The Serve

Andrew Johns retires: Interview with Brian Smith

 Just hours after Andrew John’s retirement announcement, Dan Ginnane caught up with Newcastle coach Brian Smith in an exclusive for The Serve.

Dan Ginnane: In a way, are you relieved that while Joey is retiring, the risk that he’ll leave the game with a life changing injury is now gone?

Brian Smith: I think that’s what part of what Andrew is feeling today. I got the sense that he was relieved. Um, (pause) I think the rest of us are sort of stunned really, it will hit everybody more as time goes on….that we’re never going to play with, or coach, or watch him play again. It’s finished.

DG: The press conference felt like a death in the family…

BS: I think there was a real sense of loss, I think Andrew was feeling that as well. So many things I think he was feeling. He was shaken by it all. It wasn’t the news he was expecting when went to see what the doctors report was, that’s for sure

DG: When you saw the incident on Thursday night - how much of a hit he took for something that seemed so innocuous - did you feel in your heart that there really was a problem here and this would be the outcome?

BS: I didn’t think there was a problem with the incident itself, but I have to say pretty much since I’ve been here, Andrew’s had one little thing after another, and I think he was feeling the frustration of how difficult it was. He was putting so much in to get himself ready for, what deep down he knew was going to be his last year. He just seemed to hit an obstacle every couple of weeks, I think that’s where the relief came from him today.

DG: What does this mean for the team? Obviously it’s a massive blow and I imagine the goals have to be readjusted..

BS: Yeah, well, I would like to think as time goes on the goals would need to be readjusted again when we build some confidence and some capacity to learn to play without Andrew, although the team started to do that last year, when he missed some important games at the back end of last season and Jarrod Mullen took over in the halfback job. I think the players then started to learn to win without him. We’ve won a couple of games this year without Andrew, so, I think there’s a feeling within the group that if this had happened a couple of years ago they’d have been in a deep dark hole, but now they are better placed.

DG: When you signed up with Newcastle, you talked openly about the privilege of coaching this guy, yet four games into your term, you can’t coach him anymore. How big a personal blow is this to you Brian?

BS: It is……I’ve just come away from a conversation with Jarrod Mullen. I thought, just observing the group when Joey told them it was over, I thought Jarrod looked the saddest among a group of stunned faces. I spoke to him about it just a few minutes ago, he just said “I am, I’m never going to play with him”. So I had to talk to him about how lucky he was to have played as many games with Joey as he did, and as many training sessions. And I’ve got to practice what I preach. There’s blokes out there that have never had the opportunity to coach him, or in Jarrod’s case, young blokes who’ve never had an opportunity to share the knowledge, so in some ways, it might have been brief, but a privilege anyway.

DG: Obviously there’s the adjusting of playing without him, but you’ve played three games minus Joey this year already. But, you talked about the sadness of the players, I can hear the sadness in your voice right now……Do we have to factor in that there’s going to be a grieving period?

BS: Yeah, I think so, I think that’s fair.

(pause) Footy players and coaches are generally very positive people. We have to be. If you get negative, there’s too many things that get on top of you. Because you do have some highs, and plenty of lows. It will be interesting. That will definitely be part of the challenge in the next few days, I think for us to get over it. For absolute sure and certain, the last thing Andrew would want is the team to go in some sort of malaise because he’s not playing. He’ll want to see the fruits of his labour and the knowledge that he’s passed on come to some sort purposeful use.

DG: Talking this afternoon, Joey said he’s got some commitments to fulfill this week, then he’ll probably go away for a couple of months. When he comes back, would you want him to be an assistant coach, or have something with an official title?

BS: I’d be reluctant to put any parameters on it, at this stage. Over the years, I’ve known plenty of guys who just go cold turkey and they find it very difficult to be around the team when they’re not actually playing in it. Yet I’ve found others who want to cling to anything they can. I think Andrew will need to work that out for himself over the next couple of months in his own time. When he does, there’ll be a capacity for him here if he wants it, but I will certainly understand if he feels like he can’t get to that stage.