New Burleigh coach Rick Stone to turn to Jim Lenihan ahead of Intrust Super Cup return

RICK Stone will turn to one of Burleigh’s favourite sons in his fairytale Bears return as he embarks on a quest for a third Intrust Super Cup premiership.

RICK Stone will turn to outgoing coach Jim Lenihan in his fairytale return to Burleigh as he embarks on a quest for a third Intrust Super Cup premiership.

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Having launched his coaching career with the Bears in 1995, Stone has now come full circle after he was today unveiled as the replacement for new Titans assistant Lenihan.

Stone, 52, steered the club to titles in 1999 and 2004 during a 10-year stint that featured more than 200 games at the helm and his return comes just six weeks after Lenihan guided the Bears to a fourth crown.

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With plans to make the move from Newcastle to the Gold Coast next week, the former Knights NRL mentor said the man he will replace could still play a role in their 2020 fortunes.

“It’s my job to come in and keep some consistency going in the competitive stakes. I’ll have to a chat to Jim as well and see where we can improve,” Stone said.

“I wouldn’t be looking to change too much. We’ll see if we can improve the group by small margins and if we can do that we will be competitive.

New Burleigh coach Rick Stone during his time with Newcastle. Picture: Peter Lorimer

“We’ll be spending a little bit of time between now and Christmas adding a little bit of depth to the squad. I think 80 per cent of the squad would be close (to being locked in) but there’s still a bit of room to move.

“There’ll be a few meetings to get my head around (but) if they can keep the bulk of the roster we’ll be ok.”

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Stone left Burleigh in 2005 to take up an assistant role with Newcastle, where he would eventually become head coach in 2009-11 and again in 2015.

His second stint with the Knights was followed by three seasons with Huddersfield in the Super League, returning to Australia to take the top jobs with Lebanon and the Sydney Roosters’ NRL Women’s side this year.

Stone in Burleigh colours in 2005. Picture: Jono Searle

While he said he would be “pretty comfortable” in his Pizzey Park surroundings, Stone said the rapidly-changing face of rugby league meant he still had lessons to learn.

“(Being with Burleigh previously) makes things a little bit easier but at the same time it’s a different competition in the Q Cup,” Stone, who took Newcastle to title success in this year’s NSWRL Women’s Premiership, said.

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“Obviously everything evolves. It’s been a while since I’ve been at Burleigh so there’s been a significant evolution of the game. To see where Burleigh has got to since I left is pretty impressive and gives you an idea of how far the game can evolve in a short space of time.

“I’ve kept an eye on the competition the last few years. It’s always been competitive and even harder now. Every team prepares like a mini-NRL club.