All coaches who have coached at any level experience the play time in our minds as the scores change from winning to losing ,back to a winning position. Every coach experiences these notions just as Jack Gibson did during his time and how we saw the game evolve. It’s Sunday at the old ground and a South versus Parramatta. Game has been in progress to 25 minutes scoreboard reads Souths 16 Parramatta 2
Jack ‘When you play ‘coach situations’ like this sure make it difficult to plan ahead. Things that flash into your mind are ‘ I would go straight home after game, I will not go to the dinner engagement that the wife has planned and if some kid wants an autograph I will break his pencil.
I will drop the Captain the Bears to old… and…fat… Price and Cronin need a spell… Fullback ? he should be playing halfback… Those second rowers Beecher and Sharp are as dumb as posts… The club footed wingers will die of cold if they don’t get involved…Who let Pattison leave the club…three tries…. they trying to play him into a Test jersey.That photographers taking my Photo Why doesn’t he watch the game? Wonder if he wants me to smileI don’t have to coach, I could be playing golf or ….fishing.Four minutes to go and Cronin scores a try finally, and converts. Score 17 to 7 in arrears Souths have kicked a field goal.Four minutes later we are in again, five behind as the hooter goes, ending the half. In the sanctuary of the dressing room we check the players possible injury. Everybody is healthy… Well that’s something.We Remind each other that we are not playing soccer for if we were five goals divided soccer you play without hopeWe hit the lead bias point with 19 minutes left. Now you want the game to end but the time moves and now seems to have stopped. Cronin scores a 5 pointer. Parramatta is six front the game is out of the reach to South. I walk through the tunnel leading to our dressing room trying to look intelligent and smoke screening the fact I’ve given birth to a couple of ulcers. You congratulate the team’s tremendous effort name they will never know what you’re thinking of that earlier time. You remind yourself that when a team’s wins you’re not as smart as you would like people to believe or maybe not as dumb when the team is beaten. This was written by Jack some 35 years ago but some things never change as every coach has his or her account on the game day itself