General Who will coach the Warriors 2020???

[Juno]

Kearney has his flaws, but I just don’t get the constant need from some to make him out as worse than he was. I mean, late last year we beat Manly and played about as well as tonight (under Kearney). The talk on the Manly forum that night was that they had been out coached. But reading commentary from some you’d think Payten was a messiah and was doing things we’d never done before.

100% agree. If a view of the game and a club is too one-dimensional it probably can't see the foundations he built as important then or now.

 

[JaggedJ]

Who cares. Kearney wasn't a good head coach and now he's gone.

To what degree he was good or bad doesn't matter because Brown is going to come in and do things his way.

Whether that ends up good or bad remains to be seen.

 

[6Again]

An old friend who practices in the dark arts on the side of the players and coaches reached out to me today and told me an interesting story. I thought some of you here might be interested in hearing it.

But if it is too long:

Long story short - If any of this is at all true... It was Nathan Brown who Ownership wanted the whole time, they just forgot to check with him that it would be all good before pulling the trigger.

Full disclosure, none of the parties involved are a part of my friend's boss' stable of clients (He works for an Agency group in Sydney) and I obviously can not provide any verification. So, feel free to add this to the conspiracy theory file, use it for chip paper or force me to change my name to IronLionsMeow if it offends you that much.

But this does sound a lot like how the Warriors would do something...

End of September 2019 - Autex complete take over of Warriors.

New Owners assure Cameron George he is safe but instructs him to initiate a plan to restructure the football department with Peter O'Sullivan being the only one marked by Autex as "safe". Openly expresses severe doubt over Kearney as a coach, which eventually was made public.

October 2019 - CG enlists PoS to come up with a plan to restructure the football department.

CG, having just given him a 3-year extension, insists Kearney stays as Head Coach and be backed by ownership 100% but must reassign portfolios (attack, defence etc).

Brian Smith is recommended to be let go. As is Alex Corvo. Nathan Cayless requests a release.

Craig Twentyman is recommended to replace Corvo, seen as a better personality fit.
Justin Morgan is recommended to replace Cayless.

CD & PoS float dissolving GM of Football position, splitting the responsibilities between them, expanding their own portfolio's.

Early November 2019 - GM of Football plan is rejected but Ownership will allow CG & PoS to split responsibilities until a suitable replacement can be found. Ownership expresses a desire for a big name.

Kearney is reluctantly backed as Coach, as to show support in CG's role. But Ownership insists on bringing in outside help and will not guarantee him as safe until they see improvements on the field.

PoS suggests Nathan Brown, who he knows very well.

Mid-November 2019 - Smith, Corvo are let go. Cayless granted his release.

Twentyman and Morgan are hired along with Nathan Brown as a 'consultant'.

Brown's role was explained as helping in summer on the field and sporadically throughout the year.

Realising they did not have the squad to seriously compete it did not take long for the higher-ups to begin looking for advice on how to rebuild ala Newcastle. (How to get through disappointing seasons while rebuilding)

Brown makes a great impression on Warriors Ownership.

Pre Season 2020 - Portfolios are reassigned, all indications things are on the uptick. (What does that even mean at the Warriors?)

Round 1 - Ownership instructs PoS to sound out Nathan Brown about taking over.

Round 2 - Brown is interested, Ownership wants to make a deal. COVID-19 spreads. Competition suspended. All plans are on hold.

Round's 3 through 5 - COVID buys Kearney time. CG implores stability. Ownership becomes more vocal.

Round 6 - Loss to South's. Ownership loses patience and instructs CG to fire Kearney and put Payten in as the interim. Wants CG to do it alone as he was his hire.

Ownership instructs CG to make deal with Nathan Brown to take over immediately and approach Craig Bellamy's management to sound out interest in coming with him as GM of Football from 2021 or 2022.

Nathan Brown's personal situation has changed, he is no longer in a position to accept the role, this year or next. Bellamy's management declares zero interest in 2021 or 2022 and beyond.

Wayne Bennett's management is approached to sound out interest in a duel Head Coach/GM of Football role, with the intention to groom Payten for 2 seasons before handing over the reins and solely acting as GM.

Bennett's management declares no interest.

Job is put to "advertisement".

Several enquires are made by potential applicants, including one current NRL coach to better understand the club's plans but baulked when the club could not put forward certain candidates for the GM of Football role.

Geoff Toovey, The Walker Brothers, Anthony Griffin and Todd Payten were the only serious applicants. Shaun Wane was interested but withdrew due to COVID restrictions and also holding the England RL job.

Not exactly what Ownership dreamed of. If they couldn't land a Supercoach they still really wanted Brown.

Unsure what to do, it was during an exploratory conversation in late June about the job with one of the Walker Bro's, where they suggested if the Warriors had a Supercoach lined up for 2022 they could come coach for just one season. Aiming to reinstil confidence in individuals, give the team an identity and then hand off to a Bellamy or Bennett type.

Being further impressed by Payten in the interim, this gives CG the idea of working a similar deal but with Todd for 1 year before bringing Brown in for 2 years to complete a 3-year rebuild to appease Ownership before handing back to Payten.

By now Phil Gould is in talks with Ownership to fill a Directorship role but a very hands-on one, especially in junior pathways. A role that may preclude the need to hire a full-time GM of Football.

The coaching plan is put to Ownership, who approve. Then Todd Payten & Nathan Brown. Payten really wants to be a first-grade coach but not under these conditions. He was very torn about what to do and was close to committing. Then Cowboys job became available and is talked out of taking the Warriors job by both his wife and agent. He ultimately wasn't comfortable with waiting for that long, given the instability of the club. Brown, however, was very interested in this plan, especially if Gus becomes involved.

Payten rejects the Warriors on Monday the 27th of July.

Not long after, Brown reveals his situation has definitely changed and is likely to now be available for the job after all.

Payten pre-records an interview the following week talking about the future and still being keen to take the job, knowing he had already rejected it. Attack of conscience and does his live interview on NRL 360 announcing his rejection.

The Warriors are actually a long way down the road with Brown by now and momentum is building for Gus Gould to take a role similar to John Hart's Director of Football during his time with the club.

August 2020 - Brown will be announced as Head Coach for the next 3 seasons from 2021-2023.

Gus Gould will most likely be announced as Director of Football, at a later date, once his role is 100% defined. When that happens it will be decided if a full-time GM of Football will be required or the responsibilities will continue to be split between CG and PoS under the guidance of Gus.

It reads like an episode of Shortland Street, so I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be correct.

Feel free to tear it apart if you have better information.

Edit - Oh, I forgot to add - Don't be surprised if Adam Elliot is signed as the "replacement" for Toby Rudolph in the next week or two.

Edit #2 - The Warriors are also secretly hoping Payten will miss out on the Cowboys job. Enabling them to be able to keep him for the last 12 months of his contract and find a way to convince him to stay beyond that while his family situation improves, hopefully. They think his ambition makes him a risk to any other head coach who hires him, making their chances of keeping him greater.

Edit #3 - The decision to pass on Geoff Toovey may have been informed by information given by a former NRL Coach & CEO with close ties to ownership. Apparently suggesting Toovey’s intense style wouldn’t suit the playing group long or short term.

A lot to read through and thanks for posting, much of it is certainly plausible and if not the absolute truth then some variation of it.

Supercoaches aside if Robinson had targeted Brown all along and landed Gould independently then despite some fans objections to either or both of those appointments Robinson has shown himself to be more than capable in his role as owner.

Not saying I agree with all he’s done in his time at the club but there’s a bit to like, seems like a guy who takes action and in an ownership capacity that’s something the club has needed since Eric Watson lost interest. Certainly seems like he’s treating the Club as his business rather than a simple investment under his asset portfolio.

 

[BeastMode]

Kearney has his flaws, but I just don’t get the constant need from some to make him out as worse than he was. I mean, late last year we beat Manly and played about as well as tonight (under Kearney). The talk on the Manly forum that night was that they had been out coached. But reading commentary from some you’d think Payten was a messiah and was doing things we’d never done before.

expectations mate

when you have a caretaker coach performing on par, if not better than his prior boss - either the caretaker is exceptionally good or the prior boss was exceptionally bad

 

[Fonzie]

expectations mate

when you have a caretaker coach performing on par, if not better than his prior boss - either the caretaker is exceptionally good or the prior boss was exceptionally bad

Or neither, and it’s just that coaching isn’t as critical and sensitive a factor as people think in the short term

 

[Vancent]

expectations mate

when you have a caretaker coach performing on par, if not better than his prior boss - either the caretaker is exceptionally good or the prior boss was exceptionally bad

Or both...

 

[BeastMode]

Or neither, and it’s just that coaching isn’t as critical and sensitive a factor as people think in the short term

you’re challenging the relevance of a coaches role?

that’s a whole new can of worms right there ...

 

[TheCool]

So what? Why then did they change their coach?
Do your homework bro. The board was in disarray, power plays and backstabbing going on between them and the Leagues club. Eels have one of the biggest fan bases in the NRL and they were calling for heads to roll and backing different factions, the list goes on. To add to that, at the time they had players that had a lot of influence going through power plays themselves. One of them was Hayne, a primadonna calling the shots (how did that all turn out), Hindmarsh who stayed on longer than he should, others who thought they just needed to turn up to play. Kearney took it all on, cleaned out the wasters, some resented that,
The board never supported him like they should have - too self-involved and self-serving. The fans started howling for his blood. Everyone needed a scapegoat & he became it.
Hmmmm, sounds a bit familiar
Maybe that's Kearneys role as a coach, come in when the s#@* has hit the fan or is about to, do the job no-one else has the guts to, be the fall guy once the hardest part is done?
And re your other post, Kearney can absolutely take the kudos for getting Harris here & Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being re-signed.
Do your homework.

Go compare the roster Kearnery inherited from Parramatta and the roster Brown inherited from Newcastle.

Come back when you've done your homework on that.

And no Jim Doyle can take the kudos not SK.

 

[BeastMode]

NzWarriors forum after last nights win if SK was still coach:

‘Great effort from the boys but we got lucky cause their two front rowers went off. Game plan was terrible.

Katoa ran once for 7m. Why did Mooks put Chanel Harris-Tavita on the left when that left edge combo with Kodi has been so good all year? And why not work on the Chanel Harris-Tavita / Katoa combo at training all week? Joke. And on Chanel Harris-Tavita, when he came through he was all scorpion kicks and wrap arounds. All that’s been coached out of him now, he was pretty quiet in the second half.

And did you see he left Lawton out there when Egan came on? With Jazz that’s 3 hookers on the field. No wonder Manly were coming to get us. Just mind blowing use of the bench.

anyway happy to get the win but unless we change the coach it’ll be same old same old I fear’

If Kearney was coaching last night

1. There would have been no offloads
2. Blair would have played 80min for 2 hitups
3. There would have been no offloads
4. Hetherington would be on the bench
5. Burr would be starting
6. Iro would be giving the 1/2 time speech
7. Beale would be on the Wing
8. All our loan players would have been kiwis
9. There would have been no offloads
10. I would not have understood a word he said at the presser
11. We would have lost by 4

 

[Afakasi247]

 

[GeneralPayten]

BREAKING - ADAM BLAIR TO EXERCISE PLAYER OPTION FOR 2021.

 

[Ranger]

It might not last, but it's nice to feel positive about the club

NoCookies | The Australian

www.theaustralian.com.au

The upshot is that Gould has been forced to choose between player management and the Warriors – and he chose the Warriors. Above all else, it says something about Gould’s belief in the club’s potential.

 

[Apus]

2pm NZT with CG for the press conference apparently

 

[Sledge]

So what? Why then did they change their coach?
Do your homework bro. The board was in disarray, power plays and backstabbing going on between them and the Leagues club. Eels have one of the biggest fan bases in the NRL and they were calling for heads to roll and backing different factions, the list goes on. To add to that, at the time they had players that had a lot of influence going through power plays themselves. One of them was Hayne, a primadonna calling the shots (how did that all turn out), Hindmarsh who stayed on longer than he should, others who thought they just needed to turn up to play. Kearney took it all on, cleaned out the wasters, some resented that,
The board never supported him like they should have - too self-involved and self-serving. The fans started howling for his blood. Everyone needed a scapegoat & he became it.
Hmmmm, sounds a bit familiar
Maybe that's Kearneys role as a coach, come in when the s#@* has hit the fan or is about to, do the job no-one else has the guts to, be the fall guy once the hardest part is done?
And re your other post, Kearney can absolutely take the kudos for getting Harris here & Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being re-signed.
Do your homework.

If he is that good then why the fuck are the Cowboys or even the Dogs back before Barrett looking at hiring him? As has been said many times before he is a good assistant coach but a bad head coach end of.

 

[Wellington Warrior]

Phil Gould has turned his back on player management for clubland

Brent Read6:19PM August 7, 2020

Phil Gould is set to make a return to clubland nearly 18 months after stepping down as Penrith’s general manager. Picture: Toby Zerna


Phil Gould’s plan to become a player agent lasted one week. Seven days to be precise. It appears Limitless Management Pty Ltd quickly reached its limit.

Gould notified the NRL on Friday morning that he had decided against pushing ahead with his application to join the ranks of player management.

Instead, he appears focused on a consultancy position with the Warriors, an announcement expected over the weekend.

Gould has been a man in demand. As well as the Warriors, he has been in discussions with ARL Commission fair Peter V’landys over an ongoing role with the governing body. He was inundated with interest. Ultimately, he has chosen a return to club ranks over the internecine world of player management because he could not do both.

The Warriors role, which was first revealed by The Australian, precluded him becoming a player manager. Appendix one to the accreditation rules details the player agent code of conduct. Section 2.4 leaves no room ambiguity.

“Accredited Agents must not be employed, contracted or otherwise engaged to provide coaching, management, consultancy, advisory or administration services to any club or any rugby league team other than a school team for which the accredited agent is a member of staff or a team competing at district junior level,” it reads.

Funnily enough, there is ambiguity around whether Gould could be employed as a consultant by head office. There is no reference in the rules to the NRL when it comes to conflict of interest. That oversight could be corrected down the track.

The upshot is that Gould has been forced to choose between player management and the Warriors – and he chose the Warriors. Above all else, it says something about Gould’s belief in the club’s potential.

While his son Jack was originally a shareholder in Limitless Management, his shares along with those of Gould were eventually transferred to another company called Six Tackles Pty Ltd.

Gould is the only shareholder in that company. Weekend Read understands that Jack has not applied for accreditation, meaning it was Gould or bust for the company. The dream is over for the time being.

While he has turned his back on player management, Weekend Read understands two relatives of coach whisperer Joe Wehbe have applied. Wehbe’s nephew Jonathan and his cousin Jason have submitted applications to become accredited agents with Ignite Sports Pty Ltd.

Like every other agent who has applied, they will be forced to undergo an exacting process before they are given the green light by the accreditation body.

As well as an orientation day and examination, they face an interview before an NRL board comprising some heavy hitting legal figures.

The board is chaired by Andrew Coleman, who was retained by the Rugby League Players Association to provide advice to Cronulla players during the peptide scandal a few years back.

NRL legal counsel Eleni North is also on the panel along with former Warriors chief executive Jim Doyle.

Provided they make it through, one or both of Wehbe’s relatives could be charged with negotiating one of the most lucrative contracts in rugby league history.

Sydney Roosters star James Tedesco has become one of Wehbe’s clients. He is currently on about $1 million a year but is expected to receive a pay rise when he negotiates his next contract with the premiers.

 

[bruce]

So what? Why then did they change their coach?
Do your homework bro. The board was in disarray, power plays and backstabbing going on between them and the Leagues club. Eels have one of the biggest fan bases in the NRL and they were calling for heads to roll and backing different factions, the list goes on. To add to that, at the time they had players that had a lot of influence going through power plays themselves. One of them was Hayne, a primadonna calling the shots (how did that all turn out), Hindmarsh who stayed on longer than he should, others who thought they just needed to turn up to play. Kearney took it all on, cleaned out the wasters, some resented that,
The board never supported him like they should have - too self-involved and self-serving. The fans started howling for his blood. Everyone needed a scapegoat & he became it.
Hmmmm, sounds a bit familiar
Maybe that's Kearneys role as a coach, come in when the s#@* has hit the fan or is about to, do the job no-one else has the guts to, be the fall guy once the hardest part is done?
And re your other post, Kearney can absolutely take the kudos for getting Harris here & Roger Tuivasa-Sheck being re-signed.
Do your homework.

You forgot to mention some Eels players had guaranteed first grade positions in their contracts. It was a crap club. So SK didn't fare well, it doesn't mean he is a good first grade coach though. He showed here that he isn't.

 

[Lance155]

Will sport news channels show the annoucement live?

 

[Wellington Warrior]

Confirmed by the club via email to members... brown is the coach

Vodafone Warriors confirm Nathan Brown as head coach Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George has today confirmed the vastly-experienced Nathan Brown as the club’s new head coach. The 47-year-old former St George Illawarra and Newcastle coach has been secured on a three-year deal to the end of the 2023 NRL season. “We couldn’t be more delighted to have Nathan as our new head coach,” said George. “He has had an extensive involvement in the game as both a first-grade player and then as a coach in the NRL and the Super League. “He already has a relationship with our players, football staff and our club after being with us as a coaching consultant working with our hookers this season. “Nathan’s a terrific person who brings tremendous qualities to the role in every sense.” Brown has a career total of almost 450 matches coaching NRL clubs St George Illawarra and Newcastle as well as Huddersfield and St Helens in the English Super League. As a hooker, he made 172 first-grade appearances for St George and St George Illawarra before becoming an NRL coach at the age of 29. “I’m a career coach. I just love coaching and this job with the Vodafone Warriors is a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “I spent time in Auckland during the preseason and was really impressed with the whole set-up, the players and the staff throughout the organisation. “The Vodafone Warriors are hugely important to the competition. We’ve seen that this year with the sacrifices they’ve made to keep the NRL going. I can’t wait to get stuck in.” During his playing career, Brown played in three grand finals in 1993, 1996 and 1999. After coaching St George Illawarra for six seasons, he spent six seasons in the Super League where he took the Huddersfield Giants to the Challenge Cup final and guided St Helens to grand final success over Wigan in 2014.

Phil Gould joins Vodafone Warriors as consultant Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George has today also confirmed leading rugby league powerbroker Phil Gould’s appointment as a club-wide consultant. George said Gould will provide advice and guidance in key strategic areas designed to build the Vodafone Warriors’ trans-Tasman commercial and general profile. “This appointment is exceptionally significant and critical to the future of our business as a whole and equally to the game in general both in New Zealand and in Australia,” he said. “Phil is held in the highest regard as a rugby league expert both on and off the park. “He has an extensive and successful coaching history and is highly sought after in the media through his roles with Channel 9 and other organisations. He also achieved so much in rebuilding the Penrith Panthers to where they are right now. “He’ll play a huge role in helping to take us to a new level as a club.” George said Gould will also work with the NRL on reviewing the structure of the game in the Pacific Islands and New Zealand before recommending changes designed to bring long-term benefits for the Vodafone Warriors and for the game generally in New Zealand. “There’s no question this is an exciting challenge,” said Gould. “The owners Mark (Robinson) and Rob (Croot) and Cameron have a real passion for rugby league and they’re highly motivated to build the Vodafone Warriors into a powerful club over the coming years. “A strong Warriors club is a great asset to the NRL, not to mention its importance to the continued development of international rugby league, which I know is a priority for Peter V'Landys and the ARL Commission.” After a 104-game first grade playing career, Gould coached the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers to premiership titles as well as being coaching director at the Sydney Roosters when they beat the Vodafone Warriors in the 2002 NRL grand final final. He also coached New South Wales to three consecutive State of Origin series wins in 1992, 1993 and 1994 followed by a 3-0 whitewash in 1996. In a second stint with the Blues he guided them to two more triumphs as well as a drawn series in 2002-2004. He took up a role as general manager with the Penrith Panthers from 2011-2019 when he drove the rebuilding of the club, which is currently leading this year’s NRL competition. Gould was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2014 for “significant service to rugby league football as an administrator, commentator, coach and player and to the community.”

 

[jsmooove]

i still cringe hard every time we are called "vodafone warriors"

gut feeling is we are not going to get the best out of gould if he is just a consultant would of preferred a more concrete fulltime role. so do we still get a director football or coaching or what ever

 

[Tony Martin]

Consultant, hardly anything to get excited over