Don’t ask me how some awards get decided, it seems a lot of the time a tombola is used to decide who is worth getting an award… and the Magners League awards are no exception.
Ok that’s a tad harsh, a lot of the awards decided are worthy. For example I may be biased as an Ospreys fan but Tommy Bowe has been so superb this season he is fully deserving of the players player of the year award. But one that has confused me is that the Dragon;s boss Paul Turner has won the Magners League Best Coach Award.
Now he has been doing decently down at Rodney Parade, but pardon me if I don’t join in the lauding of him that seems so prevalent amongst various newspapers, rugby sites and the like. Paul Turner’s ‘success’ has been an argument that has been had on the Rugby Rebels forum a lot and it boils down to this.
The Dragons won one more game than last season. That’s it.
In a season when a lot of opposition teams were hit hard by the Lions our, something the Dragons didn’t have to contend with, and when despite promises we had games in the International window, they managed a total of one more win. Not to be the bottom Welsh team may be progress, and winning one more game is always welcomed, but I don’t understand the lauding, in some areas, of Paul Turner as a miracle man. I especially don’t understand those who think he should be the next Welsh coach.
A few other snippets for you to consider – the Dragons won a total of 2 away games all season, and one of those was in the now devalued Anglo-Welsh cup. The Dragons had performed all season with a settled side – losing very few players to international call ups. They played teams who had players on international duty, who were rested after such duty, who were shattered or injured after the Lions tour. And with all that only won 1 game in first team competition on the road and are lauded for not being the bottom Welsh region.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think the Dragons are a solid team, that Paul Turner is doing some decent stuff on a very limited budget and in reportedly poor facilities. But I can’t understand how he can win the Magners Coach of the Year award, there are a number of more deserving candidates in my opinion.
Other winners included:
Magners Players’ Player Award – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Magners League Young Player of the Season – Tim Visser (Edinburgh)
Celtic Rugby Chairman’s Award – Michael Bradley (Connacht Rugby)
Magners League Try of the Season – Ken Owens (Scarlets)
Gilbert Golden Boot Award – Chris Paterson (Edinburgh)
Specsavers Fairplay Award – Cardiff Blues
Magners League Dream Team Captain – Ali Kellock (Glasgow Warriors)
Magners League Dream Team 2009 / 2010
15 Ben Blair (Cardiff Blues)
14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster)
12 James Hook (Ospreys)
11 Tim Visser (Edinburgh)
10 Dan Parks (Glasgow Warriors)
9 Tomas O’Leary (Munster)
1 Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues)
2 Ken Owens (Scarlets)
3 Adam Jones (Ospreys)
4 Leo Cullen (Leinster)
5 Ali Kellock (Glasgow Warriors)
6 Jerry Collins (Ospreys)
7 John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors)
8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)
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Can anyone tell me of the playing and coaching background Sean Holley?