NRL: Former Warriors head coach Andrew McFadden returning to club in new role

Andrew McFadden will return the the club he once coached. Photo / Photosport

Former Warriors head coach Andrew McFadden is returning to the club.

The 44-year-old will take on the new role as general manager of recruitment, development and pathways.

His arrival will coincide with the departure of current general manager football Craig Hodges, who is leaving to pursue coaching opportunities in Australia.

McFadden has extensive background with the Warriors.

He arrived as an assistant coach to Matthew Elliott in 2013, then took on the top job when Elliott was sacked early in the 2014 season.

McFadden was in charge of the first grade team for three seasons – a time that was successful by current standards – before he stepped down before the 2017 season.

But he stayed on as assistant to Stephen Kearney for two years, before moving to his current role with Canberra, working under Ricky Stuart for the past four seasons.

He helped the Raiders reach the 2019 grand final and the preliminary final a year later.

McFadden also has an association with incoming Warriors head coach Andrew Webster. Webster was an assistant coach under McFadden at Mt Smart in 2015 and 2016.

"He has a great affinity with the club and with New Zealand," said Warriors chief executive Cameron George. "He's driven now to step away from coaching at NRL level and step into the critical area of recruitment, development and pathways.

"We've invested heavily in development and pathways while being based in Australia for the last three years and we have even bigger plans in this space with our full football operation coming back to New Zealand from next season. Part of his role will be to identify and mentor young coaches in our system."

Hodges had a close association with former coach Nathan Brown and was always unlikely to be a long term prospect at the Warriors after Brown left the club.

"He has wonderful qualities and has made a fantastic contribution but he still has a strong desire to coach so unfortunately, with no position here, he is looking for opportunities in Australia," said George.