Half-back Sean Long enjoyed a stellar but sometimes controversial career as a player in Super League. However, the recently-appointed Leeds Rhinos coach always had his sights on moving into coaching
Saturday 16 January 2021 19:05, UK
It may come as a surprise to some that Sean Long always had his mind set on moving into coaching once his playing days in rugby league were over.
After all, a man whose career at times attracted headlines for what he got up to off the field as well as on it and wrote an autobiography subtitled Booze, Brawls, Sex and Scandal might not be considered an obvious candidate to transition into such a role.
Do not think for one minute Long did not treat what he did seriously though. He would not have been instrumental in four Super League Grand Final triumphs, five Challenge Cup successes, been named Man of Steel or won 15 Great Britain caps had he not.
Nor would the half-back have come to be regarded as one of the finest players of his generation during those 12 trophy-laden years at St Helens and that dedication to studying the finer points of the sport continues to serve him well as he makes his way up the coaching ladder.
"Times have changed from back then, it's a lot more professional now," Long, now part of the coaching set-up at Saints' Super League rivals Leeds Rhinos, said, adding: "I always felt I was going to be a coach after I played rugby.
"When whichever coach it was who gave me the game-plan, it was me who took it onto the field, so I was like the coach on the field - the general getting the boys around the park.
"Obviously you have your moments and things like that, but I love rugby. I'm an addict, rugby is my life, I watch every game and I'm fascinated with it.
I feel like it has always been a natural progression to go into coaching. You might have seen me being a bit of lad, but deep down it has only been rugby which has been my focus throughout my life.
"I feel like it has always been a natural progression to go into coaching. You might have seen me being a bit of lad, but deep down it has only been rugby which has been my focus throughout my life."
Long has a good grounding from his playing days too. John Dorahy and Graeme West were at Wigan when he was making his way as a teenager at his hometown club, Doug Laughton - another of rugby league's larger-than-life characters - took him to Widnes and his current boss, Richard Agar, brought him to Hull FC for his final two seasons.
His credits his former St Helens coach Ian Millward for teaching him much of what he knows about playing in the halves too, although it is another of his old Saints bosses, treble-winning coach Daniel Anderson, who has perhaps had the most lasting influence.
"Daniel Anderson, to coach that team in that era at that time, did a good job because there were a lot of chiefs in that team and he did well to keep us all happy and all on board, and he was a very good communicator," Long said.
"He was good at just having a chat with you, sitting down, having a coffee and speaking with you honestly. Sometimes you might not like it, but it was honest, and it was truthful. I think that's really important for me.
"Everyone is different in the playing group; they all need different talks or different ways of explaining things, some might need a rocket, or some might need a cuddle, so it's all about me finding that rapport with the boys."
Justin Holbrook and Matt Parish, who he worked under at St Helens and the Samoa national team respectively, have taught Long much too since he started coaching and he arrived at Leeds with 15 months of experience working in top-level rugby union with Harlequins.
The 44-year-old, who had short playing spells in the 15-man code with Preston Grasshoppers and Orrell after retiring from league, learnt much about conducting drills with intensity and maximising timed sessions effectively, as well as giving him a different perspective on the sport.
However, Long also believes there is plenty union can learn from their league-playing cousins when it comes to the attacking side of the game.
"There's a lot more detail in rugby union, so rather than looking at rugby league in one way I look at it with a wider perspective and I'm seeing things I probably wouldn't have seen before, and I'm looking at the bigger picture rather than the play," Long said.
"There's quite a lot they can learn from rugby league. Running hard and tackling hard, that's the simple game. Execution, whether it's 4v3 or 3v2, that simple execution and soft hands.
"They're really good at long balls and things like that, but the short passing probably needs to improve. Reacting on the pitch and what we call picking numbers, they could probably improve on that."
Long is now entering his 10th year as a coach, having started out with Salford Red Devils in 2011, and has quickly settled into his role with Leeds working alongside assistant coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan under Agar, already bringing in some tweaks to the Rhinos' attacking game.
He has his sights set on eventually becoming a head coach one day, but he is happy to wait for that opportunity to arise.
"I definitely want to be a head coach, but for me, there is no rush," Long said. "I've seen young coaches jump into it straight away, then they get the chop and they're at the back of the pecking order again.
"I'll know when the time is right to take the head job, but for now I'm really enjoying my time as his (Agar's) assistant and there is no rush for me."
