Jack Gibson (rugby league)
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Full name | John Arthur Gibson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Kiama, New South Wales, Australia | 27 February 1929||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 9 May 2008 Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 79)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 89 kg (14 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jack Gibson OAM (27 February 1929 – 9 May 2008) was an Australian rugby league coach, player, and commentator. He is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the sport's history. Nicknamed 'Supercoach', he was highly regarded not only for his coaching record but also for his thirst for innovation, as he introduced new coaching and training methods into the sport in the 1970s, and 1980s,[4] when first-grade rugby league was then still played and coached on a semi-professional basis.
He played and coached in Sydney's top grade competition, the
Early life
Born in Kiama, New South Wales of Scottish descent, Gibson's family relocated to Sydney in his youth. He played third-grade rugby league at St. George in 1950 before joining a social side in the Eastern Suburbs A-grade competition called Taylor's Celebrity Club. Gibson worked as a bouncer for Joe Taylor at the sly drinking and gambling outlet Thommo's Two-Up School, as well as other Sydney nightclubs that Taylor owned. Gibson also fought as an amateur for the NSW boxing title.
Playing career
Roosters
Gibson was graded with
Returning to Easts in 1955 Gibson went on to play 152 first grade games for the club primarily at
Newtown & Wests
Gibson spent the
Wests 1963 Grand Final loss to
Cricketer
Gibson also played first-grade cricket for the Waverley club in Sydney, taking 92 wickets as a fast bowler.
Coaching
Early coaching years
Jack Gibson began his first-grade
Gibson then left Easts to join
Roosters premierships
In the 1973 the high-rolling Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club at
1974
Easts dominated the
On
1975
In
By 1976 a number of other clubs, notably
Parramatta premierships
Gibson then linked with
1981
In club Chief-Executive Denis Fitzgerald Gibson found an ally in his remorseless approach to sledging referees and applying pressure via the media. On 5 April 1981, Gibson dared the Referees Appointments Board to give Greg Hartley another Eels match after they lost 12–8 to Canterbury. The following week Gibson sent a personal letter to Kevin Roberts complimenting him for his handling of the Parramatta-Souths match which the Eels won 39–5.[10] Come finals time, Gibson continued to apply pressure when he publicly criticised the appointment of Hartley to control the Eels major semi-final clash with Eastern Suburbs. The tactic may have proved effective – Parramatta beat Easts 12–8 when Hartley awarded Parramatta two vital penalties in extra time which Mick Cronin converted. But nonetheless the better team still won on the day[11]
On
1982
Under Gibson the nucleus of that side was kept together and the Eels went on to win the competition in the next two years –
Manly were comfortable pre-match favourites for the 1982 Grand Final having demolished Parramatta three times that season including a 20–0 drubbing in a spiteful major semi-final. Gibson, Fitzgerald and lock-forward Ray Price again employed the tactic of publicly criticising referees and in the week leading up the match John Gocher was the target of the pressure. When the Sea-Eagles scored first in the second minute it looked like the game was playing to expectations but things changed from there. Parramatta's forward pack began to dominate Manly's all international six and before half-time
That Parramatta could come back from the semi-final loss and defeat Easts 33–0 in the Preliminary Final was testament to the skill of Gibson and the quality of the side. That they did the same to Manly the following week in the Grand Final is further evidence of the enormous self-belief that Gibson was able to generate in the team.
1983
Claims that the week's rest for winning the major semi-final could work against a side surfaced again when Parramatta dismissed Manly 18–6 in the 1983 Grand Final. The Sea-Eagles trailed 12–0 after 29 minutes and didn't score a point until the 45th minute. The champion Eels and their coach Gibson were indisputedly at the top of the football tree.
The 1983 title took Gibson's personal
Cronulla-Sutherland
Gibson's last club coaching role was with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks from 1985 to 1987. He had few big-name players to work with but did an admirable job in developing a pool of local junior talent and the club eventually made the semi-finals in the two immediate years following his departure.
State of Origin
Gibson was given the
Coaching influences
Gibson studied coaching and training methods in other sports looking for innovations which could be incorporated into his rugby league coaching. In particular, he would often travel to the US to watch NFL teams play and train. Gibson was a fan of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and was influenced by Lombardi's coaching and management style.
The Cadigan reference reports that rugby league identity
He befriended San Francisco 49ers coach Dick Nolan at an NFL annual conference in 1972 and was invited to study and observe the operations of the 49ers team. From these trips came a number of methodologies that changed the Australian game.
Coaching innovations
- First to use a computer to evaluate player performance including being the first club coach to track and use individual player tackle counts.
- His teams were the first to train with sides from other codes – he trained his team alongside soccer players and used Australian Footballspecialists as kicking coaches.
- Introduced mascara under the eyes to reduce glare for night games under lights.
- First to use weights-machines such as the Nautilus exercise machines.
- First to use video extensively as a coaching device.
- First to have players' fitness scientifically tested in pre-season with the "pinch test" (skinfold method).
- First to insist upon his own integrated coaching team including co-ordinator (Ron Massey), fitness conditioner (Mick Souter) and injury treatment/rehabilitation (Alf Richards).
- Made the bomb a potent attacking weapon used by both Easts and Parramatta under exponent John Peard.
Laconic wit
Gibson was also known for his notable and laconic quotes. Players, coaches and journalists in Australia would hang on every word he said and many of Gibson's quotes showed his great wisdom on the sport. His sardonic one-liners were embraced by Australian press looking to colour their sports pages and many of his quotes are still referred to within rugby league circles.
Accolades
Gibson's esteem in Australian rugby league remained strong throughout his life. Up until he was incapacitated, past players, coaches and journalists still telephoned him for advice or a quote, even though he hadn't been actively involved in game for some time.
In 1988 Gibson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia "for service to rugby league as a coach". In 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for being a five-time premiership winning coach.
On 17 April 2008, Gibson was selected as Coach of Australian rugby league's Team of the Century. Part of the code's centenary year celebrations in Australia, the elite team is the panel's majority choice for those considered to be the best of all time.[12][13]
The Jack Gibson Cup has been contested each season since 2008 by the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels clubs, whom Gibson coached to consecutive premierships in 1974–75 and 1981–83 respectively.[14] The Roosters have won all but one of the matches played for the Jack Gibson Cup.
Personal tragedy
In 1988 Gibson's eldest son Luke aged 25, who had struggled with schizophrenia, died of a heroin overdose. Gibson and his wife Judy became fervent in their support of charities assisting research into schizophrenia and he donated the proceeds of four books he co-wrote with Ian Heads to that cause.
Illness and death
Gibson was confined to a Sydney nursing home for two years before his death and required around-the-clock care as his condition deteriorated.
Gibson died at 6.32pm (AEST) on 9 May 2008, 90 minutes before rugby league's historic Centenary Test Match, after a two-year battle with
At all rugby league matches that weekend a minute's silence was held for him.
References
- ^ Rugby League Project
- ^ NRL Stats[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rugby League Project Coaching
- ISBN 978-1-876944-64-3. Archived from the original(PDF) on 17 May 2008.
- ^ Trove: Rugby League News Vol.30 No.30 (21 September 1957) https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-625091960/view?partId=nla.obj-625099782#page/n6/mode/1up
- WA Today. Australia. Archived from the originalon 4 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ "NSWRFL 1963 – Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ "Darcy Lawler (referee)". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ Haddan quote p191
- ^ Haddan p218
- ^ Haddan p219
- ^ Todd Balym (17 April 2008). "Johns, Meninga among Immortals". Australia: Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ARL. 17 April 2008. Archived from the originalon 21 May 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ Henderson, Philip (6 August 2008). "Roosters, Eels play for Jack Gibson Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ "League legend Gibson passes away". Fairfax Digital. 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
- Jack Gibson (with Ian Heads) The Last Word ABC Books, Sydney ISBN 0-7333-1236-5
- Jack Gibson (with Ian Heads) Played Strong, Done Fine : The Jack Gibson Collection Lester-Townsend Publishing. Sydney. 1988
- Jack Gibson Winning Starts on Monday: From the Jack Gibson Collection Lester-Townsend Publishing. Sydney. 1989
- Neil Cadigan, Tribute Article, Sydney Daily Telegraph 10 May 2008
- Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) The History of Rugby League Clubs, New Holland, Sydney
- Haddan, Steve (2007) The Finals – 100 Years of National Rugby League Finals, Steve Haddan Publishing, Brisbane
- Jack Gibson biography at Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- Jack Gibson: 'Greatest ever' rugby league coach – Obituary by Dave Hadfield for The Independent (London) Monday, 12 May 2008
Further reading
- Gibson, Jack; Ian Heads (1994). When all is said and done. Ironbark. ISBN 978-0-330-35617-6.