For Jack Harrison read Ash Handley; for Brenden Aaronson and Patrick Bamford read Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer.
In the past 10 days, Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch and Leeds Rhinos counterpart Rohan Smith were introduced at a Rugby League World Cup promotional event, sowing the seeds for a perhaps unlikely alliance.
Kindred spirits with open minds and a thirst for knowledge, the heads of the city’s great sporting institutions immediately bonded and agreed to meet again.
Smith attended the Whites’ recent Premier League game against Aston Villa at Elland Road and there are plans for the Australian to watch Marsch’s side train at Thorp Arch, and vice versa.
READ MORE:
- Arsenal are now genuine title contenders
- Eagles soar as Vieira gets important win
- Premier League odds*
Marsch, who arrived in West Yorkshire in February following the sacking of the much-loved Marcelo Bielsa, admits to knowing little about rugby league.
“I draw inspiration from a lot of sports – even more so than I do from our own,” said the American.
“Some it is about leadership, but also methodologies, tactics and what other sports value.
“With Rohan, we spoke at length about wanting to form a relationship.
“I want to go and watch his training sessions and I invited him to always come and see ours.”
United are part-owned by the San Francisco 49ers Enterprises – the investment arm of the NFL franchise – and 48-year-old Marsch continued: “I was at the 49ers in the summer.
“I’m trying to make plans to visit the Gold State Warriors (American basketball team) as I’ve become friends with their coaching staff.
“When I was at university, I watched everything from rowing to fencing to basketball to see what those methodologies were and what they valued in their training and their performance.
“I love that stuff, so Rohan and I will certainly continue our friendship and I think able to use each other as a resource, for sure.”
Marsch has tapped into numerous sports throughout his career and drawn on past experiences at Princeton University.
He added: “When I was at Princeton as a volunteer assistant, in between jobs, I would go for a run sometimes early in the morning.
“There was a big lake where they had the rowing teams and they would train twice a day.
“They would get in the water at about 5.30am, drop the boats in, and then do it again in the afternoon or early evening.
“What I saw in that was the ability to physically exert themselves to levels that I thought were inhuman.
“What I thought immediately was ‘how could I get 11 players on a football field to emulate that kind of output?’
“It’s a pure endurance sport, so it’s different, but with the way we train I try and maximise our ability to give everything they can.
“In every single match, I want almost total exhaustion, knowing that they invested everything they could to get the result.
“I could take you through basketball and how it’s affected me with set-pieces, power sports and what they do in the gym.
“I don’t know rugby that well, but it’s something that through Rohan I’m looking forward to getting to know better and hopefully learning from.”
At 41, Smith is a few years younger than Marsch but he too has a long track record of looking outside of his own sport for ideas and inspiration.He enhanced his reputation hugely after arriving at Headingley in May when the Rhinos were 11th in the table, on their knees and facing a fight with relegation.
Smith stopped the rot, restored belief and transformed the eight-time Super League champions in dramatic fashion.
They made the Grand Final, losing to all-conquering St Helens just over a fortnight ago.
And while he was keen to downplay the significance of their initial meeting, the Australian admitted the attraction in working with Marsch.
Smith said: “Meeting Jesse was only an introduction and wasn’t a formal, sit-down meeting or anything like that – it was to promote the Rugby League World Cup.
“We exchanged pleasantries and had a quick chat, so that’s all it was at this stage, but we’ll hopefully spend some time together at some point.
“He’s very high-energy, well presented and looks like the type of person and manager that players would love to be around.
“You hope to aspire to be like that yourself. I love to be able to pick the brains of a well-travelled, well-credentialed people within sport and business.
“As a young head coach, I think it’s vital to look for best practice and new ideas all the time.”
Smith is a noted people person and his laid-back approach has worked wonders so far.
Yet he insisted: “I feel like I’ve got to try and reinvent myself on a daily basis.
“It’s not like I’m starting afresh as I’ve got experience, but I’m always keen to see how things get done in other places, reflect on how I do it myself and see how we can do things better.
“That’s something I value highly. When I was in Australia, I went to cricket, AFL, basketball, A-League soccer as well as bumping into NRL franchises.
“I think studying other sports, and industries, is something you have to do as a coach. It’s what you need to do to stay fresh and to get better, I guess.”
Smith enjoyed his trip to Elland Road for the recent Villa game, which evoked memories of over two decades ago.
“It was awesome to see that passion and fierce support that Leeds United fans have for their club,” said Smith, whose dad Brian coached Bradford Bulls in the mid-Nineties.
“It was nice to see a few Rhinos fans there as well, and I remember going to games there in the 1990s, so I know what a force and what a presence the Leeds United supporters are at Elland Road.
“I do love the Premier League as a competition and I look forward to following the journey of Leeds United during my time in the city.”
Quite what becomes of Marsch and Smith’s working relationship remains to be seen, but it should make for intriguing viewing.
*18+ | Be Gamble Aware
