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BRIAN McDERMOTT has been in some bruising battles during his long career, but he is now on the brink of winning the biggest one of all.
On Saturday McDermott will lead out his Leeds Rhinos side in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.
When he strides into the Theatre of Dreams he could be forgiven for having a smug grin on his face. He won’t. McDermott is as uncompromising as blokes come.
He doesn’t go in for all that emotional nonsense and has a poker face the biggest gamblers on the planet would be proud of.
But deep inside, he will be feeling a huge sense of personal satisfaction whether the Rhinos win or lose.
He will feel like sticking two fingers up to all those who called for him to be sacked six months ago.
Drubbing
They included some of his own supporters, who launched an online petition calling for him to be axed in the wake of his darkest moment since taking charge of the club in 2010 – a 66-10 drubbing at Castleford in March.
It was a painful experience for all those connected with the club – and even a hard man like McDermott must have gone to bed wincing.
McDermott had led Leeds to the treble in 2015 but the following season the Rhinos were shambolic in the wake of the retirements of legendary duo Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock and failed to finish in the top eight.
When Castleford trounced them it meant the Rhinos had started this season with two wins and two defeats and the future looked bleak.
But those who doubted McDermott, myself included, now owe him an apology because once again he has found himself in a fight and come out on top.
Yet the most refreshing aspect of this tale is the attitude of club bosses when their backs were pinned against the wall. Football take note. There was no knee-jerk reaction. No panic. No rush to make a change as Headingley bosses stood firm behind McDermott. Chief executive Gary Hetherington penned an open letter to fans in the wake of the Castleford catastrophe, addressing the problems and insisting the easy option of changing the coach wasn’t necessarily the best choice.
Time has proved him right and once again the brilliant sport of rugby league has set an example that some of the buffoons who run football clubs should follow.
League is not considered a mainstream sport by some but the game deserves more recognition and respect. Two fantastic, fiercely-fought semi-finals last Thursday and Friday have set up a mouth-watering final between the Rhinos and – in a twist of fate – Castleford.
Standing between the Tigers and their first-ever Grand Final title is the man they humiliated not too long ago.
Thankfully they couldn’t quite finish him off then and McDermott is hell-bent on revenge, which should be enough to send a cold shiver down a few Castleford spines.