If all 16 NRL coaches were school teachers

Despite operating well beyond the boundaries of a classroom, many of the tactics and implements employed by Rugby League coaches are mirrored by academic educators everywhere. Punctuality, precision, performance and progression are paramount in both professions. So with this in mind, we wondered what all 16 NRL coaches would be like if they traded the coach's box for the classroom. Kevin Walters After graduating with honours in the early 2000's, Kevin Walters embarked on a successful career molding minds at the tertiary education level. However, with his alma mater suffering their worst year on record, the emeritus professor is back in the classroom and ready to crack the whip. As Mr. Walters is far more used to dealing with the best and brightest students, he'll have his work cut out for him with his new bunch of truants, law breakers and class clowns. Can he turn them from dunces to duxes? Only time will tell. https://twitter.com/brisbanebroncos/status/1311206646379470849 Ricky Stuart Mr. Stuart is as old school as they come. He's spent the vast majority of his adult life at the same school and won't be moving any time soon. As the school's metal work teacher, Mr. Stuart spends most of his time tucked away in an icy cold demountable well out of sight. With his glory days coming in the late 80s and early 90s, he still operates with a subtle mullet and a pack a day Winfield habit. Unable to smoke at his desk anymore, he's resorted to vigorously chewing nicotine gum instead. Notoriously hot under the collar, Mr. Stuart is known to swear black and blue at his students – especially when they're ‘pissfarting around' with the power tools. Despite the ever-present verbal abuse, his students still love him, due to his ability to crack a gag here and there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqGFvczeS9I Trent Barrett After a moving all over the state in his schoolboy days, Mr. Barrett started his teaching career in a beach side town a handful of years ago. However, fun in the sun wasn't to follow for the new guy in town, instead after three academic years of sloppy results, the parents turned on him and sent him packing. After another pair of years wandering, Mr. Barrett interviewed for a role out west at a school with a great tradition, but not in recent years. His class roll from last season was enough to turn optimists into cynics, but with a few likely looking enrollees added for next year, things may prove more fun during his second stint in the classroom. https://twitter.com/NRL_Bulldogs/status/1329680878574833664 John Morris After finishing his footy career, Mr. Morris hit the books and graduated with a degree in health. As the Shire's new P.E teacher, he is enjoying putting his new students through their paces. Irrespective of the weather, Mr. Morris is perpetually clad in sunglasses and shorts. His trusty whistle is also never too far from his mouth. An imposing figure, he thrives on teaching the fundamentals of all sports and treating your body like a temple. Chit chat is kept at a minimum in his gym, as even the Year 12's are threatened by his chiseled chassis. https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstSyd/status/1091241731893321728 Justin Holbrook Following a successful stint teaching overseas, Mr. Holbrook has just finished his first year back on Australian shores. The nomadic nice guy may have achieved superb results during his post at Merseyside's elite finishing school, but he'll continue to have his work cut out for him in his sun-drenched classroom. Having been ‘gifted' the role of educating the school's perennially hopeless class, Holbrook will need to build on his steady first year results, otherwise he'll be flipping burgers with the rest of the job's predecessors. The major concerns facing Mr. Holbrook in 2021 are that of consistency and attendance – that includes the parents too. It's almost as if nobody cares about the student's results besides him. Despite this, things are looking promising for Mr. Holbrook. However, resting on his laurels will be dangerous, as things are never rosy in the Robina High demountables for long. https://twitter.com/NRLonNine/status/1161574591191343104 Des Hasler With his Hollywood hair and back catalogue of theatrics, Mr. Hasler teaches both English Literature and Drama. Having previously exited Northern Beaches High by means of a very public rage quit, Mr. Hasler returned back last year following a fluctuant stint out west. Never one to go about his business quietly, he openly compares himself to many of Shakespeare's tragic protagonists, however, he's a day time soap extra in everyone else's eyes. Mr. Hasler puts on a big stage performance every year, but he hasn't received a warm reception from critics for some time now – 2011 to be exact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfKbiOdZCFc Craig Bellamy The big cheese. The head honcho. The Don. After years of outstanding results – even withstanding those years his class cheated on all of their exams – Mr. Bellamy was promoted to Principal. As the school's head, Principal Bellamy often swings between yin and yang. Should academic scores be up across the board, you're likely to catch him wandering the halls wearing one of those rare grins. If not, expect to hear his wrath before you feel it. Getting sent to Principal Bellamy's office is a frightening experience, but should you be summoned, pack a poncho due to his desertion of the ‘say it, don't spray it' policy. The parent body aren't certain whether his results are achieved by fear alone, but so long as the awards keep rolling in, there will be no complaints. There were rumours that Principal Bellamy would be heading north of the border to take on a role at the dumpster fire that is Red Hill High, but with Professor Walters taking it on instead, it looks as though he won't be moving on anytime soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adygPcQ0QfU Adam O'Brien Following his graduation with honours and his successful placements at Melbourne's finishing school and East Sydney's elite boys private college, Mr. O'Brien was tasked with teaching the best and brightest at Novacastrians High. With a handful of his students have achieved tremendous results under his tutelage, with the rest not far behind, Mr. O'Brien has proven popular among parents. Although his pedagogical methods look sound early, and progression up the career ladder appearing imminent, he is still petrified of failure. Should any of his brightest student's be offered scholarships to fancy private schools in the big smoke, Mr. O'Brien will have his work cut out for him. https://twitter.com/Adam_Murray97/status/1275239426650599424 Nathan Brown After a checkered career teaching humanities and geography on his native shores, Mr. Brown has once again taken up a role abroad. After years of teaching at predominantly Anglo-Saxon institutions, Mr. Brown will need a crash course in Polynesian pronunciation before his first day at Aotearoa College. With his former students often possessing less culture than a pot of Yoplait, you can be certain that Mr. Brown stands to learn more than he will teach in his new surrounds. Expect him to have traded his standard stubbies of Tooheys New in for a bilo of kava by mid-term. https://twitter.com/NRLonNine/status/1292276403124215809 Todd Payten With his beard gnarled and his swag well worn, Mr. Payten finally completed his trek from Tamworth to Townsville. As a wise drifter that has laid his hat right up and down the eastern coast in the past, Mr. Payten has taken up the role as the outdoor education teacher at North Queensland High. He spent last year with a class of foreign exchange students, teaching them the ways of the land and how to bond under adversity. Although his formal resume as an educator doesn't run to a second page, one only needs to look at the man to understand he means business. Despite an inexperienced class awaiting him in 2021, expect Mr. Payten to have them cooking to a Michelin star standard on their Trangia stoves in no time. https://twitter.com/MattManukiaTVNZ/status/1290221295099998209 Brad Arthur Should Mr. Arthur actually graduate his formerly rambunctious class of misfits and jokers, it is likely to draw comparisons to a pair of Hollywood scripts. However, before parallels between himself and fictional educators Hilary Swank and Michelle Pfeiffer can be drawn, he must preach again the importance of consistency. Too often do Mr. Arthur's kids skip class – especially after they've all collectively nailed an assignment the week before – and time after time they make the routine look demanding. Who knows whether he can guide his pupils to greatness, but after already trying many alternative methods, maybe sitting backwards on his chair in a leather jacket could prove the ticket. Get inside their minds, Mr. Arthur, as dangerous as that may prove to be. https://twitter.com/NRL/status/1172035905026019333 Ivan Cleary Despite a near flawless interview late last year, Mr. Cleary will remain as Vice-Principal in 2021. His results spoke for themselves last year – he even got his son to pull his head in and hit the books – however, much to Mr. Cleary's chagrin, the department decided to stick with Mr. Bellamy for the role. You can be certain that Mr. Cleary's now senior school pupils will be ridden hard for all four terms next year, with 90 plus ATAR scores the expectation across the board. You can be certain that Nathan – both his son and student – will be pushed to claim the duxes tag he missed out on this year. https://twitter.com/telegraph_sport/status/1279905642359058432 Wayne Bennett After decade upon decade as the undisputed tenant of the Principal's office, Mr. Bennett was usurped by his former pupil a handful of years ago. Although still bitter about the change in both position and paygrade, it has allowed him to return to his one true love – teaching psychology. With his Mensa measured knowledge of the field, quite often his cryptic messages and assignments go over the heads of his Redfern High students. Irrespective of this, he still gets results at the ripe old age of 70 and his retirement still seeming eons away. Despite his external surliness, his students love him like one of their own Grandparents. They swear that they even saw him smile once, and regardless of their fervency, nobody in the playground believes them. https://twitter.com/wwos/status/987266445863043073 Each time he walks past his former office and is met with the site of Principal Bellamy at his old desk, he quietly vows that revenge will be his. Anthony Griffin Poor Mr. Griffin. He's had a go just about everywhere up and down the east coast and tried his hand at just about every position, but it looks as though he really has his work cut out for him now. Now teaching a boisterous bunch at Kogarah High, unless he can get this bunch of serial underachievers to start hitting the books, he'll be on the dole cue with some of them in the future With a handful of his bright students lured elsewhere with scholarships and another facing expulsion, the year looks a write-off before it even began. There is enough intelligence on his class roll – when they're not truant or suspended - to keep him in a job, but the stress of it all may get him first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJT7m8O2cEE Trent Robinson As the resident sharp dresser and a smooth talker, Mr. Robinson holds the dual titles of head of French and the school's leading business management teacher. Despite cutting his teeth abroad and at a public school up the coast, Mr. Robinson has achieved superb results in both disciplines during his tenure at East Sydney's elite all boys private school. Known to have more vino knowledge than a professional sommelier, Mr. Robinson's pairing notes are legendary both in the staffroom and on parent teacher nights. Just like his automobiles, he only buys European when it comes to tailored suits. The highlight for his business management students is when Robinson invites ‘Uncle Nick' to guest speak on the benefits of suspect bookkeeping and disregarding salary caps. https://twitter.com/NRL/status/1046380637605703683 Michael Maguire A favourite amongst the student body, Mr. Maguire is affectionately known as ‘Madge' by those in his woodwork class. On his good days, Madge is crafty, keen, and sharp witted. However, catch him on an off-day when his stubble is more entity than shadow, and you'll wish you were never born. Despite being a diligent worker that preaches the importance of nailing the finer details of an assignment, when it comes time for Madge's students to showcase their finished products, they're usually unveiled to little fanfare. That is except for the refurbishment job he led at Redfern High with the class of 2014 - there's former students still celebrating that one. Still chipping away at Leichhardt Boys Tech, it's still uncertain whether Madge's work is more Florence Knoll or flatpack. https://twitter.com/WestsTigers/status/1064314814439149568