NRL: Former Cowboys flyer Ty Williams puts hat in ring for coaching role
A decade after he called time on his rugby league career, a flame still burns in Ty Williams to get to the highest level. The Innisfail product has openly expressed his interest in the vacant head coaching job at former club North Queensland Cowboys.
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A decade after he called time on his rugby league career, a flame still burns in Ty Williams to get to the highest level.
The Innisfail product has openly expressed his interest in the vacant head coaching job at former club North Queensland Cowboys.
The Townsville-based NRL club are searching for a new mentor following the resignation of Paul Green last week, with Queensland Maroons State of Origin coach Kevin Walters and Warriors interim coach Todd Payten reportedly on the club’s radar.
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The Cowboys will also give former assistant Josh Hannay, who has since stepped into an interim head coaching role following Green’s departure, every chance to push his cause for the job for the remainder of the season.
Williams made 151 appearances for the Cowboys between 2002 and 2010 and played on the wing in their inaugural grand final in 2005, which they lost 30-16 to Wests Tigers.
Currently in his fourth year as head coach of the Northern Pride’s Intrust Super Cup side, the 39-year-old would jump at the opportunity to return to Cowboys HQ.
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“Obviously I aspire to be an NRL coach at some stage — that’s the main goal,” he said.
“I’ve taken some serious consideration with what’s happened in Townsville and thinking about how I could possibly get myself involved down there at the Cowboys.
“Obviously, I understand the process of it all, but I’m confident in my ability and what I can do as a coach.
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“The first thing someone’s going to say is ‘he’s a rookie coach, he hasn’t proven himself’, which I can totally understand, but I’ve got to showcase that I’m keen and eager to be involved with the Cowboys.”
Cowboys interim coach Hannay was head coach of Intrust Super Cup side Souths Logan Magpies from 2014 to 2016, before returning to the Cowboys as Green’s assistant in 2017.
Williams said he was hoping to follow a similar path.
“I think that’s the next progression for myself, whether it’s at the Cowboys or at another club,” he said.
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“Hopefully getting into an assistant’s or pathways development role, where you have interaction with the young guys that are on the fringe of the NRL.
“I’ve got a little bit of that at the moment with the guys I get back through our allocations, but I think having a full hands-on role with guys like that and hopefully getting them to move into the big time would be ideal.
“At the end of the day, I want to be at the helm of it all, but I know that takes time.”
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The coach said he would be looking to make the most of the Pride’s close partnership with the Cowboys in the coming season.
“Whoever they do get down there moving forward, I will be looking to do a lot of personal development work with them, not just for myself as an individual but for the Northern Pride as a club,” Williams said.
He said the pathway to top-level coaching was similar to the pathway to becoming a top-level player, with the Intrust Super Cup providing a proving ground for NRL hopefuls.
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“We as a club have a very good track record of coaches going on to higher levels,” he said.
“JD (Jason Demetriou) is a perfect example, Joe O’Callaghan’s down at Souths as well, and even Brock Schaefer’s down there as the chief operating officer, so we’ve got a very good track record of putting guys on to higher administrative roles.
“Hopefully the journey that I’m on at the moment is heading in that direction.”
The Cowboys’ employment process for a new head coach will be the subject of a board meeting on Friday.
Originally published as NRL: Former Cowboys flyer Ty Williams puts hat in ring for coaching role