Warriors interim coach Todd Payten described the news of Stephen Kearney's sacking as 'like a death in the family'. Video / Warriors / NRL
One of rugby league's most famous coaches is a left-field prospect to be among those eyeing up the Warriors job.
The Warriors won't be short on candidates, that's for sure. Within hours of Stephen Kearney's sacking becoming public on Saturday evening, the club received about a dozen approaches from agentsrepresenting coaches seeking the NRL job.
There's a chance that among the men putting their hand up will be the legendary Tim Sheens – who will surely be thinking that the Warriors vacancy has given him another shot at NRL glory.
Interim Warriors coach Todd Payten – who was Kearney's assistant - has the inside running, but only in theory. It would be a staggering achievement to impress the club owner Mark Robinson, chairman Rob Croot and CEO Cameron George sufficiently in such a short space of time and with a squad full of holes.
The 41-year-old Payten has been handed a wonderful opportunity to fast-track his bid to become a first-grade coach. But the odds are against him making the full first-grade leap right now, particularly as the Kearney coaching regime was deemed such a failure.
Tim Sheens - in the frame? Photo/Photosport
Nathan Brown and Geoff Toovey were the first names off the rank when news broke over the weekend that the club had discarded Kearney, whose erratic three-and-a-half year reign came to an inglorious end against the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
To that you can add the names of Trent Barrett and Anthony Griffin, recent NRL coaches who lost their jobs.
And for an outside pick, the new England and former Wigan coach Shaun Wane could be another who sees this as his big chance to join the British NRL invasion.
The obvious pick is Brown, who has already worked with the Warriors dummy halves under Kearney's coaching.
Brown got into top-level coaching at a young age. His latest head coaching job at the Knights ended last year.
But Brown - a longtime Dragons hooker - has just moved from Newcastle to Sydney and will probably have his eye on other NRL jobs which could come up soon.
And there is an obvious and major question around Toovey: why has the legendary Manly player failed to find another club since he was sacked by the Sea Eagles five years ago?
It's a question which has been flying the past few days, and one the Warriors would need answering.
The Warriors already have long list of possible replacements for Stephen Kearney.
Barrett, who took over from Toovey at Manly, is currently assisting Ivan Cleary at the high-flying Panthers but the 42-year-old former Dragons playmaker will still have first grade aspirations.
And you would put money on Griffin putting his hand up. He was cut off in his prime at Penrith before the 2018 season had ended, an unprecedented decision given the Panthers were still in the hunt.
Other prospects include Roosters assistant Craig Fitzgibbon and Jason Ryles, the former first grader who is set to re-join England rugby coach Eddie Jones. And the vastly experienced Knights assistant David Furner – the Raiders head coach for five years - is another rough chance.
The 69-year-old Sheens, a former Australian coach, has been through all the ups and downs of life as a top grade coach in a long and illustrious career.
He has been out of the NRL for eight years, and coaching in England. His name did come up for jobs with the Knights, Sharks and Dragons.
Sheens is still employed, with battling Widnes. The former glamour club now shuffles around in the English championship, below the Super League.
Sheens won fame as he built the glamour Canberra side which included Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and co. He was touted as a prospect to become the Warriors' first coach in 1995, and was one of the first NRL coaches to make a personal foray into New Zealand in search of players.
Interestingly, Payten played for Sheens at Canberra and the prop also won a premiership under him at the Wests Tigers in 2005.
Todd Payten...on the rise. Photo/Photosport
If the Warriors believe Payten has a long term future as their first-grade coach, they might see the benefits of him working under Sheens for a few seasons.
And in the rough and tumble of the NRL, anything is possible. Even Kiwis coach Michael Maguire, who is in charge of the Wests Tigers, has been mentioned.
The Rabbitohs' legendary NRL figure Wayne Bennett also gets a mention. But Bennett always gets a mention, he already has a good contract, and he wouldn't come cheap.
An Australian outlet has reported someone from the Bennett camp approached the Warriors. But that is hard to believe so soon after the Kearney sacking, and he wouldn't come cheap.
