http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site Thu, 10 May 2012 11:07:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/the-performance-pentagon-5-key-positions-that-define-success/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-performance-pentagon-5-key-positions-that-define-success http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/the-performance-pentagon-5-key-positions-that-define-success/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 11:07:05 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1603 Continue Reading]]> But as we all know, the game continues to evolve at a rate of knots, and the physical attributes of each and every player seems to change season after season. Rarely do we see the 20-stone prop forward carting the ball up the field, you just have to look at the modern day front-rowers to see that mobility is just as important, if not more important than simple weight and size.

As the game evolves, so do the positional requirements, and also the requirements placed upon the players that play in those specific positions. Utility value is becoming more important in the modern game and having players that can play in numerous positions is often a blessing when injuries hit. The ability to handle the ball comfortably, run and change direction at speed, kick, defend effort on effort are now becoming attributes held by most of the players at all levels, and it coincides with the theory that the Super League era has not only helped to create stronger, fitter, faster and more powerful Rugby League players, but actual athletes that could compete in other sports physically.

If you consider your own team for a few seconds, I’m sure you will have your own thoughts about which players you see as the integral players to the team’s performance. The players that have the attributes to cause the opposition team problems during the game and the players that seem to have that X Factor, the bit of something different that means they stand out from the crowd.

You would generally find your ‘flair’ players occupying shirts 6 and 7, the halfbacks, these are your individuals that get the team moving and make the group ‘tick’ which has always been traditional to our game. Your 9, hooker, would be the individual to implement a go forward game plan and he would work with the bigger blokes to get the team structurally, where it needs to be, to be in a position to deliver an accurate pass to the halfbacks, or take advantage of a retreating defence by running directly from dummy half.

If you look back through history, most successful teams have been fortunate enough to have their best three players, occupying the 6, 7 and 9 shirts, and even if you look through recent Super League history, St Helens had the Tommy Martyn, Sean Long, Keiron Cunningham combination, Leeds Rhinos had the Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow, Matt Diskin combination, Bradford Bulls had the Henry Paul, Robbie Paul, James Lowes combination…. I could go on. Interestingly, all three of those highlighted combinations went on to win the Super League Grand Final with their respective team.

But what about other key positions?

For me, the modern day Rugby League team needs a slightly wider balance amongst its starting 13, and coining the phrase Performance Pentagon, my thoughts were focused upon five specific positions which are crucial to a team’s success. I don’t think a team can solely rely upon three players to get them moving around the field anymore, and a certain level of responsibility is now so often picked up by both the fullback and the loose forward, adding to the responsibility of the 6, 7 and 9 which is already appreciated.

Without taking too much away from the wingers, centres, front-rowers and back rowers, it’s fair to say that their responsibility is somewhat different, in that they are generally the players that either get the team to a specific field position through the hard graft, or finish the attacking sets with a moment of glory out on the flanks.

For the fullback and loose forward however, they are considered to be a crucial part of the spine or backbone of the team. I suppose within any team, you need a core group of players that ‘pull everything together’, the generals that dictate how things should be done, and give the orders to the corporals to go out and implement the instructions. The game has evolved into such an expansive attacking product that it is no longer just enough to simply out-muscle the opposition, you have to out-smart them as well.

Teams are constantly looking to create mismatches on the field of play that will result in an ‘overloading’ of numbers, maybe a 5 v 3, 4 v 2, or 7 v 5, or simply a back-rower running directly at a defending halfback. To take advantage of the mismatches, a team needs a group of players that will act as the brain.

I suppose a modern day fullback has many different duties, but generally you will see a number 1 working the ruck area when a team is trying to come away from their own line, and working the edges when in a good attacking field position. He is generally a ‘link man’ between forwards, halfbacks and the team’s outside backs. Look at the roles that the likes of Richard Owen at Castleford, and Greg Eden at Huddersfield have. They are both held in extremely high regard by their respective coaches who fully appreciate their importance to the team. It’s useful to remember that these lads are not what you’d call experienced players, both just 21 years of age, but they are modern day fullbacks who will revolutionise the role of a fullback in Rugby League.

They epitomise the skills that it takes to be a professional Rugby League player, and they have the ability to turn a game on its head within the blink of an eye.

The same can be said for role of the modern day loose forward, who has often in the past been used as an extra front row forward. Indeed, some coaches still use this particular approach in certain games when a forward battle is necessary to pick up the win, but if you take a look at some of the smarter and game influential loose forwards playing the game presently, you’ll generally find that their team isn’t doing too badly!

Sean O’Loughlin at Wigan and Kevin Sinfield at Leeds are two of the more experienced examples of loose forwards who have a vital part to play in the organisation of their teams and they are certainly not recognised front rowers. Just looking through recent fixtures, Jon Wilkin at Saints, Richard Whiting at Hull FC, Kevin Brown at Huddersfield Giants, have all played at loose forward and it’s fair to say that none of these players are instantly recognisable as loose forwards, but all three players have a specific strength or combination of attributes which see them marshalling the troops on game day from the back of the scrum.

The likes of O’Loughlin, Sinfield, Wilkin, Brown, Whiting, Eden, Owen and I could name many more, could all probably do a very decent job if they were selected in any of the fullback, halfback, hooker or loose forward positions and it just goes to prove my point that utility value is hugely important in modern-day Rugby League.

If you can find yourself a couple of decent front-rowers that are prepared to roll their sleeves up and make the hard yards, a couple of good line-running back-row forwards that can hold shape and time a run, two pacy centres that can handle a ball under pressure and a couple of wingers with finishing ability, and then fill your ‘Performance Pentagon’ positions with some real ‘thinkers’ and ‘doers’, then I’d hazard a guess that you won’t go far wrong in the modern-day game. ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/the-performance-pentagon-5-key-positions-that-define-success/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1594/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1594 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1594/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:50:05 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1594 Continue Reading]]> In Super League and below Super League, the game continues to be played with passion and commitment despite any particular financial incentive and week after week these athletes put their bodies on the line for each other, for their club and for their fans.

The rewards are few and far between and especially for the part time players, normally playing their fixtures on a Sunday afternoon, they still have to drag themselves out of bed on a Monday morning and head into work, in many cases into a manual job in which they are not given the time to recover from their previous days exploits.

The perks in Rugby League, for the participants are simply not there and giving the players access to potential savings on products and services is something that I am particularly passionate about.

I am currently working with 8 companies who will work with me and the Rugby League family to offer just that.

In their ‘home town’ teams, most local economies aren’t in great shape, but still the little money that the fans can gather together is spent on cheering the players to victory from the terraces, players that the fans see as ‘stars’.

I wanted to create opportunities for players to take advantage of their ‘local’ reputation as stars and to make savings on purchases.

But its so much more than that also.

Most of the players that I know, don’t have the network of contacts that would enable them to find well paid jobs, and this concept also assists them in building business relationships that they can benefit from when they have to end their playing days.

In addition, this also gives businesses an opportunity to access a quite unique group of people with quite unique working traits. Honesty, Integrity and Sacrifice are part and parcel of the individuals that play the game of Rugby League.

The players are of a ‘never say die’ mindset and offer the businesses out there, something that many others cannot. Work ethic, resilience and will, can be of huge benefit to local companies, and this project will be of huge benefit to everybody involved.

For more information, get in touch with me personally, on 07956318542 ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1594/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/sales-without-motivation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sales-without-motivation http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/sales-without-motivation/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:46:05 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1579 Continue Reading]]> They talk about individuals and business whom they have come across during their sales week, that have been rude or obnoxious to them, and who have stressed that they are simply not in a position to buy at present and to either call back at a more convenient time, later in the year, or in most cases not at all.

Believe me, their stories of knock backs often get to a point of actually depressing me, (and that takes some doing) so god only knows how they must be feeling.

I’ve held a few sales jobs in my time, albeit mainly part time roles, and in my pre sport days, as a young man. I actually sold lawnmowers at high street chain TJ Hughes, I’ve also sold corporate hospitality, club sponsorship packages and events in more recent years, as well as actually working for a sales trainer (one of the best in the UK), selling his sales seminars and programs!

I also spent 8 months in 2010 working in recruitment which was an eye opening and jaw dropping experience at times for so many reasons.

So, you could say that I’ve seen my fair share of sales people along the way and far be it from me to tell people how to sell, I have simply made certain observations along the way.

My first observation is probably the one which is known by most experienced sales professional and that is that you firstly must sell yourself. There are apparently ‘scientifically proven’ methods that have reinforced the theory that most people sell within the first however many minutes of a sales pitch.

The theory that the easiest way to sell something, is firstly to sell ‘yourself’, this is the one that I took on board personally and was the main reason why I decided not to stick it out in Recruitment, Sports Sales, or as a Sales Trainers’ apprentice!

I got to a point of analysing what I brought to each one of those roles, and the common denominator was that I brought myself.

In each of the sales roles that I had filled, I had actually achieved quite surprising results without ever realising them and I was always the individual to top the KPI charts or the GP charts that were drawn on the office whiteboards. But, I didn’t recognise myself as a sales man, in fact, I wasn’t even that passionate about selling, especially a product that I had no connection with.

Working in the sales environment, I came and went along side lots and lots of other individuals, but my reason for moving on was always through my own choice and finding a new opportunity. The majority of my work counterparts were more often that not sacked for under achievement.

A very ruthless world if you are not performing, very much like the sports performance environment that I know and understand so well.

Its a simply as this…if you are consistently failing to perform then you get moved on. Some cut it, some don’t, thats the nature of professioanl sport and from my own experiences, the nature of sales.

There are obviously thousands of different products out there, which need selling, so there are always going to be sales jobs available. The ‘merry-go-round’ of sales people, in which they will move from one job to the next, will continue to thrive, and a sales ‘executive’ as they are now called, will remain in a stable position until his candle for that particular product has burnt out.

I’d be pretty accurate to say that most sales companies will expect a very high turnover from within their sales division and will expect some staff to be out the door in a shorter time than it took them to sit through the interview stages. Some individuals will excel in the environment and will demand the pay rise, the better car, and the promotions and these will be the individuals that will be doing the next round of recruitment.

For the recruiters out there, it would be interesting to hear if any of them actually ask during the interview stage, if the candidte has a motivation? Ask them whether they are looking for a sales job for the right reasons? Whether they have the motivation to go the distance when they continually come across that gate keeper who just wont let them through.

I’ve done it myself, and as I say, rejection is tough and there aren’t too many indviduals that can hold up their hand and say they enjoy getting told where to go on a daily basis.

Being spoken to like the dirt on somebody’s shoe is hardly how I want to spend my day, and it takes a special type of character to make sales work for them. For all the negatives there are of course lots of positives, and I have come across numeorus people in the sales industry that have been simply outstanding.

Incredibly committed to their product, thoroughly knowledgeable about the benefits, dedicated, resilient, honest, friendly….all the attributes that if you are a Business Owner, you want your sales team to adopt.

Only the best survive and I’d put my house on the fact that motivation is at the heart of all of the success tories in the sales field.

I’d also put my house on ‘money’ being a huge motivator for the majority of those successes, and as we know, the success stories certainly pay well. Money gives opportunity in life, opportunity to visit nice places, see nice things, wear nice clothes, eat nice food, and treat the people closest to you to the best things that money can buy.

I originally asked the question, almost 1000 words ago, in the title of this article, of whether you can achieve ‘Sales without Motivation’?

I’m not so sure that you can.

Whether you are a business owner, a sales manager or a sales executive, I’m sure you have probably come across countless sales trainers in your time. The ‘Sales Trainer’ industry is thriving, people are desperate to sell their product, and there are seminars being held up and down the country every hour of every day.

You may have been on some yourself, and came away with big ideas of what your next step will be, ideas that have brought the money in for others that will no doubt work for you.

But a week or so later, the ideas have fizzled away into a forgotten memory and you are back into your structured sales approach and numbing daily cycle, contemplating logging onto the job site to find another sales role.

The Sales Manager needn’t worry as your relacement has already ‘moved on’ from the Sales Business down the road.

Wouldn’t it be beneficial then to save yourself some money and to find out about motivation? Whether that is help to find your own motivation, the motivation of your employees, how to motivate yourself and other, or how to recruit motivated individuals.

You might actually find that you may not have to enrol your workforce onto a day of sales training, saving yourself a small fortune.

Of course, there is space in the industry for sales training, I’m not saying go out there and do it all alone, Sales Trainers are hugely beneficial in the right environment, but what I am saying is to consider the benefits of motivation in the sales environment.

Do you as an individual want to be excited about getting on the phone, or knocking a business park? As a Sales Manager, do you want to be in a position of trusting that your sales team that are out there hungry and looking for their next sale, not demotivated by not being allowed past the reception desk?

As a business owner, do you want to save money by making sure your workforce are actually turning up for work and making you money, rather than calling in sick with stress related illness?

It makes sense to have a happy workforce and one that is motivated by themselves enough to hit the KPI or the GP targets, and you’ll find with a motivated business there will be less financial waste and more profit.

john@johnstankevitch.com

www.johnstankevitch.com

07956318542 ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/sales-without-motivation/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/drugs-in-sport/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=drugs-in-sport http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/drugs-in-sport/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:48:02 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1565 Continue Reading]]> Not so much the question of whether drug use should be permitted, which 99% of athletes will no doubt reject, but more specifically, to the punishment given to any athlete that falls foul of the random drug tests that are now common place in the UK.

For anybody that watched last weeks ‘fly on the wall’ documentary surrounding the Dwayne Chambers impending court case and his claim for inclusion in the GB 2012 Olympic Squad, it was a very interesting insight into how one athletes’ decision to effectively cheat, has caused a complete split of opinion in his sport alone.

Leading the call for a life ban from GB representation for Chambers, was World Class swimmer Sharon Davies, but on the other hand, there were plenty of previous GB representatives that were happy to voice their support of Chambers and state that they felt his original ban from the sport should be now in the past, seeing as he has served his orignial punishment.

It was interesting to hear during numerous interviews, that one of the main reasons given by Chambers for his decision to take performance enhancing drugs, was in order to keep up with his competitors, who he felt had the edge on him.

At 22 years of age he was regarded as a potential 100m World Champion, but the emergence of other talented athletes in his specific event, in his words, ‘added to the growing expectation’, of which he found very difficult to handle.

Depending on your own opinion on the matter, the facts remain that Chambers took the decision himself to cheat the system, in order to train harder and push himself, in his own mind, further than his body could physically go without the illegal boost.

That was a decision that was to shape the rest of his career, and cause the Athletic world, including fellow athletes that he could have once called friends, to leave him out in the cold. But does he deserve the negative press that he has received?

Ask youself the question of whether Chambers would have been as remorseful if he would have never been caught? Would he have been so apologetic if he hasd gone on to become a World Champion with the use of the illegal substances that he decided to take?

From a Rugby League perspective, there have been numerous cases, some quite recent, but probably less high profile than the Chambers case, that have also caused split opinion within our game. Again, not particularly on the actual use of banned substances, but regarding the bans that have been given out to the athletes.

Rugby League players testing positive for taking performance enhancing drugs are few and far between and in general, Rugby League has an outstanding reputation for the natural ability, skill and conditioning of its athletes. But there are always likely to be players that will cheat the system and try to gain that performance edge.

They are consciously aware that they are cheating, lets get that straight, as each club is given strict policy guidelines by the RFL which are passed on to players during each clubs ‘off season’ programme. Education of players is certainly given up most importance by the governing body, the clubs and the coaches, and the responsibility always lies with the individual player to monitor their intake of supplementation.

Of course, supplements play a huge part in the performance of athletes, and there are lots of suppliers out there that offer advice and guidance to the athletes, but at the end of the day, their sole purpose is to sell products, and they will of course use the Professional sports affiliation to boost their income. Some of the less reputable companies will obviously lean more to the sales side of their business whilst the more reputable companies will look art customer service as their method of business development, but when all is said and done, these suppliers are here to make money and not to look after the players interests.

This is why most coaches and clubs will not become embroiled in the day to day intake activities of the athletes. It has to be an ‘at your own risk’ situation.

So, for the players that have looked for that performance edge, by cheating the system and taking on board illegal substances, the individual has to be prepared to take the consequences. Of course, the individual was without doubt, in his own mind, taking the product for the right reasons, in order to get a better performance on the day, which every athlete is looking for, but by having the tempation there to be able to unnaturally train harder, they have shown a lack of mental toughness, naivety, greed….whatever you want to call it.

My opinion on what sentence they should serve?

I think its a tough one to call, but I do think that we have it right in our sport. If a player is, is cheating, is there a ‘right’ reason for cheating?

You could say that the player is taking shortcuts in order to be able to go out there a perform better, which will result in more performance related income, which he needs in order to look after his family. You could look at it another way and say that fans expectation has pushed an out of form athlete down a path of which they have no other route and are effectively left with no other option than to cheat….either cheat of fail.

Mentally, its a fight that players will no doubt have in their careers, when things aren’t going well and performacne is poor, when athletes are threatened by younger and fitter individuals, but I suppose the true testament of an athletes character is how strong they are mentally to stay clear of the temptations around them and to work harder naturally.

In my opinion, those found guilty of taking performance enhancing substances should be allowed the opportunity to perform within their chosen sport again after serving the appropriate ban.

When it comes to drugs, it is a very fine line, and it is always going to be a subject thatsplits opinion, but one area that probably doesn’t get as much ‘air time’ is the use of recreational drugs in Professional Sport.

From a personal point of view, I have no time for individuals that are foolish enough to put themselves in an environment whereby they have access to drugs such as Cannabis, Ecstacy and Cocaine. The athletes that we talk about are looked upon by our younger generations as Superstars and role models.

Not having the discipline to walk away from these temptations shows a complete lack of control from the individual and in many cases a complete lack of respect for themselves, their fellow sportsmen and sportswomen and their sport. completely unacceptable.

I feel strongly that those found with traces of recreational drugs in their system whilst participating in Professional Sport should be banned for life from their sport, as this isn’t something that they have taken in order to produce better. They have taken whatever that substance may be as a means of enjoyment, which in this situtation, if Professional athletes, who are paid hansomly for their ability, are unable to find enjoyment in that alone, then they should never be on the track or field at all.]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/drugs-in-sport/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/injuries-and-their-aftermath/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=injuries-and-their-aftermath http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/injuries-and-their-aftermath/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:49:06 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1549 Continue Reading]]> As a former player myself, who was forced to retire in 2005 through a serious shoulder and neck injury, I can tell tales first hand of the struggles that I went through personally, on the physical and also the mental side of life.

Professional and Semi Professional (including amateur) players accept that injury is part and parcel of playing the game, but we all hope that injury isn’t going to strike us. At some point, players are going to pick up niggles and knocks but its those serious, long term injuries that take their toll on both the body and the mind.

The lads playing the game at the highest level, are most certainly looked after if injury does hit, with comprehensive insurance policies in place at the clubs. Most of the players at that level will also have some level of personal cover, for which they will make a personal and private monetery contribution, to a third party personal injury insurance provider.

This often means that they don’t need to wait in line for treatment, at the NHS hospitals, and have the luxury of being seen privately…..meaning a much quicker consultation and where necessary, operation, leading to a quicker return from injury.

The top players have the luxury of being full time and can devote their week to getting fit again and with the help and guidance of full time physiotherapists, they really do have everything needed to get back onto the field and start earning their money!

But what about the part time players? The players who will spend their working week, in the majority of cases, on site?

Firstly, these lads don’t have the luxury of earning substantial amounts of money, and for some players, they earn only win and lose money. Some of the clubs outside the top tier don’t provide that important medical insurance and players are reliant on ‘covering’ themselves for any knocks they pick up. We all know that the game continues to get quicker and thus has higher impact collisions, which ultimately result in an increase in injury and injury risk.

Imagine the feelings of these part time players when they have to get themselves out of bed early on a Monday morning after the previous days’ 80 minutes of action, and they have to get themselves ready for a full days’ physical exertion, whilst the more privaledged athletes are probably in the swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi.

But these lads won’t make excuses, after all, 99% of them do what they do for the love of the game. They are blind to the risks that they put themselves under and the serious financial implications that they may face should they pick up that injury.

Its fair to say that the players aren’t looked after as much as they could be, and outside of Super League, probably don’t get the opportunities that the top level players are fortunate enough to get access to.

Its a small percentage of players that end up having to hang up the boots through injury, which is testament to the toughness of our athletes, but wouldn’t it be fantastic if the players could have the opportunities to look after themselves that little bit more. The opportunity to gain perks and priveledges that would assist them with their life away from Rugby League and would ease the burden on their home life, so that they can concentrate even more on that 80 minutes.

The game seems to be spreading its wings, with the introduction of 4 new Championship 1 teams for 2013 season, and wouldn’t it be a great idea to be able to increase the opportunities for players to build a life away from Rugby League but through the assistance of Rugby League and its partners?

I’ve long been a believer that players should look after themselves away from Rugby League, but its far easier said than done. For the Super League players, there are opportunities to build relationships with financially sound club corporate partners and sponsors, which opens doors to life away from the field, but for the lower tier teams, the cash rich companies are few and far between.

Most ‘club partnerships’ are formed with local businesses and whilst I’m sure every club appreciates the support, from a players point of view, these sponsors don’t represent future work opportunities.

Rugby League players in general have fantastic work attributes, attributes that are often sought out by recruiters, but the old stigma of sportspeople still remains in many cases, and our athletes are often thought of as ‘just’ Rugby Players.

The lads have plenty to offer, in Ambassador, Business Development, Sales roles etc…. and are an asset to any organisation with the strong work ethic and dedication to task.

I’d like to see opportunities be put in place to help players broaden their network of contacts to not only benefit themselves and their families but also to benefit the corporate partner or business organisation.

Watch this space over the next two months, as I launch a new business that will not only offer opportunities to our athletes at Super League, Championship, Championship 1 and Community game level, but will open up doors for the ‘Rugby League Family’ in general.

JS ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/injuries-and-their-aftermath/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=super-league-round-3 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-3/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:04:06 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1530 Continue Reading]]> Round 3

Sat 18th Feb

Catalan Dragons v Castleford Tigers 6:30pm – Dragons by 20

Huddersfield Giants v Warrington Wolves 5:45pm – Huddersfield by 6

Sun 19th Feb

Bradford Bulls v Wigan Warriors 3:00pm – Warriors by 22

Hull FC v London Broncos TBC – Hull FC by 16

Hull KR v St Helens 3:00pm – Hull KR by 8

Widnes Vikings v Salford City Reds 3:00pm – Reds by 6

Catalans Dragons, Wigan Warriors, Hull FC, and Salford Reds all came in for me this week, in addition to my prediction for Leeds Rhinos to win this years World Club Challenge, which nobody else seems to be going for.

I thought the Hull KR game against Saints was likely to be a tight one, and thought that KR might just get the victory with home advantage, despite missing both 1st choice halfs. As it happened, it was closer than I thought.

Warrington Wolves turned in a great performance also on Saturday night, to take the victory from the Giants, but as with the game the previous evening, it literally could have gone either way earlier in the game. Wolves just took their chances late on, but it could so easily have been the Giants who got the win on the night.

All in all, not a bad weekend, with 5 correct predictions from the 7 games, although I didn’t hit any correct margins, which I will try harder to achieve this coming week.

My round 4 predictions are now ‘live’ on my ‘home page’, so take a look, and let me know if you agree or disagree.

After the first 3 rounds, I have correctly predicted 14 games from the 20 played, giving me a % of just under 75%.

Not bad ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-3/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=super-league-round-2 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-2/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:15:48 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1527 Continue Reading]]> Round 2

Fri 10th Feb

St Helens v Salford City Reds 8:00pm………..Saints by 26

Sat 11th Feb

Catalans Dragons v Hull FC 6:30pm………..Dragons by 4

Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos 5:45pm…………Warriors by 4

Sun 12th Feb

Castleford Tigers v Bradford Bulls 3:30pm………….Tigers by 12

Huddersfield Giants v Widnes Vikings 3:00pm…………Giants by 26

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Hull KR 3:30pm………….Rovers by 14

Warrington Wolves v London 3:00pm…………….Wolves by 18

This weeks predictions were a little better than last weeks, with 5 from 6 correct predictions. The postponement of the Catalans Dragons fixture against Hull FC came as a bit of a surprise, so I missed on the 7th fixture prediction.

In terms of points margins, there were a few close predictions, but some slightly misjudged, such as the Vikings 60 point deficit at Huddersfield.

Overall, a good weekends work, and I’m already looking forward to this weeks matches, so much so that my predictions are now live on my homepage! ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/super-league-round-2/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1508/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1508 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1508/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:15:08 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1508 Continue Reading]]> Super League 2012

Round 1

Fri 3rd Feb

Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR 8:00pm………..Rhinos by 16

Widnes Vikings v Wakefield Wildcats 8:00pm…………Vikings by 8

Sat 4th Feb

London Broncos v St Helens 3:00pm………..St Helens by 20

Salford City Reds v Castleford Tigers 5:45pm…………Tigers by 2

Sun 5th Feb

Bradford Bulls v Catalan Dragons 3:00pm………….Dragons by 12

Hull FC v Warrington Wolves 3:00pm…………Wolves by 20

Wigan Warriors v Huddersfield Giants 3:00pm………….Warriors by 10

This weeks predictions didn’t go great, but I’m sure we can all appreciate, that there were a few shocks in there.

You could question whether the weather played its part in some of the scorelines, or whether some of the teams were a little ‘under done’ for their first competitive fixture.

I didn’t get any of the victory margins correct unfortunately, and only a success rate of 4 correct match predictions from the 7 games, but I look forward to hopefully enjoying more success in this weeks fixtures.

]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/1508/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-magic-weekend/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=championship-magic-weekend http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-magic-weekend/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:53 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1502 Continue Reading]]> Being involved at a ‘Championship’ club, Rochdale Hornets, I know first hand how difficult it is to compete financially with some of the teams at the top end of the divisions that have substantially more fans than we do. These clubs are able to recruit players based upon their salary expectations, and with reasonably good ‘gates’ for teams outside of Super League, good look to them.

If you look a little lower down the divisions however, you will regularly see teams struggling to hit the 500 mark in terms of paying spectators, although when some of these teams face off against each other, the quality of rugby on show is excellent.

There are some very good players that are playing in the Championship divisions nowadays, and arguably more than a handful that could play at Super League level if given the chance. There are also some very exciting youngsters that have come through Super League Academy systems, that may have not matured enough by the time they reach 20/21, and who have to drop down a division in order to try and return back to Super League.

Championship has alot going for it, and although the crowds at times can be frustratingly sparse, I strongly believe that there is a great game outside of Super League. I don’t however think that certain ‘parties’ value it at all, and hence we struggle to gain attractive sponsorship.

Sure, we have the Northern Rail, who sponsor the NR Cup, but to be honest, and without meaning to offend, it isn’t the most glamorous of competitions or sponsors, not enough to get the fans excited anyway.

Where are the dancing girls and the pre match fireworks? Where are the Championship ‘end of season reviews’ on Sky Sports?, or the Championship front page headlines in the weekly Rugby League press?

Our Championship even struggles to get an accurate and updated division on a weekly basis on teletext!

Who is actually controlling the game in the lower divisions? As I’ve said, there is plenty, that the likes of Featherstone, Halifax, Leigh, Hunslet, Oldham, Rochdale and Swinton to name a few, can offer this game in the UK, but it doesn’t seem like we are moving in the right direction as an organisation. In fact, I struggle to see us moving in any direction at all and if fact feel like the divsions have stagnated on the whole.

Where are the innovative ideas from Red Hall? The voices speaking out in favour of the division outside of Super League?

In Super League, we are now accustomed to the Magic Weekend in which each team in showcased on the National stage (or in this years case…..Manchester), and although previous years haven’t been supported as well as the RFL accounts department may like, the concept of having every top level team playing in one location is incredibly exciting. Its probably true to say that we still haven’t ‘hit the nail on the head’ with this project, but at least the concept shows some innovative thinking.

Is it going to be the jobs of the CEO’s and Head Coaches of the Championship sides to get their heads together and organise a similar event, which will boost the profile of the Championship divisions. Is there a marketing budget available to put innovative ideas in motion?

My idea would be to recreate a Magic Weekend for the Championship teams. Hold it at Anfield for example and give free tickets away to every person living in the city! Get the RFL merchandising department to produce as much ‘Magic Memorabilia’ as possible and give it to each club to sell in and around the stadium. Pay back the costs of production to the RFL and give the profits made by each club, to the club!

This way, the clubs aren’t out of pocket for the ‘gate’ receipts that they would have taken if they had played at home.

As for a sponsor, what about actually asking Liverpool Football Club to sponsor the weekend? You could incorporate the Team Badge on every item of memorabilia and through the sponsorship, they could sell their own match day tickets at a reduced rate to earn their on money back.

Think about it, LFC sponsors the weekend event to the tune of £150000. Shared between each of the 20 ish clubs, giving each club £7500. I know us at Rochdale Hornets would be delighted to play at Anfield, receive £7500, and also make a profit for some sales of shirts, pencils, flags…..whatever. I’m sure Liverpool FC wouldn’t have to scrimp and scrpae to find £150000….they pay some of their players not far off that amount for a weeks ‘work’!

All it takes is a little thought, and I’m sure that I am wide of the mark with some suggestions, but at least they are suggestions. If we are waiting for suggestions from ‘elsewhere’, we’ll be waiting a long time, as the focus is purely and simply on Super League, rightly or wrongly depending on your stance or more importantly your team affiliation.

So could ‘Championship Magic’ work?

I think it has to!]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-magic-weekend/feed/ 0 http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-final-table-prediction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=championship-final-table-prediction http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-final-table-prediction/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:53:10 +0000 john http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/?p=1487 Continue Reading]]> Featherstone Rovers again in 2012. They have one of, if not, the best Head Coach outside of Super League and he has led his team admirably over the past two seasons in which they have quite simply been outstanding.

It hasn’t happened over night by any means, and it continues to be a work in progress, but Daryl Powell has a canny knack of recruiting some very good players that cause opposition problems consistently. I suppose that has been the key to Rovers’ recent success, Consistency, and as the saying goes, the table doesn’t lie. Ask yourself, how many they have lost over the last 2 seasons?

This is the reason why teams find it intimidating to play against them, especially at their place, their reputation for squeezing their opponents into submission with powerful forward play lays a platform for their free scoring backs to rack up the points.

2) In 2nd spot, will be the Leigh Centurions, who have had an ‘eventful’ off season to say the least. Money worries, uncertainty surrounding the new Head Coaching appointment, rumour mill running out of control and player losses have all added to their woes, but they recently recorded an outstanding pre season friendly victory against the Salford City Reds, to shock not only the Reds, but also the journalists and more over their own fans.

Whoever has been making the player signings behind the scenes doesn’t seem to have been doing a bad job, with some very good players retained but also some exciting new faces arriving. I expect them to win some games quite convincingly both home and away, but I also expect them to suffer consistently with inconsistency! I still see them at the top end of the division and their experienced players should see them through when the going gets tough.

3) In third place, I see a surprise package of 2012, with Halifax set to make real progress under Karl Harrison. A mass exodus which worried many ‘Fax fans has been quelled with the arrival of some outstanding Championship players, completely rejuvenating the club.

Obviously disappointed at their Super League franchise snub, they seem to have a new focus and vision, which is to sit at the top end of the division and with the signings they have made, I expect them to play some real entertaining stuff. Halifax are always tough at The Shay, and I expect this to continue, but I also expect a vast improvement in their away form this season. I also see them scoring points for fun at times although I also expect them to leak points at the other end, maybe neglecting defensive responsibilities at times.

They will be one of the entertainers of 2012 if they can keep a fit squad, but at the time of writing they are suffering a shortage of front rowers which will no doubt effect early season form, which will be crucial to their finishing position.

4) Batley, with a new Head Coach in John Kear are likely to be a different prospect to the team of 2011. Mount Pleasant is a difficult place to get a win when you are on your travels and this will continue for as long as they play the slope.

It will be interesting to see how John Kear brings his full time Super League experience into the part time environment and whether the players can adapt to his methods, but I expect his impact to be a positive one with a great home record.

They will have the occasional blip at home I would have thought, but in general the games they lose will be closely fought encounters. On the road, they just won’t quite be strong enough to turn over the likes of Featherstone, Leigh and possibly even Halifax at The Shay.

5) Sheffield Eagles, with Mark Aston at the helm are a team that grind down the opposition by keeping the game ‘safe’ and by playing percentage Rugby league, at times, frustrating the opposition into making errors and giving away penalties.

Not the most talented of squads by any means, but one that consistently raises its game to ‘over perform’ in many fans eyes. For this, Mark Aston must take all the credit.

He has got what can be likened to a ‘platoon’ that is regimented in its approach and performance. Generally most wins come by a close margin, as do their losses, but I feel 2012 may be a year when they are ‘just’ overtaken by a few teams and also pegged back by another couple of sides.

6) Jason Demetriou, you could say, has been ‘active’ in the transfer market this pre season, and after promotion from Championship 1 in 2011, he has signed some outstanding ex Super League players. Demetriou’s influence on the field in 2011 was unquestionable and played a huge part in why the Keighley Cougars achieved promotion in the one sided Play Off Final.

This time around ‘played’ could be a key factor in how they finish, as I feel that his continued involvement in the match day 13 could have a negative effect. It’s no secret that he doesn’t have age on his side and other teams will recognise this and use it to their advantage. Keighley’s best option of staying mid table is having the Head Coach on the touchline, calling the shots and letting his exciting half backs go out and do their stuff.

7) Swinton Lions, and my old coaching partner Steve McCormack were last year’s Championship 1 outright winners, and deservedly so. They were consistently the best team, recording victories at times by the narrowest of margins, but none the less, gaining the victories.

I think 2012 will prove to be a tough campaign for the Lions despite signing several Championship experienced players. It will be tough going to Featherstone, Halifax, Leigh, and Batley, but they could also surprise a couple of those teams when they are at their own place.

I’d expect them to record victories over the bottom two both home and away, which should see them hover just below mid table, but gain a few more home victories against the top 4 sides and a Play Off spot might just be possible.

8- The Dewsbury Rams will pose as much a physical threat in the coming season as they do every year. A huge pack is a great advantage for them on home turf and also when the conditions are heavy under foot, and they have the ability to compete in an arm wrestle with most teams.

However, when the pitches start to dry out, and the quicker teams are the opponents, I expect them to concede points. Scoring shouldn’t be a major problem, as they have some players with some real flair who will create space from some strong go forward, but if they cannot get away from giving away penalties, they could find themselves on the back foot a lot.

They will lose more than they will win, and it is likely that the two teams below will see Dewsbury as a team they should be finishing above.

9) York City Knights, with Chris Thorman in charge are likely to be a ‘smart’ outfit no doubt, especially with the arrival recently of Mick Cook who has a fantastic reputation as an Assistant Coach.

His partnership with Thorman could be crucial in the big games against the fellow bottom 4 sides, and could be the difference in them ‘over achieving’ and making the Play Offs. Personally, I think they lack strength in depth, and also a little flair in the backs which could see them restricted to just a few opportunities in a game.

I expect some of the bigger teams to win the forward battle and cause them problems at the ruck.

10) My prediction for the wooden spoon in 2012 is Hunslet Hawks, even though they have the experienced Barry Eaton in charge. I think it’s worth stressing that this division is super competitive, so it’s no disgrace to be predicted by myself in the final league position.

My thoughts surrounding the Hawks are mainly based upon the squads elsewhere in the division, in which I happen to think are far stronger overall. I don’t really see any genuine ‘strike’ threats with the 17, and I can’t see any new arrivals having a major impact.

It could be a long season for Barry’s boys, which quite a few heavy losses. ]]> http://www.johnstankevitch.com/site/2012/championship-final-table-prediction/feed/ 0