NRL: Warriors hope to name their new coach soon

Brian McClennan. File photo / Getty Images

Local candidates Brian McClennan, Tony Iro and John Ackland have been interviewed by the Warriors board and the club remains on track to name Ivan Cleary's replacement as head coach early next month.

Chief executive Wayne Scurrah confirmed the board had been in contact with owners Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin and there had then been "face to face" dialogue with McClennan, Iro and Ackland.

Scurrah also confirmed the club hoped to make an appointment within two to three weeks.

"Ultimately we are hoping to get to the position where the board can make a recommendation to the shareholders [in the next two weeks]," Scurrah said.

As well as assessing the local candidates the club had been sifting through expressions of interest from overseas, he confirmed.

Multiple reports have linked former Warriors player and Hull KR coach Justin Morgan to the role, although there appears to be more interest from big-name coaches such as Ricky Stuart and Nathan Brown in the vacant Canterbury Bulldogs job.

Former Kiwis coach McClennan remains the strong favourite to land the Warriors job. In Rotorua watching the national junior trials as part of his role as Auckland Rugby League's football development manager, McClennan declined to comment on how his interview went.

With the Bulldogs in disarray after Kevin Moore's abrupt resignation and rumblings continuing in Penrith over the treatment of interim coach Steve Georgallis, Scurrah has pointed to the success of the Warriors' decision to retain Cleary until the end of the season.