NRL 2020: Caretaker coach Josh Hannay ends long-time association with North Queensland Cowboys
The list of NRL coaches looking for new homes continues to grow after Cowboys caretaker Josh Hannay announced he would be ending his long association with the club after Thursday night.
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Cowboys interim coach Josh Hannay has announced he will leave the club after Thursday’s XXXX Queensland Derby.
The 150-game North Queensland great has been an assistant coach at the club since the 2017 season and replaced Paul Green earlier this year as head coach.
Hannay said it was a mutual decision for him to move on at season’s end as incoming coach Todd Payten prepares to take over the reins for next year.
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“I’ve come to the decision, mutually with the club, to move on,” Hannay said.
“I’m going to take my time with my decision on what to do next, but I’ll make sure the decision I do make is the right one for my family and I and not just a short-term fix.
“I certainly won’t leave this club bitter because I only want good things for this place and that won’t change.”
Cowboys football boss Peter Parr thanked Hannay for his contribution to the club.
“Josh has been a major contributor at this club both as a player and a coach,” Parr said.
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“He has played a major role in the development of our younger players and moving forward as this team develops into the team we believe it’s capable of becoming, Josh’s fingerprints will be all over that.
“We wish Josh nothing but success with whatever he decides to do next and he will always be welcome at our club.”
Meanwhile, Michael Maguire’s bid to transform perennial underachievers the Wests Tigers has led to a dramatic shake-up of the club’s coaching staff.
Tigers premiership-winning captain and club legend Brett Hodgson is part of the overhaul with the current NRL assistant coach weighing-up whether to stay at the club.
Hodgson isn’t the only change at Concord with one-time caretaker coach and current assistant to Maguire, Andrew Webster, bound for the minor premiers Penrith as Trent Barrett’s replacement and to work alongside head coach Ivan Cleary.
The Tigers aren‘t alone in their mission to revamp their most important staff with long-serving Dragon Dean Young poised to link with the Cowboys, where with rookie coach Todd Payten, they will form the competition’s most inexperienced coaching staff.
In further changes across the NRL, The Sunday Telegraph can also reveal:
* Incoming St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin has made his first senior appointment of key staff for next season.
* Former Bulldogs coach Dean Pay and Broncos caretaker coach Peter Gentle have been linked with a possible move to Cronulla to work alongside John Morris, who is losing Craig Sandercock to Canterbury
* The Knights need a replacement for assistant David Furner after they were hoping to torpedo the Cowboys for Young‘s signature
* High profile coaches including Shane Flanagan, John Cartwright, Steve Georgallis, Simon Woolford, Neil Henry, Pay and Gentle are among those on the lookout for assistant coaching positions.
The Tigers are a major piece of the puzzle with Maguire set to further his decision-making following a Tigers board meeting this week.
Hodgson has been offered – but is yet to accept – a junior pathways coaching role rather than his current NRL assistant position.
Fellow Tigers assistant Shane Millard will remain on as one of Maguire’s support staff with Webster departing for the Panthers.
Young has opted against joining the Knights, who the Dragons face on Sunday afternoon, and instead will work alongside Payten at the Cowboys.
The Dragons wanted Young to fulfil the final year of his deal and work alongside Griffin but the 2010 premiership winner has decided to move to Townsville to grow his coaching experience.
Young said “the timing is right for me to go and try something different”.
“The club has been great throughout the whole process,” Young said. “I spoke with Anthony Griffin and he was keen to keep me around but I thought it was time to make a change. I’ve been at this great club for the past 20 years as a player and a coach. The opportunity came up to go somewhere else.
“I put my hand up for the (head coaching) job. I didn’t get it. That’s OK. Anthony is going to do a great job.
“I hope he does well and gets the team back to the finals. It was a tough decision.”
His decision comes as Griffin also makes his first senior appointment to his staff for next season.
Griffin has appointed Tony Guilfoyle as his head of high performance. Guilfoyle worked alongside Griffin at Penrith and Brisbane.
Griffin has been finishing prearranged consulting commitments before he ramps up his search for his coaching staff. It is expected he will start discussions with potential coaches this week.
A forgotten member of the coaching realm is ex-Warriors coach Stephen Kearney, who has been sounded out for potential coaching roles.
It is also believed several clubs have made inquiries about off-contact Eels assistant David Kidwell.
Originally published as NRL 2020: Caretaker coach Josh Hannay ends long-time association with North Queensland Cowboys
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