That just illustrates what a precarious business coaching a rugby league team is.

There is no doubt Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are in a much healthier position now than when Kear took over as coach, on July 24, 2006.
At that stage, they were two points adrift of safety at the foot of engage Super League, with just six rounds left.

Remarkably, Wildcats won four of those last six matches including a never-to-be-forgotten round 28 triumph over Castleford Tigers which had Kear celebrating in a winner-takes-all relegation showdown.

Just one more defeat that season would have seen Wildcats drop into Co-op National One and it could well have meant the end of the club, certainly at the top level.

Last season Wildcats achieved mid-table respectability and were in contention for a play-offs place up until the final couple of weeks.

Kear transformed a bunch of bad boys, no-hopers and other teams' cast-offs into a competitive force and several of his players – written off elsewhere – have gone on to the fringe of international recognition.

Despite horrendous injury woes, for much of this year Wakefield have continued to progress, reaching the semi-finals of the Carnegie Challenge Cup for the first time in 29 years.

Sadly, that has proved to be a mixed blessing. Wildcats lost four successive league games before the semi-final, were beaten on the big day and have suffered defeats in both games since, though, remarkably, they remain seventh on the league ladder, are just two points adrift of the play-off places and mathematically, could still finish as high as fifth.

The RFL's own summary of Wildcats' bid made it clear Wakefield are fortunate to have been granted a Super League licence for the next three years.

Had they not been in play-off contention and the last four of the Cup, it is likely Wildcats would have got the chop – probably with Widnes being promoted in their place – so everyone at Belle Vue has much to thank Kear for.

Now the wheels have come off and, as coach, Kear inevitably has to take much of the blame, just as he should take credit for the team's positive achievements over the past 25 months.

Questions have been raised over some of Kear's team selections, for example, but watching Wildcats in recent matches, it's clear that whatever has gone wrong, it isn't a coaching issue.

Wakefield do play some good rugby, as they showed building healthy leads against Les Catalans Dragons, Hull and Castleford, all of which were squandered in appalling collapses either side of half-time.

It isn't Kear who is dropping passes, giving penalties away and falling off tackles.

His players have proved they are good enough to compete with the best teams in Super League and they have to take responsibility for the way they've performed over the last few weeks.

Wildcats took the unusual step, on Monday afternoon, of releasing an official statement – apparently in response to local radio reports – confirming that Kear remains at the club.

With no relegation, Wildcats were safe from finishing bottom anyway and their top-flight status is secure for the next three seasons, there is no real pressure and Kear's status on the board means he is in a stronger position than many of his fellow team bosses.

But votes of confidence are never a good sign and Wildcats are notorious for sacking coaches. Kear is their seventh – eighth if you include Adrian Vowles who had joint command for a spell – since their first Super League game nine years ago.

Wakefield's form slump is a challenge to everybody at the club. To Kear, as head coach, to come up with the motivation to turn things around, to his players, to start earning their money and perform at the level they are capable of and to the board, to keep their nerve in difficult times.

Too often Wakefield's directors have taken the easy option when things have gone wrong, while – with the exception of the appointments of Shane McNally and Kear – constant changes have brought about no real improvement in results.

All coaches have a shelf life and – inevitably – there will come a time when Kear has taken Wildcats as far as he can go.
That time isn't yet, but ultimately Wakefield's players hold Kear's long-term fate in their hands.

Just as they responded to him two years ago, producing a series of performances they hadn't looked capable of earlier in the campaign, if Wildcats' players want Kear to remain at the club they need to start doing the business.

They have three tough games remaining and more defeats will only increase the pressure.

They will need a massive improvement, but Wildcats are capable of winning at Wigan tomorrow night, Catalans next week and then beating Leeds at home in their final league game.

Do that and suddenly Kear will be the Messiah again.

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Rugby league probably does too much tinkering, but here's two rules the RFL law makers should consider changing.

Firstly, punishing players for retaliation – a policy which arguably cost Castleford Tigers their game against Huddersfield Giants a couple of weeks ago and which saw Leeds Rhinos scrum-half Rob Burrow's previously immaculate disciplinary record blotted in last Friday's clash with Bradford Bulls.

Cas were beaten by Huddersfield after having Ryan McGoldrick, one of their most influential players, yellow carded along with Giants prop Darrell Griffin, following a set-to which the latter started.

At Headingley six days ago, Burrow was sin-binned for getting upset at being punched in the face by Michael Platt, who also spent 10 minutes cooling off and was lucky not to be sent-off for butting Brent Webb.
Platt has since been banned for three games by the RFL and will miss the rest of Bradford's regular season.

But in general, referees seem to feel that, if a scuffle develops, they have to take action against a player from either team.

But rugby league is a contact sport and – while not condoning ill-discipline – if somebody wallops you, you don't have much choice other than to wallop him back.

A former player – who plied his trade in the 1960s and 70s, when the game was much more violent than it is today – has a proposal which would cut down on scuffles and punch-ups overnight: Tell referees to take no action against retaliators, within reason.

It would work. Nobody's going to punch you if they know you can hit back and get away with it.

Secondly, tries scored from a double movement should be allowed to stand.

It's a difficult call for referees to get right, as is seen on a weekly basis throughout the season, and the game should be encouraging try scoring, rather than finding ways to prevent it.

If a player gets hauled down just short of the line, why shouldn't he try to stretch over? That is the purpose of the game after all.

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Castleford Tigers' teenage sensation Joe Westerman has been getting plenty of stick from his team-mates after being chosen to promote the club's 2009 season tickets, which go on sale on Monday.


Tigers have, however, denied they are planning to rename their ground the Temple of Doom.


Ends