16 Sept 2026
#35 Sam Williams - You Can't Fake It As A Coach
Sam Williams on his first year as a head coach, why Super League's reserve grade needs scrapping, what Ricky Stuart taught him about coaching, and the lessons from Canberra, St George, Catalans and Wakefield.
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Joined this week by my current head coach at Northern Pride, Sam Williams.
Sam played for the Canberra Raiders, St George Illawarra Dragons, Catalans
Dragons and Wakefield Trinity before moving into coaching, and he's just come
through his first season in charge in the Queensland Cup. Having played and
coached in both hemispheres, he's one of very few people who can compare the
two systems properly.
He doesn't hold back on Super League's reserve grade, why the Australian
affiliate model works better, and what the UK would need to do to fix it.
We also get into what Ricky Stuart taught him about caring for a region, why
you can't fake being a coach, being 35 and one of the younger heads in the
competition, and shovelling snow off a pitch at Wakefield.
Recorded outdoors at Barlow Park, complete with a grass cutter.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:56 A disappointing finish and a first year coaching
01:14 The first outdoor podcast
01:57 What rugby league gave him beyond the game
02:20 Canberra, Catalans, Wakefield and now Cairns
04:53 Debut and the 2011 pre-season
05:21 "Sammy, you're playing half in the second trial"
05:51 Playing with the men he watched at 12
06:53 Never feeling destined for it
08:56 Striking gold at Canberra
09:37 Stuck behind Widdop and Benji Marshall at St George
09:58 Off Season Accelerator
10:48 Catalans: new language, new everything
11:43 The run, and a first win at Leeds
12:39 One of the most desirable places on earth
12:57 Crowds, Headingley and Super League atmosphere
14:38 Expectations on clubs
15:27 Warrington taking a game to Dublin
15:53 New Zealand's talent pool
16:44 Coaching people outside of sport
17:07 What makes Super League special
19:29 Ricky Stuart and going back to Canberra
20:20 Caring about the region you coach in
21:11 "You can't fake how you want to be as a coach"
21:44 Being 35 and one of the younger head coaches
23:37 The biggest lesson going into next season
24:31 The Cowboys relationship
25:18 Competing with full time NRL systems
26:25 How the Australian affiliate system works
27:08 Would a reserve grade competition work?
28:18 "Knock reserve grade on the head"
28:40 The North Star is the NRL
30:26 A melee of obstacles
32:48 Embracing it when it's miles from what you know
33:20 Condensation off the roof and shovelling the pitch
34:38 Wakefield flying again
34:53 Arked Coffee
35:23 "That's not professionalism, that's fragility"
36:38 Going back to his hometown club
37:46 The 2019 Grand Final
39:51 "Not a rich man, but a rich man in life"
40:25 What the future looks like
Guest: Sam Williams
Host: Ronan Michael, professional rugby league player (Northern Pride, ex
Bradford Bulls & Huddersfield Giants) and online coach.
📲 Follow the show
Instagram: @ronanmichael_pt
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49zf6kIygYfOKEB7MVrkRN
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-the-message/id1781533599
#SamWilliams #SuperLeague #RugbyLeague #NRL #WhatsTheMessage
