NRL: Bulldogs chase Ackland

John Ackland. Photo / Getty Images

The Bulldogs want to hire Junior Warriors coach John Ackland.

Ackland, who is leaving the Auckland club at the end of this season after almost a decade at Mt Smart, is being targeted by several NRL clubs, but the Bulldogs appear to have the inside running for his signature.

Aside from his coaching pedigree (under Ackland's charge, the Warriors have won two NYC premierships), the 54-year-old is a renowned talent scout. He is often noted as the man who discovered Sonny Bill Williams - and sent him on to the Bulldogs. But few men have a better knowledge of the Auckland league scene, which is recognised as probably the greatest producer of young talent in the league world.

He also has connections and contacts throughout the first XV fraternity, from which the Warriors (and most other NRL clubs) have plucked plenty of junior players in recent years.

The news will cause some alarm among Warriors fans - with the prospect of some of the best young talent escaping the clutches of the Warriors to end up at Belmore.

A source close to the Bulldogs confirmed the club has had discussions with Ackland about a role from 2014. The job would be a combination of development, scouting and coaching. Ackland previously worked for the Sydney club in the early 2000s, before he was employed by the Warriors from 2006.

The Bulldogs have always had a strong Kiwi presence; from Jarrod McCracken and John Timu to Daryl Halligan and Jason Williams. The club presently has six current or former New Zealand internationals on their NRL books: Greg Eastwood, Dene Halatau, Krisnan Inu, Sam Kasiano, Sam Perrett and Frank Pritchard, as well as a host of Kiwis in the lower grades.

The link to this country was strengthened further last month, with the appointment of Raelene Castle to the chief executive's position. The former Netball New Zealand CEO started officially at the Bulldogs last week.

Ackland's departure from Mt Smart was confirmed a few weeks ago, but had been on the radar since Matthew Elliott's arrival at the start of the year. It is believed that the two men did not see eye to eye almost from the beginning and their differences became irreconcilable. They disagreed on a variety of issues, including training schedules for the Junior players and the promotion of Ackland's players into the Vulcans.

Ackland has been at the Warriors since 2006 in a variety of coaching roles and guided the under-20 team to back-to-back premierships in 2010 and 2011. Those wins represented the first grand final successes for the Auckland NRL franchise.

The under-20s finished second in the minor premiership last year but lost successive playoff matches to crash out of the finals in the second week. Ackland also had roles with the Warriors (in junior coaching and development) for a few years in the late 1990s.