Adam Luicus: Huge task ahead for selfless Potter

A lot of people in sport tell you they love what they are doing so much they'd do it for nothing.

Few actually mean it.

Mick Potter is a notable exception.

He has worked for nothing, forgoing a wage at the Bradford Bulls as the Super League club slipped into administration in July.

One of 16 staff made redundant, Potter refused to pick up his pink slip and stuck around to guide the Bulls over the closing stages of the seasons.

All for free.

And if it wasn't for the six points they were deducted for going into administration, Potter's selflessness - and that of the players who also stuck solid - would have been rewarded with the most improbable of playoff berths.

Potter was voted coach of the year by his peers - an accolade that went some way to offsetting the empty bank balance and highlighting what an outstanding job he did.

If you believe some sceptics, Potter won't be on much more at Wests Tigers after accepting a two-year deal to coach the dysfunctional NRL club.

The Tigers aren't exactly rolling in money and still, potentially, have to fork out several hundred thousand to sandblast former mentor Tim Sheens from the club.

Sheens is the elephant in the Tigers' cage - he won't be in charge of the NRL team but is refusing to make things easy on the club by exiting from the final two years of his deal.

Offered a job CEO Stephen Humphreys describes as a 'separate role in our business', the veteran coach is yet to decide whether he will accept or push for a reduced payout.

Throw in the fact senior players remain upset over the forced departures of popular pair Chris Heighington and Beau Ryan and it's fair to say laughter is in shortly supply at Concord.

Potter could be forgiven for thinking he's gone from Bradford's frying pan to the Tigers' fire.

But he is perhaps, as Humphreys suggested, the perfect fit for a club dealing with their own internal problems.

The 49-year-old Potter certainly feels the Bulls' financial dramas were the making of him.

Nothing - not even coaching the erratic Tigers - could be harder than that.

"Bradford was a unique situation. They ran pretty close to the wind with finances," Potter reflected.

"I think I served above and beyond what I needed to do and felt obliged to do that.

"I had a feel for Bradford and wanted to spend a couple of years helping them out and I did that.

"But I was glad to come home and I'm fortunate enough now to be in a job.

"I've served a long apprenticeship and think I'm ready."