Regarding Sandow's leaving, first of all, I’ll admit I’m disappointed. There is an immediate reaction when you receive such news to get defensive straight away. Like the classical ‘I didn’t really like her anyway,’ the instant reaction with Sandow is to play it down. So I’ll admit it, I’m disappointed and a little bit angry.
Disappointed and angry
Disappointed mainly due to the fact that we all like to be entertained, and as Sandow is an entertainer, it’s a shame that we won’t be seeing that at the HJ anymore. He is also a great player capable of scything through any side and being the match winner.
I’m angry because of the way it’s been done. There have been rumours swirling around Sandow for many months now, and at the end of the season it seemed like all those rumours were made up, but it seems that there was an element of truth in them. To get your agent to call the club to say you’re not coming back at the start of pre-season is extremely cowardly; a trait that Rugby League players are notorious for - not showing. In a sport of brave and courageous warriors, Sandow stands out as a coward.
The bright side
Looking on the bright side of life, the advantages are clear. He was clearly difficult to manage and Tony Smith almost seemed relieved that he won’t have to coach him anymore. Team spirit is of huge importance to any sports team, and having an unprofessional character around the place such as Sandow can’t be a great influence for younger players especially.
What we won't miss
There was also the inconsistency, and our two biggest games of the season show that Sandow might not be missed. In the Challenge Cup final, he was ineffective and didn’t look for a moment like he was going to unlock the Hull FC defence with the kind of magic he showed often earlier in the season. He did pick up an injury in that match, which has been another problem in the 2016 season.
That injury led up to our other huge game of the year, the Grand Final which he started on the bench. When he came on in the place of Dec Patton, who had to move to hooker and then the bench, he didn’t have the impact thatSmith, and the fans were looking for. For our two biggest games he wasn’t great and showed that his injuries are another thing you can't rely on him for.
If Tony Smith was able to rewind time, I think he would have kept Patton on instead.
Can Patton step up?
It’ll be interesting to know what Patton thinks of the news today. He’s a player who could have a huge future for the club and was brilliant in the games that Sandow missed. It remains to be seen if and when Sandow will be replaced, but if he’s not then I’ll be excited to see how Patton can develop over the course of a whole season. The Sandow news may prove to be a huge blessing in disguise.
We'll move on
We’ll move on, and move on quickly. It feels like a blow at the moment, but there are plenty of positives to take from the news. It seems like he didn’t take care of his body, which makes injuries worse and more frequent.
He went missing in the big matches and wasn’t a great influence on the rest of the squad. It seems like Sandow will be partying somewhere else from next season. I don’t think his departure makes it any less likely for Warrington to be having a party after the Grand Final next season. Hopefully, in the long run, it’ll have proved to increase our chances. Good riddance.
