Wests Tigers and the scenario they went through some years back (when Tim Sheens was ousted in a player revolt). It really set the club back maybe 12 or 18 months.
“(As far as where the club goes from here), I think in the court of public opinion they’ll go backwards a little bit.”
However, Annesley believed that now a decision had been made, the club could begin to heal wounds.
“We need to come together as an organisation,” he said.
“Splintering even further is not going to be the answer for the long-term future of this club and success of this club and being able to reach its potential.”
Assistant coaches Terry Matterson and Craig Hodges will prepare the team for the last two weeks of the season, including Saturday’s final home game against the Bulldogs.
IF IT WAS A PLAYERDRIVEN OUTCOME, NEIL WOULD STILL BE THE COACH
More coverage of the Titans turmoil in sport P42-44