It is somewhat lost to history given he is now the longest-serving Sydney Roosters coach but when Trent Robinson was hired by the NRL club in late 2012, it was a surprise. Jason Taylor was heavily favoured even after his tumultuous departure from South Sydney. The league’s coaching ranks were filled with old school disciplinarians and those of the ranting and raving bent. Another new hire at the time, Michael Maguire at the Rabbitohs, had enjoyed a successful debut season but was very much a football obsessive who viewed players as his pawns.
Robinson was and is the antithesis of Maguire and has operated very differently to the traditional macho dictatorship often seen in top tier rugby league coaching. As he prepares for his fourth grand final in his 14th season at the helm of the tricolours, Robinson stands tall as the leader of a new way that prizes personal connection, treats players as people, and understands that stability and happiness hold tremendous value.
