I think TS and DP are two very different coaches. With a team of stars TS has proven that he can work his magic, although a solitary grand final win may give others an argument against that. He certainly had us playing some outstanding rugby though.
Powell on the other hand seems to be able to pick some fairly random players, rejects and misfits and turn them into a well-oiled machine, batting well above their weight. Looking at this squad before the season started, there was only really Williams, Clark and Vaughan who fans of high-ranking clubs would like to see in their team. Compare that to the star-studded line ups during our ‘glory’ period (stands by for incoming from Saints / Wigan fans) and this team looks distinctly average on paper. No one expected us to be undefeated and six points clear of the clubs fighting for 4th place.
Re: Hill. I don’t for one minute doubt his quality and commitment, nor do I think he was one of the ‘problem’ children, but I’ll make a guess and say he was set in the mould of the wrong mindset, and Powell knew his leaders had to have the key ingredient Hill was missing. Would he have been transformed under Powell? Probably, but not at the cost of his salary and two-year deal. It may well have been that Hill’s money was spent on Vaughan, and as good as Hill is I just can’t see him having the same impact.
