Coaching Career
Anderson is one of the few people to play and coach competition winning sides in both Australia and England. He is also one of the few people to coach two different clubs to NRL/NSWRL Premiership success.
Anderson returned to Australia after playing/coaching in the British 1987–88 season and was appointed coach of the Canterbury Bulldogs Under 21's team for the 1989 season. He was quickly appointed first grade coach for 1990 and enjoyed eight fruitful seasons at Canterbury, including the 1995 Premiership triumph over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
The formation of the Melbourne Storm saw Anderson become their first coach and he guided the team to Premiership success when they defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons in the 1999 NRL Grand Final. His son, Ben, played 17 games for the Storm.
Anderson was appointed coach of the Australian national team in March 1999, replacing Wayne Bennett. He enjoyed five successful seasons before his tenure came to a halt after the successful 2003 whitewash of Great Britain.
He quit as Melbourne Storm coach after seven rounds (and only two wins) of the 2001 NRL season.
On the 2001 Kangaroo Tour, when coaching Australia, Anderson, was taken to a Wigan hospital after complaining of chest pains during the first half of the deciding third test match against Great Britain at the JJB Stadium. He had suffered a non-fatal myocardial infarction and thankfully made a full recovery.
Anderson was also coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks for two controversial seasons in 2002 and 2003, getting them one game short of the Grand Final in 2002. Anderson was sacked in dramatic circumstances over disagreements with the club's management on the future direction of the team, largely centred around his decision to replace the existing Scrum-half/Halfback, Preston Campbell with new signing Brett Kimmorley in the starting side. He also continually picked his son, Jarrad, at the expense of Matt King, who ended up moving to the Melbourne Storm where his career blossomed.
In July 2004 Anderson was appointed coach of the Newport Gwent Dragons – a Welsh rugby union team. Despite finishing fourth in the Celtic League that season, his one year contract was not renewed.
Anderson accepted a two year contract with the Sydney Roosters as their first grade coach for the 2007 and 2008 NRL seasons. However Anderson stepped down from the job late into the 2007 season, after just five wins from sixteen matches - including a horrific 56–0 loss to Manly Sea Eagles. He was replaced by former Roosters five eighth Brad Fittler.
Read more about this topic: Chris Anderson (rugby League)
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“A black boxer’s career is the perfect metaphor for the career of a black male. Every day is like being in the gym, sparring with impersonal opponents as one faces the rudeness and hostility that a black male must confront in the United States, where he is the object of both fear and fascination.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)