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Justin Morgan: saint or sinner?
I JUST can't make my mind up about Hull KR coach Justin Morgan. On one hand, the young Australian is clearly an outstanding talent.
The Robins team he guided to promotion in 2006, which included Halifax pair Jon Goddard and Dwayne Barker, set a new gold-standard for sides outside Super League.
And Rovers' record since regaining their place in the sport's promised land points to a mentor who is destined for bigger and better things in the years to come.
But our Justin is also a bit of a moaner.
No, sorry, I'm wrong.
A lot of a moaner.
When Rovers and Fax met at Craven Park in 2006, seven days after the Robins had inflicted Fax's club record 88-6 loss, he moaned because Anthony Farrell's side tried to slow the game down.
Well, wouldn't you?
And when the two sides met at the Shay later in the year, he blamed the home side's balls - yes, literally - for his side's error rate.
Morgan's been at it again this week, with the Easter fixture schedule, Huddersfield's tactics and referee Ben Thaler - apparently in no particular order - the objects of his ire.
The Robins beat city rivals Hull FC on Friday, before being turned over with surprising ease by the Giants at Craven Park on Monday.
The coach's response?
In summary: we play too many games over Easter, Thaler is a fool who should never take control of a match involving the Robins again and Huddersfield are a gang of grapple-tackling spoilers.
I regard Morgan as an idealist, a man who dreams of perfect rugby league each and every weekend, a quest that is never going to be aided by playing two games in four days, whether it's the same for the other 13 teams or not.
And I can sympathise with his assessment of Thaler, a man who is, in my opinion at least, one of the worst officials in the game.
But I can't help feeling that he is also a bit of a sore loser when things don't go his way.
Toys, pram, throwing and out are four words that spring readily to mind.
In general, sportsmen are better off talking about the things they can control rather than the things they can't and keeping the rest for their own private thoughts.
That might be something for Mr M to consider as he awaits the knock on the door from the Rugby Football League's sinisterly named compliance officer.
ROVERS' neighbours Hull FC have been busy this week too, throwing a lifeline to sacked Warrington full back Stuart Reardon as he awaits sentence for his part in the assault on his former partner which also involved St Helens' Leon Pryce.
Whether or not Reardon should be playing at all as he awaits a likely jail term is open to question, with his move underlining the paucity of the domestic transfer market.
But the real gem was hidden away in the black and whites' Press release, where the former Bradford player talked about getting involved in his new club's "community initiatives".
One of which, apparently, is an anti-domestic violence campaign.
Yes, really.
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
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