BY DAN

For as long as we’ve been operating these pages we’ve been listening to the Fifth and Last rugby league podcast.

It’s been our go to podcast, week-to-week since somewhere in the 2015/16 range. It’s fun, and there is #bantz, which is what most people are looking for in a pod. The production quality is always charming in a no-nonsense way. But it’s the analysis and insights that the punters come for. Rarely will you find football minds so willing to articulate exactly what is going on (rather than your usual ‘110 per cent, turn up for the boys’ gear). Now, ‘all of a sudden’ after eight or nine years, one of the two hosts of that podcast will be coaching at the Canberra Raiders.

To be honest we’re not entirely certain what new Raiders staff member Brock Shepperd’s role will be (normally the club has a whole heap of job titles on the website, but I’m too tired/drunk/dumb to find it) (club has now confirmed he is the NSW Cup Coach). He was part of Anthony Seibold’s NSW coaching apparatus with Manly (coaching the Blacktown NSW Cup side specifically) and was expected to have a bigger role with the NRL side given the departure of Shane Flanagan. Given Justin Giteau has been promoted to assistant coach of the Raiders’ first string side it makes perfect sense that Brock would be filling in that role. We’ll wait for an announcement to confirm.

But we are excited. One of our favourite things about listening to Brock (and he’s equally insightful brother Lewis) over the years is that we always felt like we were learning. Not the kind of learning where you are getting ‘Buellered’ to death (that reference has two kids and a mortgage). But rather each week you’d find out something more about the game was taught, communicated, and thought about, at something approaching the highest levels. Brock and Lewis, both elite junior footy players and now coaching and commentating in a range of roles, would take time out of their daily life to shine a light on the truth of the game.

Over the years it’s been a favourite. Tune in and learn a bit. Compare notes of what the gents saw in the Raiders to what I’d been writing. We weren’t in the same stratosphere, in either influence or understanding, but when we were on the same page as them it made us feel a lot less crazy. Like when we fell deep in love with Josh Hodgson and it was confirmed with the boys gushing at his play. Or when we saw Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer shifting from split-sides to more ‘same-side’ gear, and the gents saw it too. Each moment a little reminder that we weren’t insane, or maybe we were and needed to watch some film so to speak. Turns out Shepperd has been a bit of a shepherd in rugby league for us (*taps mic* hello…is this thing on?).

Shepperd has plenty to offer. He’s been coaching since 2007. That’s a fair fucking time. He’s spent plenty of time in the Penrith system and coached the 20s side with Cam Ciraldo, which means he was part of the formation and development of a host of talent that currently has rugby league by the short and curlies (like Nathan Cleary). Since leaving Penrith he’s been in the Tigers system, and most recently was coaching with Manly. He’s got experience at almost level of footy from schoolboys to NSW Cup.

The pathway is long but it seems with coaches the road less travelled is as good an indicator as a star name or a rose-petal covered pathway to the top line. We’ve seen it with the experience of people like Andrew Webster at the Warriors, and Justin Giteau and Darren Borthwick in the Raiders system. Coaching, like any elite skill, isn’t just about talent. It takes years to hone your craft.

Shepperd has relationships with a host of people involved in the Raiders system, like Borthwick and Elite Pathways Coach Chris Hutchison (who both coached with Brock at the Mounties). So this is no punt by the Milk. Our familiarity with Brock comes from him lending us a fraction of his intellect via the podcast. But he’s been in the muck making players better with these people. They know him better than us.

I hope Brock’s a success (and also that he keeps putting out the podcast? Does he have to move to Canberra? Talk about meeting my competing needs) and continues to grow and succeed as a coach. If there’s one thing I’ve learned listening to him over the years its that improvement and education in the game is incremental, and development takes time. The flourish we often see is years in the making. Here’s hoping Canberra is where Brock gets to prove himself.

Do me a favour and like the page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or share this on social media because love is true and heaven is a Raiders victory. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.