Cowboys assistant coach Terry Matterson a contender to coach the Knights next season

COWBOYS assistant coach Terry Matterson has emerged as the biggest threat to Rick Stone reclaiming the Knights coaching job from Wayne Bennett.

Cowboys training from 1300 Smiles Stadium. Assistant coach Terry Matterson. Picture: Zak Simmonds

NORTH Queensland Cowboys assistant coach Terry Matterson has emerged as the biggest threat to Rick Stone reclaiming the Newcastle Knights coaching job from Wayne Bennett next season.

Stone, the current Knights assistant, has been a warm favourite for the position since Bennett ­announced he was quitting the club at the end of the season.

He strengthened his grip on the job even further last Thursday when Knights officials met and decided not to pursue a rookie coach who has no top-grade ­experience.

Titans assistant coach Neil Henry is in the running for the Knights head coach job.

That left the likes of Penrith’s much-touted lower grade coach Garth Brennan, who was heavily backed for the job by Panthers boss Phil Gould, and potential contenders such as Brett Kimmorley, Trent Barrett and Dave Fairleigh effectively out of the running.

The Knights will instead go after an emerging or experienced coach, and an interim board meeting tomorrow will likely ­settle on a shortlist and possible interview candidates.

The move brings the likes of former Cowboys coach Neil Henry, embattled Wests Tigers mentor Mick Potter, discarded Brisbane Broncos coach Anthony Griffin and Stone heavily into the reckoning.

But The Daily Telegraph has learnt that Matterson, who qualifies under the criteria because of his seven seasons as head coach of Castleford in the English Super League, is highly thought of at the Knights and is the bolter in the field.

And there are parallels with two of the NRL’s best emerging coaches, Roosters premiership-winner Trent Robinson and South Sydney’s Michael Maguire, who both did their top-grade coaching apprenticeships in the Super League before returning home.

Knights CEO Matt Gidley on Sunday refused to be drawn on where the club is at in relation to finding Bennett’s successor and did not want to throw up potential candidates.

“We are still working through the process at this stage,” Gidley said in Cairns.

“Obviously we would like to have it resolved as soon as possible but we are not going to rush into anything either as the decision we make is too important.”

Originally published as Cowboys assistant coach Terry Matterson a contender to coach the Knights next season