NRL 2020: Cowboys’ Peter Parr responds to Todd Payten decision
Todd Payten dropped a bombshell on the Warriors with a live-television revelation, triggering speculation he was privately being positioned to replace sacked Cowboys coach Paul Green.
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Cowboys head of football Peter Parr insists there are no guarantees Todd Payten will be appointed North Queensland coach following his shock decision to reject the Warriors job.
Payten dropped a bombshell on the Warriors with his live-television revelation on Fox Sports’ NRL 360 program on Monday night that he had been formally offered the New Zealand position, only to knock back the chance to replace Steve Kearney.
Payten’s surprise stance triggered speculation he was privately being positioned to replace sacked Cowboys coach Paul Green, to whom he was an assistant during North Queensland’s maiden title win in 2015.
Breaking his silence on the Cowboys post, Parr said Payten would be among 20 candidates, but made it clear North Queensland will undertake a comprehensive process to determine Green’s successor.
“In the conversations I’ve had with Todd, I’ve made it very clear there are no guarantees for anyone,” Parr said.
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“I spoke to Todd (on Monday) and he informed me he was offered the Warriors job and he was knocking it back. It was based around family reasons.
“I told him we had a lot of time for him and we like what he did as an assistant coach here at the Cowboys, we felt he was doing an admirable job with the Warriors under difficult circumstances.
“I said that would allow him to be part of our process (to find the Cowboys’ next coach), but he understood there were no guarantees about the job here, nor was he looking for any guarantees from us.
“Todd knows I am in no position to guarantee him the Cowboys job. The only thing I can guarantee him is that he will be a part of our process going forward.
“I can understand why some people would form the conclusion that because Todd has knocked back the Warriors job, it means he has the Cowboys job.
“That is not the case.
“Todd was up front with me about his position with the Warriors and I was upfront with him about our position at the Cowboys.
“And our position is that we are happy to part of our process, but there is no way in the world we are making private guarantees to anyone.”
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Asked if Payten had applied for the Cowboys job, Parr said: “Todd doesn’t need to send me his resume, we know what he is capable of. I have never seen a bad resume.”
North Queensland will put together a committee to determine their next coach and Parr hopes Green’s replacement will be finalised by mid-September.
“We wouldn’t want it to last any longer than six weeks because we have to get organised for next season,” he said.
“We will now go through our process with an open mind and at the end of that, we will select who we consider the best candidate.
“Our board has made it clear they want a really thorough process on who the next coach is.”
In yet another twist former Newcastle coach Nathan Brown is now considered the new favourite to coach the Warriors next season.
It was understood Brown had previously withdrawn his interest for the Warriors position but that was before Payten knocked back the opportunity.
Brown is close mates with Warriors recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan and they talk almost daily.
In an emotional revelation on Monday night, Payten said now was not the right time to take the Warriors role.
Payten confirmed the job at the Warriors was his but he couldn’t accept it due to personal reasons.
“I had an interview maybe 10 or 14 days ago,” Payten told Fox Sports’ NRL 360.
“I had been offered the job last Monday. I informed the club I am going to turn it down. It just wasn’t the right opportunity for my family and myself at this time.
“It was not an easy decision. It is something I agonised over for a few days but in the end it was the first time I have put my family first in a decision.”
Payten then revealed his wife’s father was sick.
“Look, not many people know this but my wife’s father has just started chemotherapy,” Payten continued.
“So that was at the forefront of our minds. Obviously with the COVID-thing for her to travel back and forth is very, very difficult.
“That was a big part of it, and there are some other issues I don’t want to make public.
“But that’s my decision. I have made it. It was tough for everyone. The club was shocked and disappointed. But moving forward my focus is on getting this side prepared as well as I can from week to week.”
Payten said he still had a year to run on his assistant’s role at the Warriors but that was not to say he was not interested in coaching the Cowboys.
“There is another opportunity that is on the table but I don’t want to play that out in public,” Payten said.
“That is the Cowboys.”
Payten said he was “not in any process at the moment, they are just aware of my interest”.
The Cowboys board is considered conservative and is not expected to rush into any decision despite Payten’s revelation.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Cowboys’ Peter Parr responds to Todd Payten decision