The rugby league world was stunned when Wayne Bennett confirmed that 2014 would be his last year at the Newcastle Knights, citing that he was not the man the club needed as its long term coach.
While the speculation on where the seven-time premiership winning coach will go next year has started in earnest, speculation has also mounted as to who will follow in Wayne’s footsteps at the Knights.
Rick Stone appears to be the early front runner for the job, having coached the Knights to two NRL finals appearances in 2009 and 2011. Neil Henry will also no doubt be linked given his prior experiences in the NRL with Canberra and the North Queensland Cowboys, but the smart money suggests one-time Newcastle Knights NYC coach Garth Brennan could emerge as the shock contender for the role.
Unless you are a supporter of either Newcastle or Penrith, then many fans are probably asking the question Garth who?
Brennan, a former lower-grade player at the Newcastle Knights, worked his way up the Knights coaching ranks, culminating with his appointment as Newcastle NYC coach and assistant to then NRL head coach, Rick Stone.
In 2011, Brennan took the Newcastle Knights to its first appearance in the NYC finals, despite being told mid-season that his services were no longer required at the club given Wayne Bennett was bringing in his own coaching resources.
Phil Gould, recognising Garth’s achievements, promptly signed Brennan to coach a Penrith NYC team which at the time had also made just the one finals appearance in the NYC competition up until 2012.
In Garth’s first season at the helm in 2012, Penrith vastly improved to finish 5th in the NYC competition, despite his side suffering a plethora of injuries. He was recognised for his achievements with his selection as Toyota Cup coach of the year, as well as his appointment as NSW Under-18s coach.
In 2013, Brennan started the year as the coach of a NYC side many rated as the premiership favourites, with the likes of Bryce Cartwright, Isaah Yeo, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Kierran Moseley coming through the ranks.
He won his opening six games when Gould announced a coaching restructure, ultimately elevating Brennan to coach the then Penrith Panthers NSW Cup feeder club, Windsor Wolves.
It was pretty clear that this appointment allowed Brennan to elevate NYC talent into NSW Cup for the purpose of allowing the club to evaluate whether the talent on its books had the required skill to cut it in the NRL.
No less than a dozen players saw time in the NSW Cup under Garth’s watch, and when it was time to make the equally surprising switch to install Garth back as the NYC head coach with just four rounds remaining, it was no surprise that his playing roster benefitted from the experience gained in playing in the NSW Cup. They went on an undefeated run to claim the Panthers’ first NYC competition.
Garth Brennan was subsequently appointed as the Panthers’ NSW Cup coach for 2014 and his team has emerged as strong premiership favourites with 14 wins from 15 games. The last ten were consecutive, perching the Panthers on top of the table.
Garth’s time at Penrith has coincided with many promising Knights players following him to Penrith. Sam Anderson and Will Smith games have flourished under Brennan’s coaching, while the likes of Watene-Zelezniak, Yeo and Cartwright have gone on to make their NRL debuts after playing in that 2013 premiership winning NYC side.
Brennan has continued to unearth stars in the NSW Cup in 2014, most noticably Waqa Blake, a centre of considerable promise who only earlier this week debuted for the NSW Cup representative side.
Whether that NRL head-coaching gig comes for Brennan next year remains to be seen, but Garth has the runs on the board.
Should Rick Stone get the head coaching role, it wouldn’t surprise if Garth Brennan is once more appointed as his assistant, but it equally wouldn’t surprise if Brennan is the shock appointment as head coach. Watch this space.
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