09 October 2023 , 18:27
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Even as a player, Steve McNamara was already like a coach.
A gifted, ball-handling loose forward who helped Bradford win the Super League title in 1997, McNamara was regarded as a deep thinker on the sport and master tactician. It was no surprise he went into coaching, initially as an assistant at Bulls in 2004 before taking over the main job from Brian Noble at Odsal. Then came six years in charge of England including a famous World Cup near-miss before stints working as an assistant again on the other side of the world for NRL premiers Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors.
On Saturday, more than 25 years after lifting the last first-past-the-post title, he hopes to be a Super League winner again. Back in ‘97, in the height of Bullmania, he could never have imagined coaching a side called Catalans Dragons to potentially do it at Old Trafford. But since taking on the Perpignan job in 2017, guiding the French to an historic Challenge Cup final win barely 12 months later and then a League Leaders' Shield, it’s been a match made in heaven.
And ahead of Saturday’s Grand Final with Wigan, when the Yorkshireman plans to secure his first league title as a head coach, McNamara admits leading a French renaissance has been his best gig yet. He said: “They have all been awesome experiences all for different reasons, and right from the start. I really, really feel privileged to have been such a great club as Bradford Bulls, then moved on to coach the national team and then into working in the NRL and now the south of France.
“But I have to say, this current position is the one I’m enjoying the most. It has many big challenges but it is probably the biggest challenge for so many reasons. Yet on occasions, there’s certain clubs that fit certain players, certain players fit certain clubs and I just feel from my perspective it is a club that really suits me. Thankfully I’ve suited what the club has needed at that stage. “It’s a great job to be in right now. And we can’t wait for Saturday.”
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Having come so close to felling champions St Helens on their first Old Trafford appearance two years ago, Catalans will feel better prepared to go the distance this time around against Wigan. If they do win, you’d imagine McNamara would be given the freedom of Perpignan. But what’s the long-term plan for the 52 year-old?
Catalans Dragons' Steve McNamara (PA)He said: “I don’t see myself anywhere else at this stage. But you don’t know what will happen. I’m contracted here next year and that’s fine. I’m really happy with that. I don’t look too far ahead or at what might happen as sport can change really, really quickly. We’ve seen it so many times.
“I just concentrate on the job ahead: and there’s a big one still to go. Wigan are a juggernaut of English rugby league. We know that. It’ll be a titanic battle. We’ve done some really good things at the club but we need to continue doing those. I’m really proud of everyone’s efforts in terms of trying to achieve that.”
Meanwhile, Hull-born McNamara has thanked his family for letting him “chase a dream” around the world. He has spent large swathes of time away from his wife and kids during his much-varied coaching career so far. That’s true now in the south of France but also before that when he worked in Sydney and Auckland. The ex-Great Britain international admitted: “The sacrifices they are making are things that people don’t really see or fully understand.
"It was a strange situation for myself but that’s what sport does at certain times: it puts people and families in different parts of the world. It was the right decision at the time for us as a family and the support I’ve received from them has been invaluable and enabled me to go chase a dream.”
McNamara’s son stand-off Ben, 21, is expected to join Leigh in 2024 after leaving Hull. He said: “Ben is doing his stuff and (daughter) Grace has just qualified as a doctor. Now the kids are a bit older, my wife spends a fair bit of time here (in France). She’s backwards and forwards between the countries.”