Phil Blake & Braam Van Straaten

[disco]

Don't know a lot about these two as coaches but it seems Giteau certainly kicked a lot better in SA than he did Sydney so Van Straaten has some runs on the board already.

So what about Phil Blake as a coach do we have any Manly fans on here that can shed some light on the former league star?

What has he done at Manly that may have caught Robbies Deans attention?

Better skills? Better defence? Better forward play? Slicker back moves?

Personally I'm excited to have both these coaches on board as I didn't see a lot from the Wallabies backline that got me excited under the guidance of Richard Graham although Graham did have Giteau at 10 for all but 4 tests so maybe he was slightly hamstrung there.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The defence at Manly will have caught his eye I think.

 

[#1 Tah]

Warringah got John Muggelton for their defence coach towards the end of this year and they improved out of sight.

 

[TOCC]

ironic that he has been hired for his defensive skills, depending on who you talk to he was allegedly a bit of a turnstile himself back in the day

 

[Groucho]

He is the new skills coach, not the defence coach, I think.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

ironic that he has been hired for his defensive skills, depending on who you talk to he was allegedly a bit of a turnstile himself back in the day

Definitely much more of an attacking player yeah.

 

[Scarfman]

He applied for the Wallaby job but it went to a Kiwi, apparently.

 

[Ruggo]

Yeah, the kiwi is a great coach in his own right but has taken too much on his own plate without delegating responsibility during his wallaby tenure it appears.

 

[disco]

Emirates Western Force Head Coach Richard Graham has made the first of several key coaching acquisitions ahead of next season with the appointment of former league star Phil Blake as Defence/Skills Coach.

Graham identified Blake as a potential candidate for the position soon after being appointed to the Head Coaching role at the Emirates Western Force in September. It was during the club’s negotiations with Blake that the Wallabies also saw the benefits of having the Manly mentor as part of their set-up, confirming his reputation as a highly credentialed coach.

“It was apparent in talking with Phil that he is very passionate about the defensive aspect of the game and driven to see his teams do well. We’re delighted to have him, think he’ll do a very good job for us and contribute significantly to the program,” Graham said.

I stole this from Reg on the Western Force 2011 thread. This is what I like to hear.

“It was apparent in talking with Phil that he is very passionate about the defensive aspect of the game and driven to see his teams do well.

 

[TOCC]

Good defence is often the best attack

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

It's the foundation of teams who win silverware.

 

[disco]

Good defence is often the best attack

It's the foundation of teams who win silverware.

Yep & I think this is an area we've definitely gone backwards under Robbie Deans so I'm hoping we see improvement & fast.