By George, how about the Warriors?
Seven months into the job and Cameron George has begun to make the CEO’s office at the Warriors feel like his own, figuratively and literally.
When Stuff interviewed George a couple of weeks after he replaced Jim Doyle as CEO last September, his large office at Mt Smart Stadium was bare, bereft of any home comforts.
Now, he has a couple of family portraits, a few mementos and right by his computer, pinned to the wall, is a highly critical column about the club that was written last year, where the team was called a bunch of losers.
He says he looks at it every morning to inspire him.
The Warriors go into today’s round-five home game against the Cowboys unbeaten. Yes, early days, but the changes for the NRL team are evident.
These haven’t happened by chance but by planning, and George said the reviews at the end of last season were vital to the turnaround.
‘‘For me it was understanding where we were and being honest with it,’’ George said.
‘‘There’s no bulls... here, we were at a very low point in this club’s history at the end of last season.
‘‘To lose that many games, to have a lack of confidence, to be the butt of the public’s jokes, to have the media giving it to us, that was tough.
‘‘But I wanted to understand most importantly, the individuals, their qualities, what they can bring to the table and to assess whether or not they were in the right positions.
‘‘Upon doing that throughout the whole organisation, there has been some change, some people moved out of the organisation and some new people brought in.
‘‘I only get one chance of getting this right and we haven’t got it right yet, but I feel like with the contribution of everyone now, we’re heading in a direction that can help us win back our fans and put pride in our performances, which is my ultimate goal.’’
The reviews would have been worthwhile only with buy-in from players and staff, that they were truthful about themselves and what the club was doing.
‘‘It was crucial that they were honest with me about where we were at and how they can do their job better and not bulls... themselves,’’ George said.
‘‘That ascertained whether they were here for the future or not.
‘‘Those that were honest about their own performances are probably the most improved people in this organisation and that’s both players and staff.’’
It should be pointed out that during this process, George never doubted Stephen Kearney and always believed he was the right man to coach the team.
He also continued to back him with who he wanted to sign. They both wanted to get quality players in, but it was also important that they helped improve the team culture.
It was harshly and perhaps offensively described as a ‘bro culture’ by former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe, but there was an attitude inside the team where being on time to training didn’t matter that much.
Nor did going out to a concert in Auckland the night before an early morning flight to Australia. Or, while injured, tweeting about going to see a movie at the same time your team-mates are playing a game. Or mixing tramadol with energy drinks.
‘‘It’s been about getting good people involved in this club, particularly the footy players,’’ George said.
‘‘I can’t speak highly enough of the players we’ve recruited. When you combine those with the players we had here, it gives us a high quality group of men.
‘‘A lot of people look at who you sign for how you’re going to go in the future, but my view is that it’s more important who you let go, because that can change and reshape your future.’’
Accountability and expectations have probably never been higher for the players at the club.