I often wonder what impact (if any) Frank Stanton’s announcement that his coaching stint at Manly would finish at the end of the 1979 season, had on the team’s performance that year.
Sometimes when coaches telegraph their intentions well in advance, it demotivates, rather than motivates the team. Bob Fulton’s announcement that he would leave at the end of 1988 led to some mixed fortunes that year, when clearly they had the team to win another title in 1988. Manly easily beat the eventual premiers at Belmore, 18-0 (four tries to zip) during the season.
The 1999 situation had echoes of that. Bob Fulton had said prior to the season’s start that he would finish at the end of that season. They lost the first seven games in a row. His wife’s then serious illness saw him leave, with Peter Sharp taking the reins, earlier than expected. Manly then started winning, but it wasn’t enough to make up for those early season losses.
Not blaming the great man and he was right to hand over to Sharp when he did. But it underlines the point that announcing your intentions early, can sometimes backfire.
