Knights mentor Ron Griffiths has quit his job as NRLW coach after two consecutive premierships

Ron Griffiths is moving onto a new challenge after winning two premierships with the Knights, opening up the most coveted job in the NRLW.

Ronald Griffiths agonised over the decision to leave his NRLW coaching job with Newcastle but believes the premiers can go to a new level in 2024 under a different style of coaching.

On Thursday the two-time NRLW premiership-winning coach announced he is leaving his job with the women’s program to take up the NSW Cup coaching position with the Knights.

It’s a move he didn’t make lightly but one he ultimately believes is best for his own coaching career and for the NRLW side to unlock more potential.

“The ladies were ecstatic for me to get an opporutnity and it shows what a team we’ve got there, they’re extremly proud of what we’ve achieved there and happy for me to get some more personal development out of that.

“I think the team’s at a stage where they need a different style of coach now too.

“I really think this team is destined to do some great things over the next few years and I feel like a different coach will help unlock some of that potential in terms of the education they need right now.”

It opens up the most coveted coaching position in the women’s game.

NSW women’s coach Kylie Hilder is believed to be among those under consideration as his replacement with the club’s preference to hire a woman for the job.

Ron Griffiths. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A month ago Griffiths led the Knights to their second-straight NRLW premiership, which is largely credited to his impressive renovation of the side.

When he took over the job in 2022 the Knights were wooden spooners following their first season, but since have turned into a powerhouse of the game with big recruits including Dally M champion Tamika Upton, Millie Boyle and Hannah and Jesse Southwell.

Their success over the past two seasons has become one of the fairytale stories in the women’s game.

Under his tenure they have won 16 of 18 games.

But after their thrilling 24-18 win over Gold Coast in the grand final, Griffiths hinted this may be his last year in charge with his ultimate goal to coach full-time.

Ronald Griffiths has led the Knights to back-to-back NRLW premierships. Credit: NRL Images.

That opportunity has opened up at the Knights with the NSW Cup team before the NRLW grand final, and after a month of deliberation the club has confirmed the switch.

He officially started on Thursday.

“The club came to me with the offer, and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to coach all year. NRLW is a shortened season and there’s so many other facets of the job and I just wanted to be able to focus on coaching solely,” he said.

“I agonised for a long time over it. I had conversations each night with my wife and I was backwards and forwards, I would have loved nothing more than to go again and win another premiership, or at least put ourselves in the window to win another one, but in saying that since I started coaching, I played in Newcastle and I coached in Newcastle, I always thought it would be awesome to coach NSW Cup given the affinity I have with those leagues.

“Being from the area I understand the importance of the Knights to our local league teams.”