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Brian Smith's head is still connected to his body only because he has never bowed to his critics. If he had, they would have taken great pleasure in unsheathing a blade and slicing it off by now.
The less adventurous among them will be hoping his Sydney Roosters don't make the grand final, ensuring they can't win the premiership. Those at least prepared to take a gamble won't mind him making it, but only in the hope they see him go down at the final hurdle again.
Smith wouldn't be paying those critics much thought right now. His focus would be on trying to get the Roosters past Gold Coast at Suncorp Stadium on Friday and into the grand final against either St George Illawarra or Wests Tigers.
And that goes to the heart of why he is still here, still coaching at the highest level after all these years. Neither the disappointment of having lost three out of three grand finals, nor the harsh, often outrageous and sometimes personal criticism has affected his desire.
Smith is only human and must have been hurt at times, but he has done a pretty good job of not letting it show - publicly, at least. He doesn't need anyone to stick up for him, but if you don't admire his tenacity there is something wrong with you.
Some people see coaches ride the emotional roller-coaster that is their profession and wonder why anyone would do the job. They mustn't be paying close enough attention because the answer is clear: as gut-wrenching and heartbreaking as the downs can be, they are still clearly outweighed by the thrill of the ups. Wayne Bennett is 60 and has won six premierships and Tim Sheens is 59 and won four, but both of them keep coming back in the search for more. So it should be no surprise to anyone that 56-year-old Smith remains driven.
Like any good coach, Smith is about making a difference - to the individual and the club. He's about making better players and people, building a structure that has the club in better shape when he leaves than it was in when he came and enjoying being part of a group that is working together. But, again like any coach, he wants to win bad. They just don't make as big a point of that as they do the warm and fuzzy stuff.
It hasn't worked out as Smith would have liked at every club he's been to, nor with every player, but he's hardly alone as a coach on those scores. In the search for a well-balanced opinion from a genuine professional who accepts that he is the player and the coach is the coach, I defer to Nathan Hindmarsh, who swears by Smith.
Newcastle employed Smith to facilitate change at that club in preparation for the post-Andrew Johns era, but when he began to put a broom through the Knights, it rubbed people the wrong way and eventually led to his departure. Not every match is made in heaven.
But his accomplishments with the Roosters are vintage Smith. They finished with the wooden spoon last season, but their playing roster was much better than that. Their problem was a bad attitude, which led to all manner of off-field dramas and was reflected in a lack of commitment on the field. Smith made it to clear to the players that they could follow the directions he had set out, or stay behind. Then he began the season with Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce in the halves, Todd Carney at fullback and Anthony Minichiello on the wing.
Some people thought that was disrespectful to Minichiello, but the veteran of 19 Test matches for Australia had been through a couple of injury-ravaged seasons and Smith was trying to ease him back into the action, while encouraging Carney to run more at the same time. It worked.
Eventually, Carney was switched to five-eighth, forming a terrific combination with Pearce, while Minichiello went to fullback and Anasta to the forwards. It is the formation that has taken the Roosters to the penultimate week of the season and by which they will live or die from here. Smith has outwardly mellowed over the years and it is clear from watching him relate to the young stars at the club that he is letting their youthful enthusiasm wash over him. But he hasn't stopped making the tough calls and his inward intensity is still there.
That game face he wears into the coach's box before kick-off reminds you of where he's at - the same place he's always been.
It won't kill Smith if he never wins a premiership, but his critics will find it hard to take if he does claim one. The fact is a premiership would put him right where he should be.
Brian Smith's head is still connected to his body only because he has never bowed to his critics. If he had, they would have taken great pleasure in unsheathing a blade and slicing it off by now.
The less adventurous among them will be hoping his Sydney Roosters don't make the grand final, ensuring they can't win the premiership. Those at least prepared to take a gamble won't mind him making it, but only in the hope they see him go down at the final hurdle again.
Smith wouldn't be paying those critics much thought right now. His focus would be on trying to get the Roosters past Gold Coast at Suncorp Stadium on Friday and into the grand final against either St George Illawarra or Wests Tigers.
And that goes to the heart of why he is still here, still coaching at the highest level after all these years. Neither the disappointment of having lost three out of three grand finals, nor the harsh, often outrageous and sometimes personal criticism has affected his desire.
Smith is only human and must have been hurt at times, but he has done a pretty good job of not letting it show - publicly, at least. He doesn't need anyone to stick up for him, but if you don't admire his tenacity there is something wrong with you.
Some people see coaches ride the emotional roller-coaster that is their profession and wonder why anyone would do the job. They mustn't be paying close enough attention because the answer is clear: as gut-wrenching and heartbreaking as the downs can be, they are still clearly outweighed by the thrill of the ups. Wayne Bennett is 60 and has won six premierships and Tim Sheens is 59 and won four, but both of them keep coming back in the search for more. So it should be no surprise to anyone that 56-year-old Smith remains driven.
Like any good coach, Smith is about making a difference - to the individual and the club. He's about making better players and people, building a structure that has the club in better shape when he leaves than it was in when he came and enjoying being part of a group that is working together. But, again like any coach, he wants to win bad. They just don't make as big a point of that as they do the warm and fuzzy stuff.
It hasn't worked out as Smith would have liked at every club he's been to, nor with every player, but he's hardly alone as a coach on those scores. In the search for a well-balanced opinion from a genuine professional who accepts that he is the player and the coach is the coach, I defer to Nathan Hindmarsh, who swears by Smith.
Newcastle employed Smith to facilitate change at that club in preparation for the post-Andrew Johns era, but when he began to put a broom through the Knights, it rubbed people the wrong way and eventually led to his departure. Not every match is made in heaven.
But his accomplishments with the Roosters are vintage Smith. They finished with the wooden spoon last season, but their playing roster was much better than that. Their problem was a bad attitude, which led to all manner of off-field dramas and was reflected in a lack of commitment on the field. Smith made it to clear to the players that they could follow the directions he had set out, or stay behind. Then he began the season with Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce in the halves, Todd Carney at fullback and Anthony Minichiello on the wing.
Some people thought that was disrespectful to Minichiello, but the veteran of 19 Test matches for Australia had been through a couple of injury-ravaged seasons and Smith was trying to ease him back into the action, while encouraging Carney to run more at the same time. It worked.
Eventually, Carney was switched to five-eighth, forming a terrific combination with Pearce, while Minichiello went to fullback and Anasta to the forwards. It is the formation that has taken the Roosters to the penultimate week of the season and by which they will live or die from here. Smith has outwardly mellowed over the years and it is clear from watching him relate to the young stars at the club that he is letting their youthful enthusiasm wash over him. But he hasn't stopped making the tough calls and his inward intensity is still there.
That game face he wears into the coach's box before kick-off reminds you of where he's at - the same place he's always been.
It won't kill Smith if he never wins a premiership, but his critics will find it hard to take if he does claim one. The fact is a premiership would put him right where he should be.
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