HIS coaching skills have seen him bring a period of almost unprecedented success to Warrington Wolves.

A win at Wembley on Saturday would see Warrington win the Challenge Cup for the third time in four years when before 2009’s win over Huddersfield, the club had won at the famous stadium just twice.

So what does make Tony Smith tick? And what has his road been to becoming head of coaching and rugby at The Halliwell Jones Stadium ?

Brought up in the small New South Wales town of Casino, 30 miles from Liscome, it was through his brothers that Tony started his love of the sport.

“My dad was more of a cricketer and played some rugby league,” he said. “My eldest brother Brian was 13 years my senior and soon signed for South Sydney and then St George.

“I was brought up watching my brothers playing for the local town. And it has been part of my life ever since I can remember. I started with the family and then played for my local club.”

He would go on to appear in two losing Grand Final St George teams in 1992 and 1993.

His playing career, which also included a stint at Illawarra Steelers, came to an end Down Under in 1995, and it was the ill-feted Super League/NRL split there in 1996 that saw the former stand off head to England for the first time.

Stranded as a coach of the Adelaide Rams, it was brother Brian, by now coach at Bradford, who recommended Tony move to Workington in Cumbria for the first European Super League in 1996.

It was a challenging period for the 45-year-old but one that would lead to a more permanent move to Britain in later life.

“Brian told me that they were in need of someone to help out on the coaching side a bit as well as on the field so we decided to come over and we stayed for six months.

“It was a difficult time for Workington and they were at the foot of the table. And in my second game I broke my wrist – not that I could really help them much on the pitch at that stage!

“So retirement from playing was the wise choice. It was tough but we really enjoyed being here and playing in Super League in the early stages.

“It turned out to be a great move for me and my wife and it opened our eyes to what it would be like to live in the UK and we were very prepared when we did come back here again.”

That would happen four years later when he took the head coach job at Huddersfield where he enjoyed some success before taking over Leeds Rhinos in 2004. He won two Grand Finals and a World Club Challenge at Headingley – although he would sample Challenge Cup heartbreak in a narrow defeat to Hull in Cardiff.

So what brought him to England, where he now describes himself, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as a ‘proud Yorkshireman’?

“There are a lot of cultural differences. When I was a boy, Britain had a big influence on Australia but I guess when I left, America was having a bigger difference culturally.

“The UK culture is very different because I think the weather affects the culture in many ways. There is a more outdoor lifestyle in Australia but we were prepared for that.

“I was coaching but was ready for a head coaching job. There aren’t many around in the world of rugby league so I took one when I had the chance at Huddersfield.”

And coaching is some-thing Smith enthuses about – he led England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2008, to mixed success, before joining Warrington in 2009.

He said: “I love the complexities of it. It does excite me. I enjoy trying to help people become better people and players.

“Sport can shape our lives in many ways. The essence of trying to do your best, that is how most of us should strive to live our lives.

“I am fascinated by the influence coaches can have on players There are different ways of working and you have to find what works for you and what works for different people.”

And what an influence he has had at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. He took over after the Wolves had lost five successive games at the start of the 2009 season – ironically losing his first game to the Rhinos.

Five months later he had led Warrington to a first Challenge Cup win since 1974 and a year later in 2010, they were back for more in a 30-6 win over Leeds.

Last year saw the club finish top of the league for the first time in a generation. Now they are back at Wembley and have secured a top two finish in Super League for the second year in a row.

And Smith has taken tips from other sports to help improve his side.

“I have been lucky enough to take a couple of trips to the States to see how NFL go about things, as well as ice hockey and basketball.

“I am very close with elite squash coach Malcolm Willstrop to world number one James Willstrop.

“When we went to the Sydney Swans (an Aussie Rules side) on the pre season tour this year I found it incredible the culture they had there.

“It was as good as any culture I have seen and that is what we want for our club.”

So how does squash, which Smith tries to play once a week in his spare time, relate to rugby league?

“I learned a lot about that and the sacrifices they made for their sport.

“Squash is a high exertion sport and I can learn from how they recover. They will play a match to exhaustion one day and then have to play again the following day.”

Pride in performance is another key focus Smith has instilled in the current Wolves squad.

“I very much feel that pride. For me it is about people trying their best.

“That is the real essence of sport. I have coached teams at the top and at the bottom but as long as they have achieved everything they could and tried their hardest, I am happy.”

Smith will lead his men at Wembley for the third time on Saturday and he says it is the quiet moments that have given the most satisfaction at the previous finals.

“I think it is when you see the players embracing and looking at each other and knowing they have put their bodies on the line for each other.

“That team bond is special. That feeling of being satisfied with what they have done, that is the best moment and as a coach you know you have played some small part in that.”

He admits the weeks leading up to Wembley and other big games are the ones he least looks forward to.

“It is not a great time. In terms of having to speak to some people and let them know they are not going to be involved directly in a game. They can still have an effect on how they train and conduct themselves, but they won’t have a direct influence.

“That is when I have plenty of sleepless nights. And it is not a job that I take lightly.

“As a coach you can only come up with the best decisions for the best reasons.

“But it is difficult to disappoint people.”

In 2009 Kiwi international Paul Rauhihi missed out on a Wembley place while Richie Myler was not selected in 2010. And there will be more tough decisions before Saturday’s 17 is named with the Wolves squad bigger and better than ever.

So is it difficult not to take work home and to escape rugby league as the season comes to the business end?

“I have probably got better as I have become more mature. There are probably still times where something will cross my mind when I am with the family but I try as best as I can and I have got better at being able to compartmentalise.”

And it is hobbies like squash, and horse riding – a love he developed as a child living on a dairy farm – that help keep him relaxed.

As well as two teenage children.

“My wife helps handle a lot of that but with two teenage children I am a taxi driver at times for sport and for other social activities.

“We try to have a good social life and we love going to concerts and listening to music – and that helps for tickets when you have an owner in the industry! (Music mogul Simon Moran is responsible for many of the country’s biggest tours).”

Smith will be hoping his side are able to play the better rugby on Saturday, but as long as his team produces their best for the 80 minutes you get the impression this soft speaking Australian/Englishman will be happy come the final whistle.