Rugby League: Review into World Cup calamity set to claim another NZRL bigwig

Kiwis ace Shaun Johnson is dejected following their loss during the Rugby League World Cup quarter-final against Fiji. Photo / Photosport

It appears the Kiwis' awful 2017 World Cup campaign has claimed another casualty.

The Herald understands that New Zealand Rugby League High Performance Manager Brent Gemmell is expected to resign from his post.

His probable exit follows former CEO Alex Hayton, who resigned last month, and coach David Kidwell, who announced he would not be re-applying for his position last week.

It would leave the NZRL with a significant recruitment headache, as they search for a new coach, CEO and high performance manager over the next few months.

But if Gemmell does fall on his sword, it wouldn't be a complete surprise, given some of the findings of the review into the World Cup.

Gemmell is expected to resign. Photo / Photosport

In that tournament the Kiwis fell to Tonga in the group stages — their first defeat to the Island nation — before a shock 4-2 loss to Fiji in the quarter-finals.

There were issues on and off the field, and the event will be remembered as one of the low points in the sport's history in New Zealand.

The review identified the complete lack of proven high performance sport expertise within the NZRL organisation as one of their most alarming findings of their investigation.

The authors, Raelene Castle and Tim Castle, also said that the NZRL let coach Kidwell down in not providing him with a carefully and strategically designed high-level kiwis campaign plan.

The review also criticised the high performance unit, which was headed by Gemmell, in their failure to play a part in building strong relationships with current and potential Kiwis players

Gemmell was appointed in March 2015. He had previously held a variety of coaching roles, including the Junior Kiwis and New Zealand Resident teams.

The review into the Kiwis' disastrous World Cup has already claimed two casualties. Photo / Photosport

Gemmell was also involved with the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup, and won a number titles at Auckland and national level with the Auckland Pride and the Mt Albert Lions.

NZRL Chairman Reon Edwards declined to comment on Gemmell's current employment situation when contacted by the Herald.

Gemmell was unable to be contacted.

To get the day's top sports stories in your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here