After Australia’s 26-12 loss at the hands of New Zealand on Sunday, Tim Sheens’ tenure as coach of the Australian national team seems likely to end. So who will take the Kangaroos into the 2017 World Cup?
Contracted until the end of the year, Sheens has coached 31 Tests since taking over from Ricky Stuart in 2009, helping Australia to regain the 2013 Rugby League World Cup from New Zealand.
‘Shifty’, as he was affectionately known as during his playing days with Penrith, is one of the greatest coaches in rugby league history, coaching 669 first-grade games for Penrith, Canberra, North Queensland and Wests Tigers, and winning four premierships (Canberra in 1989, 1990, 1994, Wests in 2005) over his 26-year career.
But after three straight losses to New Zealand, the first time since 1952-53, Australia’s coach is on the chopping block.
A representative coach’s job is obviously different to an NRL head coach. None of the Australia Kangaroos, New South Wales Blues or Queensland Maroons have head coaches affiliated with an NRL or Super League club (although Sheens did offer some assistance with Salford).
As we saw when Craig Bellamy took on the Blues’ coaching role, it is extremely hard to be an NRL head coach while also coaching a full-time representative team. Bellamy will not be Australia’s next coach, as if we are to change coaches we must do so right now.
There are really only three main contenders at present.
David Furner
Furner had 109 games in charge at the Raiders, and since being sacked in 2013 he has worked under Paul Green at the North Queensland Cowboys as an assistant coach. Furthermore, he has worked with the national team as assistant coach since 2009.
Furner knows what to do with the current Kangaroos playing group and is able to work in the representative camp situation. Just 44 years old – 20 years younger than his mentor in the national team’s camp – Furner has longevity and will help to nurture the Kangaroos’ future stars for many years to come.
Whether the Kangaroos want a replacement for the short-term or the long-term, David Furner is their best and safest bet.
John Cartwright
Another coach working with the North Queensland Cowboys as an assistant, John Cartwright held the clipboard at the Gold Coast Titans for 186 games, helping to build the NRL’s newest franchise from their inaugural year in 2007 through to 2014.
Cartwright served as Kangaroos assistant to Ricky Stuart during the 2008 World Cup, where he matured as a coach and completely changed the Titans in a stunning transformation which saw the new franchise qualify for consecutive finals series in 2009 and 2010.
Cartwright is very experienced in a representative camp, having also coached City Origin and the United States Tomahawks. However, the move would be controversial as Cartwright led his club through some of its toughest times and finished his career having won just 46 per cent of games as head coach.
Kevin Walters
Walters played 11 Tests for Australia between 1990 and 1998 and has proved that he is just as good as a coach than he was a player. The Brisbane Broncos legend coached both the Toowoomba Clydesdales and Ipswich Jets in the Queensland Cup, the Catalans Dragons in the Super League – where his side fell one match short of qualifying for the Super League grand final – and has served under Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett as an assistant.
Walters currently works with Mal Meninga in developing the Emerging Maroons squad during the pre-season and also as an assistant coach for the Queensland State of Origin team.
While he isn’t as experienced as Furner and Cartwright, Walters has been able to develop players into future State of Origin stars. However, it remains to be seen whether he is able to take control of an NRL or representative team in a full-time role.
There are also some other coaches who could give the role a shake.
Matt Parish
The former Canberra Raiders assistant coach is currently entrenched in his roles as New South Wales Blues assistant, where he helped Laurie Daley to inspire New South Wales to their first State of Origin series win since 2005, and as coach of Samoa, who he nearly led to three upsets in last year’s Four Nations.
Parish is extremely passionate about Samoa and it would be some task to convince him to switch allegiances to the Kangaroos. He would also have to cut his ties with the Blues, another job in which he has thrived and seems to be enjoying very much.
Paul Green
The only NRL head coach coming off contract at the end of 2015, Paul Green has completely transformed the North Queensland Cowboys and has fast become one of rugby league’s best young coaches.
Green helped the Sydney Roosters build up one of the strongest defensive lines in the competition, assisting Trent Robinson in winning the 2013 NRL premiership.
The Cowboys head coach has no previous experience coaching at the representative level however and it looks highly likely he will re-sign to stay in Townsville long-term. If Green is going to take on the gig he will have to cut his ties with the Cowboys which all but draws him out of the race.
Michael Hagan
The coach of the Knights 2001 premiership-winning team, Michael Hagan is very experienced. Currently working as director of football at Newcastle, Hagan is also the Maroons’ assistant and continues to thrive in the coaching department. He also has experience as head coach of the Queensland State of Origin side and has good knowledge on how to bring a team together in a short period of time.
Steve Folkes
Former Canterbury-Bankstown head coach Steve Folkes is currently involved with the victorious Jillaroos and firmly believes in women’s rugby league. Could Folkesy convert his success with the Australian women’s team to the struggling Kangaroos? The Jillaroos coach will want to continue developing the game for women and is a very unlikely candidate however, but he has the experience to return the Kangaroos to their glory days.
Trent Barrett
A future NRL coach, Barrett is an assistant to Ivan Cleary at the Penrith Panthers, is head coach of the Country Origin side, and has previously been Laurie Daley’s understudy at the New South Wales Blues. Barrett knows what to do when you have a group of players who have not played together and need to create a strong culture to win a game after a short training camp. Just like Parish however, Barrett will have to hand over the baton to the next man in waiting at Country Origin – likely Simon Dwyer.
Michael Maguire and Trent Robinson
Despite the wishes of many, these two are no chance of coaching the Kangaroos any time soon. Sure they have delivered premierships to their respective clubs, however they are simply too young and inexperienced to coach the national team.
Furner and Cartwright have served as assistant coaches to the national team while Walters serves as assistant coach to the Queensland Maroons. These two young coaches may have been successful in turning their club’s fortunes around but they are simply not ready to take on such a big role.
Roarers, do you think Tim Sheens should stay on as Kangaroos coach or be replaced, and if so by whom?
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