Jack Gibson

The Last Word
by Jack Gibson (with Ian Heads)

Jack Gibson: "The game today is entirely different to when I played. But I still think it's pretty smart. Maybe the biggest change lies in the simple fact that if you're a bit slow today, mentally or physically, you're not going to survive."

Published by ABC Books
ISBN 0 7333 1236 5
195 pages (hardback)

Jack Gibson is one of the primary founders of modern rugby league. His approach, methods and principles still drive the game today, almost 20 years after he gave coaching away.

Before Gibson, coaches were just ex-players who stepped into the role. Now they are bred for the job. Before Gibson, defence was never the focus of training or game strategies. He also introduced the coach's greatest tool - the Monday video replay.

'The use of video evidence is not always conclusive,
but it sure beats the memory bank of most witnesses'

Undoubtedly Gibson has received countless offers to put his rugby league coaching story into a formal biography. But Gibson has rejected that method, preferring to share his recollections through books built around the "wisdom and knowledge" he has gathered. His latest offerring is 'The Last Word' which has recently been published by ABC Books, and written with Ian Heads.

The Last Word is presented in two sections. The second part is a collection of the quotes and writings of others that Jack has compiled over the past decade.

Gibson says: "I realised fairly early that the 'wisdom of the ages' - whether from 3000 years ago or yesterday - often was simply and perfectly adaptable to the context of the football arena, and immensely valuable."

"From my regular morning habit of reading, I would write down any wise, pragmatic and smart quotes and ideas that struck me, and that I felt could be of use in coaching."

You could think that Gibson has just revealed to us his secret.

He has displayed an outstanding ability to deliver the one-liner or quote that always perfectly summed up a situation - where others would take five minutes and still not get to the point. No one will ever forget "ding-dong, the witch is dead" as a summation of Parramatta's 34 year wait for a Grand Final win.

But the 'secret' of Gibson is not that he collected an arsenal of quotes - it is knowing which one to apply to each situation.

Footballers relate to and want simple messages, almost instructions. In the first part of The Last Word, Jack shares with us how he applied the lessons he learned from others to his football coaching.

'Talent is secondary to whether players are confident'

From leadership to mateship, Gibson reveals how he motivates his players, the value of hard work and the necessity of honesty. He discusses the importance of perfect preparation and self-discipline, and how the values that are essential for a coach can be applied to business and family life as well. What is good about the book, is that Gibson uses actual events from his coaching career to illustrate the lessons he has learned.

Gibson also shares his thoughts on the 17 best players he has seen, and recounts the Grand Final teams he coached. The book includes forewords from Michael Cronin, John Singleton, Wayne Bennett, Judy Gibson and others.

The Last Word illustrates why Jack Gibson was such a trail-blazer and an icon of the game.

'In football, if you are standing still, you're going backwards fast'

Anyone wanting an insight into the fundamentals of first grade rugby league coaching and how Jack succeeded should grab hold of The Last Word.

Biography or not, it tells the story of Jack Gibson.

The Last Word by Jack Gibson (with Ian Heads)

The Last Word
by Jack Gibson (with Ian Heads)