Don’t get mad, get ruthless
‘‘He’s got to make examples, even of his superstars, of those who are not performing. Show them who is boss and what’s expected of them in that team.’’ Advice from former Warriors hardman Kevin Campion, left, to current coach Stephen Kearney, right
Former Warriors hardman Kevin Campion has urged Stephen Kearney to get ruthless as the coach tries to instil a winning culture at the club. While a five-match losing streak has seen the Warriors miss the finals for a sixth straight season, whether though injuries or a lack of better options, Kearney has been reluctant to swing the axe through his struggling side.
Veteran hooker Issac Luke has been demoted for Sunday’s NRL game against Canberra but, at this stage, he has only been benched and there have been very few examples this year of Kearney sidelining a high-profile player down on form.
But Campion, now based on the Gold Coast, believes a shake-up of the roster is what the club needs.
Despite only spending two seasons at Mt Smart, the tough-asteak back rower achieved cult status amongst the fans and is widely credited for instilling an uncompromising attitude that transformed the Warriors from easybeats to grand finalists in 2002.
A big part of that process came down to player accountability, regardless of their pay packet.
‘‘Stephen’s only a relatively young coach and he’s got some superstars in that side on big money,’’ Campion said.
‘‘He’s got to make examples, even of his superstars, of those who are not performing. Show them who is boss and what’s expected of them in that team.
‘‘You’ve got to treat everyone equal in those circumstances. If they’re not performing then they go back to reserve grade where they can work their way back into the side. These days all players know that no matter what they’re going to get paid – it’s not like our day when I had to play 20 games to get $1500 when I first started.’’
Campion played 241 first-grade games across six clubs, winning two premierships at the Broncos in 1998 and 2000, but he still follows the Warriors closely.
He revealed he spoke to managing director Jim Doyle and former head coach Andrew McFadden about coming on board as a defensive consultant at the start of last season, only for the club to go in a