Smith keeps options open - 03 Mar 2006
PARRAMATTA coach Brian Smith has told friends he will not quit rugby league and he plans to continue coaching for a 24th successive season in 2007.
And it is understood Smith is poised to shortly announce his new club. Smith is understood to harbours no plans to retire from coaching after his contract finishes with the Eels later this year. Sources indicate Smith will be prepared to walk away from the NRL and coach Hull in the English Super League. Hull coach John Kear's contract expires after this season and the club is stalling on a contract extension. Smith coached Hull between 1988 and 1990 before returning to Australia to coach St George.  During his stint with Hull, he took the Humberside club to the premiership final in 1989, losing to Widnes at Old Trafford. Much talk at the NRL launch on Wednesday night centred on Smith's future. Well-placed sources were suggesting Smith will announce his future within the next couple of weeks but it may not be at vacant Canberra or Newcastle. "I've got nothing to say," Smith told The Daily Telegraph. "I'd prefer to keep my business to myself." 
Asked was Hull an option, Smith said: "They're all options."   Hull chief executive David Plummer said: "It has been well publicised that Brian Smith will be out of contract at the end of the season.  "If he has expressed a desire to come to Britain, fine, but we have not made inquiries. "The situation with John Kear is that he is under contract until the end of the season and we have to make a decision on extending his contract before the end of May and that is what we will do. "I can see why all this speculation has come about. John (Kear) is out of contract, so is Brian Smith, and he is also a former Hull coach. "It is easy to put two and two together and come up with something that isn't four." 
Canberra management respect Smith, who has coached continuously at the highest level since starting with Illawarra in 1984, and his high-profile nature. But there are concerns whether he would be suited to the Raiders. Smith is unlikely to coach at Newcastle given his relationship with the Knights' star player Andrew Johns has, at times, been strained. A former Souths lower-grade halfback, Smith coached at Bradford in 1996 after his stint with Hull. Smith then returned to coach Parramatta, his current club. Sources at Parramatta claim Smith is keeping his future "close to his chest". Eels players have not been told of Smith's movements. Sources are also indicating Chris Anderson may now be a slight favourite for the Raiders' job.

Smith to coach Knights - March 8, 2006
Outgoing Parramatta coach Brian Smith will take charge of Newcastle at the end of this year's National Rugby League (NRL) season. Knights management has confirmed Smith has signed a three-year deal with the club, though a formal announcement will be made this afternoon. Smith will take over from Michael Hagan, who himself will replace Smith at the Eels next season as part of a three-year deal. Ironically, the Knights and Eels meet in the opening round of the NRL in Newcastle on Saturday. Smith was told last November his contract would not be renewed beyond 2006 and he was considering a move to England, where he enjoyed successful stints in the late 1980s and the mid-1990s. He has been Parramatta's longest-serving coach, having the led the Eels since 1997.

Joey temptation too much for Smith - March 08, 2006
PARRAMATTA coach Brian Smith has cited the opportunity to work with Andrew Johns as one of the driving forces behind his decision to accept a three-year offer to coach NRL rival Newcastle from next season. Smith today confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in rugby league when he announced that he would coach Newcastle in 2007, after ten years at Parramatta. Smith's deal with the Knights completes a bizarre coaching swap, with Newcastle counterpart Michael Hagan taking charge of the Eels from next season. The announcement is sure to add extra spice to the opening-round fixture between the Knights and Eels at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday. Smith also revealed today that he had always intended seeking a fresh challenge once his contract with the Eels expired at the end of 2006, but he said he was disappointed with the way in which the Parramatta board went public with its intention not to offer him a new contract. 
The veteran coach, the third-most experienced in NRL history behind Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens and Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett with 448 games, spoke with enthusiasm about the prospect of teaming with Johns next season - at the same time dismissing claims the two of them did not get along. 
"The idea of being at the Knights with possibly the world's best player, maybe the best player of all time, as a captain and halfback, there ain't a coach alive who doesn't want to be behind the desk at that club," Smith said today. "(To be) the coach of the Newcastle Knights is a dream for any coach, I'd think. 
"As I understand it, he's happy about me coming and you ain't going to stand here long enough and listen to me carry on about how happy I am to be going there." 
Johns meanwhile said Smith's appointment augured well for the club. "The club has chosen an experienced and committed coach to handle the task of the Knights being a competitive force from 2007 onwards," Johns said. "The club will extend a warm welcome to Brian once he winds up his job with the Eels. 
"In the meantime, the Knights and the Eels each have an important season ahead - and will be devoting all their energies to achieving their respective goals". 
The announcement completed a frantic month of negotiations for the Knights, who missed their first two coaching targets in Sheens and Canberra boss Matt Elliott, who subsequently signed with Penrith for 2007. Smith said he was surprised the Knights had not sought him earlier. "They contacted me last week," he said. "To be honest, I asked them what took them so long. I've been sitting there waiting for their call." 
Knights chief executive Ken Conway said Smith was always under consideration by the Newcastle board, and he dismissed concerns that his inability to win a grand final had counted against him. "We were probably a little ... intimidated by the swapping coaches scenario," Conway said today. 
"If you go back and you have a look, the grand finals he got into with St George ... (they) were performing well above the standard of the players that he had. 
"There are a lot of coaches out there who've never won a premiership, but he has at least proved he can consistently get teams up to the standard of getting them to grand finals." 
Smith meanwhile said he knew a while back that his time with the Eels was coming to an end. "(Parramatta chief executive Dennis Fitzgerald) told me a long time ago that that was his plan, so it wasn't a great shock," Smith said. "It was a disappointment. I'm sad about leaving. To be honest, if it had been left to me, I would have resigned on (October 31), when my contract was up. I'd made up my mind that 10 years was a fair time for me to be there, and I was ready to move on. 
"Dennis saved me the trouble." 
Despite the excitement of his impending move, Smith said he remained focused on his final campaign with the Eels. "There's a chance for Parramatta this year, if we can all play and work at our highest level and get a bit of luck, we can win the competition," he said. "That's a real possibility."

Johns and Smith - 2001 Grand Final -  On opposite teams..

Smith quite prepared to start again - March 08, 2006
DEPARTING Parramatta coach Brian Smith said yesterday he was not afraid of having to prove himself again at a club facing a challenge but declined to comment on growing speculation linking him with Newcastle. The 448-game veteran scotched rumours he missed the Eels' season launch on Friday night so he could meet Knights officials. He also denied he was scheduled to meet captain Andrew Johns this week.  Smith spoke about his future as his team continued its build-up for Saturday night's opening game of the season, against Newcastle at EnergyAustralia Stadium. "I'm not afraid about starting again," Smith said. "I'm not sure where I'm going to be but if I have to start from (scratch) I think I've proven that I can do it. It doesn't guarantee that I can do it again but I'm looking forward to having a crack at it wherever it is." 
The former Country coach, whose 10-year stint at Parramatta will end in spring when he is replaced by Newcastle coach Michael Hagan, has been touted as the latest candidate to pique the interest of the Knights' board. The Australian reported on Monday that Smith would be a good fit for the Knights, given his record at turning a club's fortunes around, and the fact it is likely to struggle when veteran halfback Johns finally retires. Newcastle battled without Johns after he struggled to come back from a knee reconstruction and then missed a chunk of the season with a broken jaw. The Test halfback is contracted until the end of 2008 but is realistically only one serious injury away from hanging up his boots. Smith has been involved in the game as a first-grade coach since 1984 and has enjoyed considerable success despite not having a premiership to show for his work. He took Hull from 10th to a premiership final during his time at the English club (1988-90) and ended a six-year finals drought for St George when he arrived there at 1991, taking them to consecutive grand finals against powerful Brisbane teams in 1992 and '93. He took English club Bradford from seventh to the semi-finals in 1996 and put Parramatta back into the finals again after a 10-year absence when he arrived there in 1997. "I've had to work from the ground up pretty much ever since I started way back at Illawarra," Smith said. "In fact every club I've gone to - apart from Illawarra which wasn't a new club but a relatively new club - all the others I've been to have been great clubs that have fallen on hard times." 
Smith was reported as having missed the Eels' season launch on Friday night so he could be interviewed by Newcastle officials but both parties categorically denied it yesterday. "I did have a professional engagement but it was not with any football club at all," Smith said. "That was in relation to a completely private matter, another business venture I'd been invited to listen to." 
Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway said reports that Smith would miss his own club's season launch to meet the Knights officials were in bad taste. "The one thing I will confirm that was wrong was that he was meeting with us last Friday," Conway said. "That is offensive." 
There has been some speculation that Smith will sit down with Johns at some stage this week to talk about the possibility of the senior coach taking over the reins in the steel city. Johns holds considerable sway at the club and is part of a four-player committee that will give its opinion to the board before a decision is made. 
Smith and Johns have allegedly had their differences in the past - even though the Eels' coach denied it was from his end during his time as a columnist for The Australian. Smith said he knew nothing about a meeting and described the speculation he would sit down with Johns this week as a "complete fabrication". 
Johns' manager John Fordham said he spoke to Johns frequently and the halfback had not mentioned Smith to him. "Why would the Newcastle captain and the Parramatta coach want to get together this week when the two clubs are opposing each other this weekend," Fordham said. "That would be totally inappropriate. It sounds like people are being casted for a new series of Hypothetical."

Early swap ruled out - March 9, 2006
SENIOR Newcastle and Parramatta officials last night ruled out an early switch of coaches after it was confirmed Brian Smith and Michael Hagan would swap jobs next season. Only hours after Newcastle announced Smith would join the club in 2007 on a three-year deal, Knights chief executive Ken Conway and Parramatta counterpart Denis Fitzgerald dismissed any suggestion that Smith and Hagan should change clubs before scheduled. Coincidentally, the pair will lock horns on Saturday night, when the Knights and Eels meet in the opening round of the premiership at EnergyAustralia Stadium. "We have a contract with Brian Smith, Newcastle has a contract with Michael Hagan, we want Brian here for the year," Fitzgerald said last night. "That's what the players want. They're keen to have a great year for themselves firstly, and secondly for Brian Smith." 
Conway was equally dismissive of the suggestion. "I just don't think it's terribly practical," Conway said. "Both coaches have prepared their team to play this year. The players have a psychological bond with their coach; the players are actually focused on 2006." 
Their stance was mirriored by Smith, who has spent 10 years at the Eels chasing an elusive premiership. Smith said his goal would now be to finish his tenure at Parramatta with a title, comparing his situation to that of former Penrith captain Royce Simmons. Simmons ended his career at the Panthers as a player with an emotional premiership win. "It's a major goal for everybody at our club," Smith said. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to coach Parramatta to a premiership win. The fact that it's my last season, it would almost be a Roycey Simmons." 
Smith is yet to confirm who will join him at the Knights next year but it seems unlikely long-time protege Peter Sharp will be there. The Knights yesterday indicated Hagan's assistant David Fairleigh, who unsuccessfully applied for the head coach's job, would retain his position at the club. Conway paid tribute to Fairleigh's handling of himself during the process. "I think David's demeanour and performance right through this process has been terrific," Conway said. 

Smith plans new era with Knights; TRADING PLACES THE KNIGHTS-EELS COACH SWAP - Herald. Mar 9, 2006.
Brian Smith tells BRETT KEEBLE he was waiting by the phone for a shot at the Knights job and the chance to coach Andrew Johns. THE phone call Brian Smith had been waiting for came a fortnight ago. It was Knights chief executive Ken Conway, ringing to ascertain Smith's level of interest in coaching Newcastle next year. "I said, 'Why the hell did you take so long . . . I was waiting for you to ring me'," Smith said yesterday after the club confirmed that the longest-serving coach in Parramatta history would replace Michael Hagan at the Knights in 2007. Smith's record of leaving clubs in far better shape than when he arrived made him an irresistible attraction for the Knights, who, since beating Smith's Eels in the 2001 grand final, have fallen off the pace on and off the field. Knights management see Smith as the man to continue the rebuilding program Hagan has begun. The former St George and Souths halfback told The Herald he had long been a Knights admirer, was confident he could bring the best out of the club, and was looking forward to learning from Andrew Johns as much as he was excited about coaching "probably the best player of all time".
THE KNIGHTS
"It's been a tough club to play against, and it's been a smart club to play against," Smith said. "Tactically they've always been very good, and they've always had a high-quality team performance. They know how to play football, and when you're a footy-head like me you want to be in a place like that. I'm only an outsider looking in so far, but the way the club's been set up, it's a rugby league stronghold. "Chief [Paul Harragon] was telling me they've still got more juniors than any other region, and you only have to look at their first-grade team and see how many blokes are products of that local area. When I look at my own record, and what I know and what I feel and what I enjoy doing, I just felt it's a good match. It's a place I'd like to work. I hope I'm the right match from the club's point of view, but I feel like the club's the right sort of place for me to be working in."
RESOURCES
Boasting a cast of thousands in their football department, Parramatta are considered the benchmark for success from the NRL right down to their junior representative teams. Such is their dominance of the lower grades and junior competitions, Parramatta have won the NSWRL Club Championship eight of the past nine years. Smith will move from the best resourced club in the NRL to one of the worst, but the Knights have finally recognised the need to bolster their support staff ranks and will make further appointments in that area before he arrives. "My understanding is the club's in the best position it's probably ever been in from a financial base, and that's encouraging," he said. "I don't think you need to be glitzy or over the top with resources. But staffing wise, and the picture that's been painted to me by Chief in particular, within a short space of time, most of the things that are necessary to compete in the league as it is now are going to be in place.
"Anything that's not will be a project that we'll all work on together, so I've got no problems with any of that."
ANDREW JOHNS
Getting up close and personal with a player the calibre of Johns in the final years of his illustrious career has Smith feeling like a kid in a lolly shop.
"It's not only the coaching of him but more the working with him," Smith said. "I wasn't a great player I wasn't even a good player but I think one of my strongest attributes over the years has been that I've had to learn by watching great players and trying to work out what they do. A lot of them haven't got a clue what they do, but, from what I've been told, I think Andrew knows exactly what he's doing on the football field all the time. I want to get a piece of that. I think that can improve my coaching. I hope I can do something for him. I'd like to think I can, but I won't really know that until I start working with him. But I'm sure I can do things to get the team to make the most of his talents and their own talents. I'm really confident about that."
FEUD, WHAT FEUD?
League's bush telegraph has buzzed for years about supposed bad blood between Smith and Johns, who worked together as Country Origin coach and captain at Gosford in 2003. Smith said there was no feud but traced the origin of the innuendo back to a throw-away comment he made after Parramatta beat Newcastle 34-30 in a high-quality pre-season trial at Maitland in 2001. They are also from opposite ends of the sport's social spectrum, but Smith said there was no lingering malcontent between two of the game's great thinkers. "I was asked the question after the game, 'How much can you take from that?', which is a regular question after a pre-season game," he recalled. "I said, 'I think we can take a bit more from it than usual because both teams played some great footy, and I know that Newcastle were really having a lash, as we were, because they were yipping and yahooing after they'd scored a try'.
"I just made the point that it showed how much they were trying to win. Someone carried that, it got a twist on it about the yipping and yahooing statement, and that was the beginning of whatever it was.  I really wish I'd known Andrew better at that time to be comfortable about ringing him and saying, 'This is what happened, and let's not go down that track.  That's where it all began, and there's some other crap that's been spread about me not wanting players to drink and all that stuff. I was just a little bit ahead of my time, that was all. I just wanted them to drink reasonably. I just hope that all sits comfortably, not only with Andrew, but with all the senior players there."  Smith said a week of rain at Gosford made it impossible for him and Johns to establish a solid professional relationship in 2003, but he enjoyed his time with Johns and other Newcastle players in his three years as Country coach. "In those three years that I coached Country, and I've said this prior to me joining the Knights, those boys from Newcastle that I coached Joey, Steve Simpson, Danny Buderus, Matty Gidley, Daniel Abraham, Timana Tahu, Johnny Morris, Josh Perry I found them the most approachable blokes around," he said.
STRENGTHS
Smith will become the sixth coach in Newcastle history, following on from Hagan (2001-06), Warren Ryan (1999-2000), Malcolm Reilly (1995-98), David Waite (1991-2004) and the late Allan McMahon (1988-91). With 448 games to his credit, he is the third-most in premiership history behind Tim Sheens (496) and Wayne Bennett (475). In 15 seasons at St George and Parramatta, he has taken his teams to three grand finals and 10 finals series. Both clubs were in the doldrums before he took over. Though he still carries the monkey on his back of three losses from three grand finals, he has coached at the highest level in Australia or England every year since 1984 and has left every club in better shape than when he took over. "That's why I think this will be the right relationship at the Knights because they are the things that I enjoy doing, and I think I've done pretty well," he said. "With the exception of Illawarra, who were only in their infancy, every club I've been to has had a reputation of greatness as far as results and high standards in the rugby league community, but they'd all been on hard times before I got there. Hull were next to being relegated, Bradford were almost a joke, Saints hadn't made the play-offs for a few years and Parramatta hadn't made them for 10 years. Who knows, by the end of this season I might be taking over a premiership-winning team.  But if it's not that, and if the bottom end the junior rep teams and lower grades needs help, then I think I'm the right man for it. I know that's important to the Newcastle board and management, and I know how many people turn up early to watch the lower grades at Newcastle. I know how important all that is, and it's important to me too."

Smith quits as Eels coach - May 15, 2006 
BRIAN Smith tonight announced his shock resignation as Parramatta coach, saying he didn't feel he was the man to guide the club out of crisis. 
Smith, who was informed before the start of this season his 10th year at the club would be his last, said that decision and the poor start to the year had worn him down. "I ask questions of my players and staff every day about my level of commitment and whether they have the commitment and desire to get a tough job done," Smith said at a hastily arranged press conference outside Parramatta Stadium tonight. I ask myself that question every day and the answer was no this morning. 
"Now is the right time for me to do what I've done. Time's running out and something needs to happen very quickly. I don't feel I'm the one any longer that is to lead the club out of the situation they're in. I'm being honest with myself about that and I think it's appropriate for me to step aside." 
South Sydney-bound assistant coach Jason Taylor is expected to take over as head coach, but a replacement won't be confirmed until after tonight's board meeting. Smith has been under intense scrutiny after a woeful start to the year which has netted the Eels just two wins. The club is third last on the competition table and requires 10 wins from its remaining 15 matches to have any hope of contesting the semi-finals. Only a week ago, chief executive Denis Fitzgerald assured reporters Smith would see out the end of the year. But Smith took a shot at the Eels boss for his decision to announce his replacement, Newcastle mentor Michael Hagan, before the season began. "To be honest, I think some tough things need to be done at the club right now," he said. "The situation has been tough all season given the circumstances about my own future and therefore the futures of lots of players as well. That's led to an environment I've not encountered before and given the results on top of that I just don't have the commitment level to do what needs to be done. It's not right or proper for me to stay in the job." 
There was no hint of a bombshell announcement after yesterday's 22-18 loss to the Bulldogs, with the veteran mentor maintaining the Eels were capable of turning their season around. But the 52-year-old revealed he only decided to resign after feeling he wasn't up to the task this morning. "Getting ready for another game against Penrith on Friday night I just felt like, I guess it's been a little bit in my mind, but today was the appropriate time for me. I guess there's been some thought about how this season was going to run from the time I was told my services were not required for next season. It only became a more dominant thought in the last 24 hours. I just had a chat to my wife a little while ago because she didn't know about it either. She kind of knew but when she left home this morning she didn't think I was going to do this today, that's for sure." 
Smith said he would not link up with his future club, Newcastle, until the end of the season, saying he needed a break. He said the players were stunned by the news and he had an emotional chat with Test second rower Nathan Hindmarsh, who is in camp with the NSW Origin team, on the telephone. "It will be tough, but it's possible," Smith said, for the Eels to win the competition this year. "I wish we could have all won a comp together but I feel very pleased and proud of what I've achieved in general terms over that 10-year period." 
Knights chief executive Ken Conway said Smith's decision wouldn't have any impact on his commitment with the Knights. "There are no implications from our end, other than when Brian starts with us next season he'll be fresh. He won't come on board any earlier." 

I'm still the one; Smith keen as ever to take reins at Knights - Herald. May 18, 2006. 
FORMER Parramatta coach Brian Smith said yesterday that he was not responsible for the problems at the Eels and was still the man to lead the Knights.
Smith reassured the Knights and their fans he was keener than ever to take the reins from Michael Hagan at the end of this season. Smith, who resigned on Monday, 10 rounds into his 10th season at the Eels, will fly to London today for his first holiday from league in 18 years. "Nothing has changed in any way, shape or form from my point of view about coming up there, other than that I feel that I'm going to be in an even better position to do what needs to be done when I get there," Smith said. In an extensive interview, to be published in The Herald's H2 supplement on Saturday, the third longest-serving coach in premiership history said:
off-contract Country Origin five-eighth Kurt Gidley was Newcastle's priority retention target; he would have no coaching input at Newcastle until the end of this season, other than discussing 2007 retention and recruitment issues with management; he felt relieved to leave an "intolerable" situation at the Eels; and
his decision would allow him more time to become familiar with Newcastle players before he replaced Hagan. "I feel like the bloke who's made a tough call that needed to be made, and you sort of get a bit of an afterglow afterwards," Smith said. "The situation at Parramatta wasn't my doing, and it just got to a point where it was intolerable for me and I felt like I wasn't part of the solution that needed to be put in place to give the team what it needs to start winning."
Smith keen as ever to take reins at Knights.  Smith met Knights operations manager Stephen Crowe and chief executive Ken Conway in Sydney on Saturday to discuss retention priorities. "I've indicated to the club that I'm a massive fan of Kurt Gidley," he said. "I think he's a very, very good player and he's part of the fabric of Newcastle, so I would hope that things can be sorted out there."
Crowe said he had an "encouraging" meeting yesterday with Gidley's manager, Darryl Mather, and felt confident the Knights had moved closer to retaining the 23-year-old pivot. Smith said the extended break would allow him to recharge his batteries before he began his three-year contract with the Knights.
The 52-year-old coach will visit his sons, Rohan, an assistant coach at Super League club London Harlequins, and Keegan, who plays professional hockey in Germany, and hopes to be joined next month by wife Karen and daughter Codey. Smith said he had coached virtually non-stop since beginning a three-year stint in England at Hull in 1988. He went straight from that job to St George in 1990, leaving the Dragons in 1996 to return to the UK with Bradford, then resumed his career in Australia in 1997 with Parramatta, where he had been in charge until Monday.

Smith sneaks into town on secret mission; Aug 5, 2006. 
INCOMING coach Brian Smith slipped in and out of Newcastle yesterday in a covert hit-and-run mission that would have made Jack Bauer proud.
It is understood Smith spoke to some of his soon-to-be Knights colleagues to start planning for next season, when he takes over from Parramatta-bound Michael Hagan. It is understood he met with Knights coaching and development manager Warren Smiles to discuss the status of the club's famous junior nursery.
But even when threatened with some CTU-style torture, Smiles would not comment when contacted by The Footy Page. Meetings were held off-site to avoid any potentially embarrassing confrontations between Smith and Hagan behind castle walls. Rounding off a day in which three past, present or future Knights coaches were in town at the same time, Malcolm Reilly finished up his first week on the job as a marketing trump with Knights beer sponsors Bluetongue. Craig Smith has not lost his competitive edge. But the smiling assassin of the Newcastle pack has mellowed enough in the final stages of his career to accept coming off the bench, even if his good grace is expressed through gritted teeth. Coach Michael Hagan has used Smith in tandem with fellow thirtysomething Luke Davico to relieve younger starters Adam Woolnough and Josh Perry in Newcastle's past two wins, against Cronulla and Souths. Hagan would not say if that trend would continue against the Roosters tomorrow. Smith said: "I'd prefer to start every game, no question, and these last few are going to be my last. "A couple of years ago I wouldn't have accepted it, but we're winning and I'm part of it, and where I am now, I'm pretty comfortable being involved. That's all it takes these days. But I think I'll still give Teddy [Perry] and Wooly [Woolnough] a hurry-up before the end of the season on and off the field."

Smith chases breakthrough premiership; New Knights mentor believes players can teach him how to snare title; Herald. Oct 19, 2006. 
NEW Knights coach Brian Smith declared yesterday that Newcastle's stable of game-breakers could teach him the one thing missing from his vast pool of rugby league knowledge: how to win a premiership. The career coach has reached four first-grade grand finals and lost them all. He lost at Hull (1989), St George (1992-93) and most recently Parramatta in 2001, when they went down 30-24 to the Knights. But Smith believes he can set the record straight at the Knights.
"I've not been able to do what I'd like to do and everybody who depends on me and loves me and cares about me would like me to do and that's win one of those premiership things," a smiling Smith said at EnergyAustralia Stadium in his first interview since taking over at the Knights. "I'm hopeful that there are some people here that can help me to do that, instead of me helping them to do that, because they know how to do it and I don't, apparently, which sounds pretty fair to me.
"It's time for them to help me to get there, if we are good enough to get that far along."
Reflecting on the 2001 grand final, Smith said the impression that the Eels were red-hot favourites was a false one. "Grand finals are not about seasons; grand finals are about one day and big-match performers," Smith said. "That Newcastle side in 2001 had some of the very best players I've ever seen in key positions in the one team."  Looking healthy and refreshed after his first prolonged holiday in two decades of coaching, Smith spoke positively and confidently about the Knights and his vision for the future.
THE KNIGHTS 
Smith admitted that starting at a new club for the first time in 10 years was a daunting experience, but he had been reassured by everything he had seen and heard from players and administrators at the Knights. "The feel I've had since I've been here has been extremely welcoming from administration and all the people that work in the Knights office," he said. "But because I'm a footy coach and not an administrator, I was more excited about the meetings I've had with [Danny] Buderus and [Steve] Simpson a couple of weeks ago. "On the afternoon of the presentation night I met with Danny and Simmo and spent a couple of hours with them, and I met with Andrew [Johns] last Thursday. "Matty Gidley, who I'm really disappointed about not being able to coach, came in and had a great chat to me for a couple of hours. He told me everything about Newcastle and the footy club from his perspective, and their intensity and their obvious love for footy and the club is why I'm feeling so confident about fitting in."
THE TOWN 
Smith said his experience at Hull had prepared him for the intensity and scrutiny that comes from fanatical supporters in a one-team town. And he is excited rather than daunted by the expectation that comes with the territory. "I like it when the expectations are high. I've tried it where the expectations are low and it's not nice."
Smith has already had a few encounters with fans and has been encouraged by their support and goodwill. "I stayed at the Executive Inn at Wests for a couple of nights and as I walked through the doors into the leagues club there were three ladies sitting at a table," he said. "All three of them wanted me to get over to the table and have a yak about footy straight off the bat."
Smith's first memory of Newcastle was playing for the NSW Schoolboys side as a 17-year-old from Casino. "I've never actually been to Newcastle to experience what all you people that have been here for years talk about," Smith said. "Every time I came here as a coach was just to do a job. But over the last few months coming here with my wife to look at houses and doing organisational issues for next season I'm starting to get that feel about Newcastle."
THE HOLIDAY 
Smith was told by Parramatta officials before the start of the 2006 season that it would be his last and Knights coach Michael Hagan was named as his replacement.
He parted company with the club after 10 rounds that yielded just two wins from nine games. He signed for the Knights after they had made several approaches to other coaches. The five-month holiday that ensued is the longest break he has had in a coaching career that began at Illawarra (1984-87) before stints at Hull (1988-90), St George (1990-95) and Bradford (1996) before a move that would eventually make him Parramatta's longest-serving coach (1997-2006). 
"I was that stereotypical bloke that was working crazy hours and doing too much without realising how deeply in he is," Smith said. "It took rolling over the morning I finished at Parra about ten past four and thinking, 'I don't have to do this. I can just get back into bed, roll over and go to sleep.'
"I had a scary bit in the middle, I've got to say, where I enjoyed it so much that I started thinking, 'Maybe I don't need that other stuff', but in the last few weeks my juices are going again, especially after speaking to the players."
ANDREW JOHNS 
Much has been made of the supposed ill feeling between the new Knights coach and the halfback, but Smith yesterday said he was "challenged and excited" at the prospect of coaching the man regarded as the best player in the world. Smith rejected any suggestion of a rift and said that a one-on-one meeting with Johns recently had left him in no doubt about their ability to work together for the Knights cause. "I've never coached a player of that quality in any position, but I've never had an experienced, quality halfback like Andrew," he said. "We come from different places and we've got different interests and I'm 52 and he's nearly half my age and we are definitely different in lots of ways. But when it came to talking about football and that's the first time we've ever done that he talked and I listened and then he asked a lot of questions. "He's obviously a footy head, which I'm accused of being as well. "He thinks I can help him with some aspects and he wants me to help him with some aspects of his game, so I hope I can do that for him and obviously for the team."
THE FUTURE 
Smith does not see too much wrong at the Knights. Inevitably, there will be some changes, but he does not anticipate "shaking the cage" too much yet. A lot of the framework for the immediate future had been outlined in his recent meetings with Knights senior players. "I've got to say of all the interviews I've done over a 20-year career they were the most frank and knowledgeable interviews I can ever remember having," Smith said of the meetings with Buderus, Simpson and Johns.
"They let me know in no uncertain terms what was expected of me and what they wanted me to put in place and they were all footy-related things."
He said the loss of experienced outside backs Gidley, Brian Carney and Anthony Quinn meant there would be openings for young players. "In every club I've been to I've been able to foster a club spirit and develop a program where kids can see that there is a path for them to get through to first grade," Smith said.

Smith gears up to meet his Knights; The Daily Telegraph. Oct 25, 2006. 
NEW Knights coach Brian Smith will formally introduce himself to the club's players at a two-day familiarisation camp at Salamander Bay early next month.
The November 8-9 camp will be split in two, with part-time players and rising stars involved on the first day and the club's full-timers taking part on the second day.
"It will be Brian's first opportunity to meet all the players," operations manager Steve Crowe told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "It will be a get-to-know-you couple of days for everyone, but also an opportunity for Brian to talk about his plans for the season. "We have some other new coaching staff members, such as Trent Robinson (Premier League coach) and Mick Reid (strength and conditioning trainer) who will be there and involved pretty heavily as well. "It will be a good opportunity just to get things rolling before official training starts the following Monday." 
Since arriving in Newcastle almost two weeks ago to officially take over the coaching reins from Michael Hagan, Smith has spent most of his time taking part in meetings with his football staff. "It has been pretty full-on, with long days," Crowe said. "It has basically been discussion among the coaching staff about all the planning and what needs to get done."  Crowe also said the club had agreed in principle to the appointment of a full-time physiotherapist for next season.
"I'm hoping to have the football budget finalised by the end of the week, and the plan is to appoint a full-time physio," he said.

My mate Joey - October 19, 2006 12:00
BRIAN Smith's decade-long reign as Parramatta coach ended controversially when he quit the club mid-season only to see his replacement Jason Taylor lead the Eels from second last to the play-offs. Since his departure, Smith has not spoken about the reasons behind his decision to quit, the resurgence of the Eels in his absence, the emergence of a player he supposedly snubbed, rookie Kangaroo Jarryd Hayne or his so-called feud with Knights superstar Andrew Johns. Here, interviewed by BARRY TOOHEY, he finally sets the record straight.

Q: There has been plenty said about the so-called feud with Andrew Johns. You met with him privately last week. Is there a problem between you two?
A: You're probably in the best place to answer that. I think Andrew and I . . . well I'm 52 and he is 30-odd, we are going to have some differences in terms of what we do with our time and what we enjoy and all that sort of stuff. But we have a whole heap of similarities. I can absolutely guarantee you that just from an hour and a half's discussion, we are on the same page about a lot of things with footy.
Q: So the feud is just a myth?
A: I hope who is ever out there underestimates us in the extreme about what we might be about to get done together.
Q: Does it excite you to have the opportunity to coach someone like Joey?
A: It's challenging and exciting – all of that stuff. I'm sure I can learn a lot about the game from him and he seems to think I can help him as well. He wants me to help him with some aspects of his game so I hope that I can do that for him and for the team. I see us as being a very powerful force together.
Q: Looking back, did you stay too long at Parramatta?
A: If I had my time over, I probably would have gone last October (when he was told he wouldn't be coach in 2007). But I wasn't to know at that stage how it was going to figure out. 
Q: So no regrets with quitting?
A: I'm glad I left when I did because I think what I wanted to happen to all parties concerned is what did happen. The team got better and the individuals in the team – a lot of them I care about a lot – did some goods things individually and I got the break I needed after a long time of coaching.
Q: Were you at breaking point stress-wise when you left?
A: Yeah, it was stressful. I just wasn't going to be what I always felt I have been which was the right bloke to lead the club each week towards a win. It just wasn't there for me. I just didn't feel like that any more. And I was right – that's been proven.
Q: Why did it turn sour for you at Parramatta? Was it just the decision by the club not to re-sign you for 2007?
A: That was the major contributor. That group of people we had there, we really put them together for a two-year period and, as you can see now by how many players have left Parra this season, that was always going to happen. It was a bit of a torpedo really of that plan when Denis (Fitzgerald, Eels chief executive) made the decision that I was going to finish up at the end of that year. It just altered the way a lot of people moved from that point on – the way they thought. It just made a difference to the stability and the confidence and it caused concern for me and it caused concern for a lot of people. We just didn't have the same chemical reaction any more. 
Q: Was that your fault?
A: No, I don't think it was anyone's fault. Denis's motivation in doing it when he did I can understand. He just thought it would be the best thing. I'm not sure what he thinks in hindsight but from my point of view, I can understand why he did it and it's hard to be critical of that.
Q: Is there any relationship left with Fitzgerald?
A: Aw yeah, he rang me just a few weeks ago about a pertinent league matter he thought I could help him with. I have no dramas at all with him in that regard.
Q: He has been a supporter of you hasn't he?
A: I think Denis has been a supporter of his own decisions when he puts coaches in place. Before I went there, they hadn't made the play-offs for 10 years but he didn't unload Mick Cronin, he didn't unload Ronny Hilditch – and that was part of the attraction for me in going there. It's good to work in a place where they've not got a habit of turning coaches over when things don't go right.
Q: Was it hard for you to handle Parramatta's resurgence under Jason Taylor after you quit?
A: I was happy to be honest. That's actually why I moved on because I wanted the team to do much better than we were doing at the time that I was in control.
Q: Taylor and some of the players suggested they were enjoying their footy more after you left. Had the fun gone out of it with you still there?
A: That was part of what was going on. There was this atmosphere which I don't think anybody created – it was just there. Some were distressed, some were unsure and it led to an uneasy feeling in the place. Q: Were there some players happy to see you go?
A: I wouldn't have a clue, you'd have to ask them.
Q: Did you consider walking away from coaching altogether?
A: No. That wasn't an alternative.
Q: Was there ever a fear you may not get another job?
A: No. I already had a couple of things on the table but I hadn't progressed those before I got the job with Newcastle.
Q: On to the Knights then. The club interviewed four other coaches and were rejected by Tim Sheens and Matt Elliott before offering the job to you. Do you feel like their fifth choice?
A: I couldn't give a toss about that. It has no bearing on anything at all for me.
Q: Can the team be a force though given the number of players the Knights have lost?
A: I'm more excited about what's coming in. I'm a little concerned with the guys leaving who have done well at the club but I'm more than happy with the group that we've got. It's the sort of club who has thrived on bringing young guys through from the area with the odd kid from outside. I'm going to really enjoy helping to build this club to what ever capacity it can get to over the next little while but I think it will be strong right from the word go. 
Q: Wayne Bennett's won six premierships. You haven't won any. Does the tag "the best coach never to have won a premiership" grate on you?
A: Not at all. In some ways, I'm happy with that. Obviously I'm still doing everything I can to win one . . . or two or 10 but that's not the measuring stick that most people in coaching use. It's important but not the be all and end all.
Q: Last question. Are you happy to see Jamie Lyon back in the NRL?
A: Definitely, yeah. I'm rapt and it's good for him. It will be good for footy back here as well.

New recruits get first taste of Knight's life under Brian; Herald. Nov 7, 2006. 
THE new boys met the new boss yesterday. And for former Knights players Adam MacDougall, Paul Franze and Todd Polglase induction day took longer than anticipated.  MacDougall, Franze and Polglase joined fellow recruits Mitchell Sargent (North Queensland) and Kurt Sorensen (Parramatta) at a meet-and-greet session with head coach Brian Smith and the rest of the football and front-office staff. They will join their 2007 teammates in camp at Port Stephens this week to start full-blown pre-season training. During their previous stints as Knights, MacDougall, Franze and Polglase were part of a club run on a shoestring budget that only just covered basics in the areas of support staff, player resources and training facilities. So they were pleasantly surprised to see so many familiar, and foreign, faces at the EnergyAustralia Stadium administrative headquarters and training base at Mayfield's Phoenix Sports club. "I like the way the Knights have made them very welcome. The whole thing is about acquainting them with the way the club is run and where everything is for those who don't know," Smith said.  "For those guys who have been here before, some things are new for them too. Some of the facilities are new, and there's a whole heap of new staff here since they were here. "They were remarking to me how different it was, so even for them it's about making sure we take out the 'new' factor . . . We're just trying to make the transition as smooth as possible."
One of the new staff members is Smith's son Rohan, a former assistant coach at New Zealand Warriors and London Harlequins, filling a newly created coaching role specialising in statistics, scouting and technical analysis. The players will begin training at Soldiers Point on Thursday, and Brian Smith has planned regular skills sessions to go with the standard conditioning drills between now and the Christmas break. "It's a chance to outline how we're going to set up our pre-season program, what our goals are and what we're trying to achieve pre-Christmas in particular . . . and also to have a bit of social time together," said Smith who started with the Knights last month.

Smith keen to let the good times roll again; Herald. Nov 10, 2006. 
FOR the past dozen years, Brian Smith could not stand the sight of Andrew Johns's grinning face on a rugby league field. As was the case in the 2001 NRL grand final, it usually meant the Knights maestro was putting one of Smith's teams to the sword. But Johns is now the ace up Smith's sleeve, and Newcastle's coach for 2007 desperately wants to put the smile back on his joker's dial. The Smith and Johns show began dress rehearsals yesterday as the Knights launched their pre-season training program with a camp at Soldiers Point. Coach and captain have had several chats since Smith arrived last month, and those will continue in earnest as they map out plans for the team's 20th season. "The core of my conversations with him was about two things," Smith said. "One was about not rocking the boat, and he kicked me into touch straight away and said: 'I want the boat rocked; I want the boat turned over.' He was sort of saying: 'You change what needs to be changed, and I'll support you 100 per cent.' "
Smith wants to make footy fun again for Johns and Danny Buderus the players he believes have shouldered too much of the emotional burden for too long.
Though the halfback and hooker have captained NSW and Australia, neither led the Knights in this year's finals because they had run their race with referees.
"The other perhaps more important strand for me was that as a prospective Newcastle coach, I was concerned about watching them during the course of the year when I knew I was coming here," Smith said. "I was concerned, and I've told them this, that at various times I thought their heads were going to blow off under so much activity and so much pressure. It has to be pressure that changes their behaviour to that extent. "It used to annoy me how much Andrew Johns was laughing when he was playing in big games, and just enjoying himself so much. Blokes have told me stories about how the music would come on to run back out after half-time, and he'd be jiving in the tunnel. I want to see him back there in that frame of mind, where he's enjoying the challenge of it again. "Whatever I can do to ease that pressure on him, I want to do it. Bedsy was a bit the same; he was chasing referees around the place."
Smith said it was up to him to lighten their load. "I don't want that to be part of their make-up any more," he said. "I want them to feel that they've got their own jobs to do and the rest of the team understand what their jobs are. In an ideal world, we'll get them to the point where they don't feel like they've got the weight of the world on their shoulders. I'm heading towards that."

Smith receives warm welcome; Sidelines; Herald. Nov 20, 2006. 
NEW Knights coach Brian Smith was in the presence of some of the club's founding fathers at a Newcastle Rotary Club lunch at Queen's Wharf on Friday.
In his first public speaking engagement since taking over the reins last month, Smith discussed his transformation from footballer to PE teacher to career coach with NBN sports guru and master of ceremonies Mike Rabbitt. In the audience were Leigh Maughan and Gerry Edser, who together with former chairman Michael Hill were responsible for the birth of the Knights 20 years ago, and foundation five-eighth Robbie Tew, who scored the team's first points. Smith said he had already established relationships with the trio. "Gerry Edser is trying to find me a house, Leigh Maughan asked me to the races last weekend and Robbie rang me a few days ago to give me some possible assistance with recruitment and other issues within our footballing community at the Knights," the former Parramatta, St George and Illawarra coach said. Smith said he was not getting carried away with the positive reaction to his arrival.  "It's better than starting the other way but, to be fair, we're having a honeymoon at the moment," he said. Two of the town's high-flying media personalities made their presence felt at a pre-fight cocktail party before Anthony Mundine and Ruben Acosta got it on at Newcastle Entertainment Centre last Wednesday night. Stunned onlookers went hungry as NBN's Jim Callinan and Herald hack Jimmy Gardiner inhaled party pies and finger food from the circulating serving trays as if they hadn't eaten in days. Jim and Jimmy reckon they were ravenous because they had played golf all day and missed out on lunch. Whatever their reason, the Sidelines spy who witnessed the carnage suggested both would have struggled to make the weight if they were fighting on the undercard that night.

More depth than ever; New coach thrilled with Knights' spread of talent  - Mar 9, 2007. 
NEWCASTLE coach Brian Smith said last night that the Knights would start their 20th premiership crusade with the greatest player depth in the club's history.
Speaking at the Knights' season launch, Smith told the crowd he was excited by the talent at his disposal, despite the departure of Matt Gidley (St Helens), Anthony Quinn (Melbourne), Brian Carney (retired) and Craig Smith (retired). "I think there is a bit more depth than in previous seasons," Smith said. "We still have Simpson, Buderus and Johns, who have been there and done that over and over again. For all of us coaches, younger players and other players who have some experience to be playing alongside that sort of know-how, absolute brilliance, as well as toughness, all the things that are synonymous with those three guys, is a huge start for us. The rest of us have to build around that."
The Knights introduced their 25-man first-grade squad last night, 10 days before their season-opener against the Bulldogs in Newcastle on March 18. In a welcome selection headache, Smith has the bulk of those players available. Danny Buderus is suspended, and utility Chris Bailey (shoulder) and David Seage (knee) are recovering from injury. A first 13 was announced last night and players presented with jumpers. Smith said it was purely a marketing exercise, but the nucleus of that team is expected to run out against the Dogs. Former NSW Waratahs rugby union winger Milton Thaiday, utility Riley Brown and forwards Kirk Reynoldson, Luke Davico, Mitchell Sargent, Dan Tolar and Reegan Tanner were not named last night but are expected to be in strong contention for the opening game.
"We should have the bulk of our squad available for day one, which is great," Smith said. "We had a preliminary meeting about the first group that might represent us against the Bulldogs. "We called it quits after two hours because we had not resolved it. We will finalise it tomorrow. We will have a squad picked and then narrow the team down as the week goes on."
Andrew Johns has been in doubt with a hamstring injury which forced him to miss the 12-10 trial win over Cronulla at Cessnock, but the inspirational skipper was confident of being fit for the season opener. "The injury is coming along. I will be right," he said. Johns was excited by the emergence of young talent such as wingers Akuila Uate and James McManus. "They have the promise and have done all the hard work. We have a real good mix, and I think we will start the year with a boom."

Smith confident of maiden premiership
For the first time, Knights supporters will have an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into the Newcastle camp and Coach Brian Smith’s thoughts throughout season 2007. University of Newcastle Communications student and National Nine News journalist, Matthew Russell has been appointed Smith’s correspondent for 2007
and will catch up with the Knights mentor for each edition of Inside the Castle. This week, Matthew spoke to Brian about fi rst impressions and the expectations of coaching in a football mad city. By MATTHEW RUSSELL

A PREMIERSHIP IS the one thing that has eluded Brian Smith in his 23-year coaching career, but with a fresh start at a new club he believes he can win his maiden title with the Knights. Smith began coaching Illawarra in 1984 and since then has coached Hull, St George, Bradford and Parramatta, where he became the longest serving coach in the Eels’ history. He can feel just by being in Newcastle, without coaching a premiership game that there is something different about the Knights than any other club he has coached at. “I’ve felt there is so much in the Newcastle club – there is so much culture and history of footy in the region, you can feel it when you walk around in the streets,” Smith said. “Other places I have been, the club has been unsuccessful for a period of time before I’ve been there.
“But this group of guys has some of the best players the world has ever seen in footy.”
One thing that has impressed Smith in the pre-season has been the competition for key positions, including the pivotal five eighth role. Smith is full of praise for Jarrod Mullen, and has already said that he will be the number one choice to partner Andrew Johns in the halves. He also says he moved Kurt Gidley because he was more suited to fullback. “His strength as a player is just his physical strength, with the motor he has got he is able to just play and play,” Smith said. “As a centre he probably wasn’t getting the opportunity to see that side of his game come out, and it might surprise a few people but I was actually considering playing him
at lock.”  Also, Smith is looking to bring through a younger group of front rowers - Jesse Royal, Matthew White, Tim Natusch and Kade Snowden will back-up for Josh Perry and Adam Woolnough throughout the season.  “All these guys have made contributions in pre-season and have shown they have a bit of first grade in them,” he said. And Smith says he intends to continue Newcastle’s culture of bringing juniors into first grade. “I’ve walked in on the back of some kids that
are really competitive and an outstanding Jersey Flegg team,” Smith said. “If I am here long enough, I’ll see another batch and another batch after that.”
An area of concern for the Knights has been a tendency to leak points in defence. “We defi nitely want to improve our defence,” he said. “We would like it to show itself in the quality of our game – that we are a more physical team but we also want it to show by conceding less points.”
Knights fans can rest assured that there is no friction between captain and coach, with Smith putting the rumours simply down to ‘media hype’.  So when it came to the captaincy he had no doubt about giving Johns the responsibility. “If you’re an experienced high-quality halfback you’re in the best position to be captain,” Smith said.  “The only thing for Andrew was whether he wanted to [be captain] or not. “When he said he wanted to it all made sense.” 
However, Johns will not be the sole leader of the club. While he will be the number one on-field captain, Smith has named a five-man leadership group to ease the workload on Johns. Smith is honest but optimistic in his outlook for 2007. With several players returning late from offseason surgery, he admits Newcastle may
have a slow start to the season. But with some hard work and few injuries, he is confi dent come October he might well be holding the coveted NRL premiership
trophy above his head for the very fi rst time.