However, unlike the perceived situation with All Black selection last year, it seems Williams is not guaranteed a golden ticket back into the Kiwis jumper.
"If he comes back he will go into the pool like everybody else,'' says Kearney. "If he is performing well, then obviously we will look at him. We would just love to have him back in our game; he is a wonderful athlete. ''
With his Eels hat on, Kearney has more pressing responsibilities at hand, starting with the Warriors clash tomorrow night. The Eels finished 14th last year, just one point ahead of wooden spooners Canberra and Gold Coast. They won six games and lost 17 though fate was certainly cruel.
Parramatta endured an incredible amount of close losses in the second half of the season, with eight games lost by six points or less. These included two heartbreakers against premiers Manly (22-18 and 26-20) and other shaves against the Knights (8-6), Broncos (16-12), Panthers (23-22), Bulldogs (8-7) and Roosters (13-12).
"It's about turning those narrow losses into wins,'' says Kearney.
"How do you do that? For us over the last four or five months, since the competition finished, it has been about trying to make those improvements away from the footy field and that is what we have done. We have asked players that if we all improved five per cent, two per cent, then collectively would we have got those losses last year? I reckon we could have turned some around. If we collectively do that, then add the talents of the [Chris] Sandow, [Ben] Roberts and [Willie] Tonga to the mix, then hopefully we will be more competitive.''
Since his arrival, Kearney has sought to bring structure to a team that had previously leaned towards a more off-the-cuff approach, with maverick talents such as Jarryd Hayne. Kearney puts faith in his template learned at the Storm but melding them together seems a bit like asking the Singapore Government to come and run Brazil.
"It's been a bit of a balancing act,'' concedes Kearney. "It's a constant work in progress; sometimes we bump heads, talk about things and look at trying a different way. It's about trying to cater for the talent that we have and what they are good at, but again mindful that we still always need a foundation to work from. That is what structure is and that is what it gives you. Use their talent for what they are good at, work it all in and that is the challenge of a first grade coach.''
Despite poor results in 2011, both club and country remain very confident in his capabilities. NZRL CEO Jim Doyles says that in terms of the environment he creates and his success rare Kearney is the "the right person for the job'' and will remain so regardless of what happens this year.
-Herald on Sunday
