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Stephen Kearney is hopeful Wayne Bennett will continue as a selector after the super coach officially announced yesterday his unavailability to continue as Kiwis assistant.
It was the news most Kiwis fans dreaded, given Kearney and Bennett's success in turning the Kiwis from a rabble to World Cup champions in 12 months.
Bennett, though, has his hands full with his new role as the Dragons coach after 21 successful years with the Broncos and he is also regularly commuting back to Brisbane, where his wife and children still live.
Warriors under-20s coach Tony Iro will step into Bennett's extremely large shoes to help Kearney prepare the team for the Anzac test in Brisbane on May 8 as well as the Four Nations tournament in England and France in October and November.
The Four Nations proved the biggest hurdle for Bennett to overcome, given it coincides with Dragons pre-season training.
"Wayne has indicated that he is available to help whenever necessary," Kearney said. "Hopefully, we will keep him on board as a selector. He will be involved in some way, even if it's just giving advice.
"It was wonderful working with him. I learned so much off him and enjoyed his company. The whole group got a great lift from his presence. We had a good chemistry together and I expect it will be no different with Tony.
"Tony was the obvious replacement. When I first got offered the job at the beginning of last year his name was the one I had in my mind.
"With 12 months' experience with the Warriors under-20s he's in a
better position now. He's the perfect man for the job."
Iro said it took about three seconds for him to accept the position when asked last Wednesday. He was assistant to Brian McClennan in 2006 and was also New Zealand A coach in 2005.
Kiwis manager Dean Bell, who also works closely with Iro as manager of the Warriors under-20s, told the Herald on Sunday last month Iro would be the best candidate should Bennett make himself unavailable.
"I have had some experience in the role, I'm friendly with Stephen [having been former Kiwi team-mates] and having Dean Bell in my corner didn't hurt my cause either," Iro said.
"I want to keep learning and to improve myself as a coach. Working with the best players in the world will be good for me.
"Wayne is an icon in the game and I'm not even going to attempt to replace him. Stephen has said he has a specific role for me to do and I will do the best I can."
Kearney and Iro were Kiwi team-mates in the 1990s and have remained friends since. They will have the chance to get together when the Warriors meet the Storm in Melbourne two weeks before the Anzac test.
The NZRL had taken a softly-softly approach with Bennett and didn't broach the subject of continuing as Kiwi assistant until last month. One NZRL official even said they didn't want to "spook" him by pressuring him into making a decision.
Bennett doesn't do contracts and famously backed out of a verbal agreement to coach the Roosters after it was leaked to the media.
NZRL chairman Ray Haffenden said Bennett's decision was understandable. "Wayne said one of his objectives was to assist us in winning the World Cup," he said. "He has
achieved that and he said he was very grateful he had the opportunity to be involved. His focus is now on coaching the Dragons."
