SHEENS HAPPY TO LET ROOKIE COACHES LEAD
Salford stand-ins Watson and Gleeson are impressing the vastly-experienced Australian
TIM Sheens is happy to continue with a watching brief as Salford Red Devils prepare for the ‘middle eights’.
Having helped out in an advisory role earlier this year, the 64-year-old Australian agreed to return to Salford in a director of rugby role.
Just before he arrived almost four weeks ago, head coach Iestyn Harris was put on “sick leave”.
But despite having a wealth more experience than acting head coach Ian Watson and assistant Martin Gleeson, Sheens has not tried to wrest the coaching reins from their grasp.
“Ian is doing a great job, with Martin Gleeson, and I’m assisting the same way I helped Iestyn earlier in the year,” Sheens said.
“I’m not telling them what to do. I’m advising them and giving them some ideas. I’m certainly not selecting the team.
“I’m here to observe the whole club - that’s my main role. I help the coaching staff and also the administration and make recommendations to (owner) Marwan Koukash about how we’re going to get better for next season and the seasons to come.”
Although Sheens has racked up 30 years’ experience coaching NRL sides and Australia’s national team, he’s not yet encountered a relegation battle.
Promotion from the Championship has been reintroduced for the first time since 2008, so Salford will be fighting to maintain their Super League status in the middle eights, and Sheens is relishing the challenge.
“Relegation is in the DNA of the English game, it’s in football as well,” he said. “I know it went quiet there for a while but now you’ve reinvented it with this concept, and I think it’s a great idea.
“With the (regular) season having finished last week, the next two months have been intense in our thoughts at Salford where normally you’d be looking forward to Christmas and the top clubs go on with it (the play-offs).
“It’s a challenge to stave off relegation and also to prepare for next year.
“We had a tough midseason, with a lot of injuries and suspensions.
“We’re coming back towards a healthy squad. This couple of weeks is going to help us wth the week off. Then we’ll come out and we need to finish the season off better.
“In many ways it’s the same,” Sheens added. “It’s another week of many in my career to get a team ready for an important game.
“I’m going through the same things, just not as coach. So I’m sitting back, helping Ian and the staff, also observing our processes around the club.
“I’ll have a fairly comprehensive set of recommendations to make to Marwan by the time we finish this season.
“In saying that, the club is going forward. With all the ups and downs the club has had this year, the spirit amongst the guys is strong and you saw that last week, when we desperately unlucky to get beat by Widnes.
“I thought we were the better side so we’ve got to find ways to close out the game, but it’s coming.”